“We train animals, we need to make sure we are educating our leaders.” ~Joe Contrera Yesterday, I was attempting to read an article on my phone to catch up on an event. Once I clicked on the article, in less than a nanosecond my screen was filled so many ads that I could not…
“Looking back, you realize that everything would have explained itself if you had only stopped interrupting.” ~ Robert Breault Regardless of how you analyze the numbers, interruptions are one of the biggest drains on our ability to effectively communicate with others in the workplace. Unfortunately, I have found that this is an area…
Last week I wrote about Honesty, Wisdom, & Leadership. In that blog, we defined wisdom as the accumulation of knowledge and experience. We also discussed the importance of honesty in relationship to wisdom. This week, I want to do a little deeper dive into the topic of knowledge and experience. Specifically knowledge in the context…
“In order to burnout a person needs to have been on fire…at one time!” ~ Ayala Pines The path to becoming fully “alive” as a leader begins when you are aligned with your purpose – your reason for living. And as you get clarity and awareness of your own path, you are then able to…
“Knowing when to leave may be the smartest thing anyone can learn.” ~ Burt Bacharach Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with or present in front of 1000’s of leaders. On occasion, I have been asked, What makes a great leader? What are the traits of a great leader? Can…
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does great things. They are the one that gets people to do the greatest things.” ~ Ronald Reagan As a leader, coach, or influencer, when you make yourself the center of attention or the focus you will more-than-likely fail more times than you win. As…
“The most difficult matter is not so much to change the world as yourself.” ~ Nelson Mandela It is amazing to me, that in this time where there are countless videos, seminars, workshops, books, and podcasts on how to be an extraordinary leader, we continue to hear story after story and see example after…
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” ~Lao Tzu These words spoken by the 6th Century Chinese Philosopher Lao Tzu, really captures the heart of leadership for me. Unlike many of the current leaders of today…
“Training is something you do to animals, education is something you do for people.” ~ Joe Contrera Transactions & Exchanges When you go through the drive thru at McDonald’s, there’s a good chance you’re not going for a culinary experience. Going through the drive-thru there is a process that happens about 35 million times…
“What others say and do is a projection of their own reality” ~ Miguel Angel Ruiz Projection is a defense mechanism where we take a part of us that we don’t like (i.e. our arrogant-self, selfish-self, or our untrusting-self, etc.) and project it onto someone else. For example, if we look at someone and…