If there was ever any doubt how much people hate change, check the comment section of any blog post about the recent Apple decision regarding headphone jacks. The world has clearly come to an end for iPhone enthusiasts. How will we ever survive without a headphone jack in our iPhones? According to Apple, this life-altering design decision was an act of “courage.” It does take a lot of courage to take a stand and make a change. Of course, they did try to minimize customer outrage by including a headphone jack adapter in all iPhone 7 purchases, but according to … Read More
Will You Know When to Pass the Torch?
All good things must come to an end, and this week, the Summer Olympics games in Rio came to an end as well. After a colorful closing ceremony celebrating the athletes and host country, the torch was passed to Tokyo who will host the winter games in 2020. The passing of the torch is a deeply meaningful and symbolic experience. Carrying the torch is an awesome responsibility. Being selected as a torch bearer is a true honor bestowed upon universally respected individuals. The torch bearer is responsible for keeping the flame burning until it is ready for the next recipient. … Read More
Michael Phelps’ Lesson in Leadership
Tuesday night, Michael Phelps won his 21st Olympic Gold medal (25 medals total) and prevailed over rival swimmer Chad Le Clos of South Africa. While he made history in the pool, what happened behind the scenes created juicy headlines. Like any good rivalry, the history between Phelps and LeClos includes years of sharp words, insults, and both victories and losses. Right before the Olympic showdown, LeClos did his best to get inside Phelps’ head. In the warm up area, Le Clos stood right in front of Phelps while jumping around and shadow boxing. Phelps, whose mental warm up is centered … Read More
Your Superstar Resigned. Now What?
Every team has a Lebron James, Kevin Durant, or Dwayne Wade. That one team member who not only brings in the most results, but also keeps everyone motivated and serves as the face of the team. We consider these A-players corporate royalty and do what we can to reward them for their high level of achievement. But, even when you’ve given your MVP everything they’ve asked for, sometimes they still leave. Whether it’s Lebron James leaving the Miami Heat after 3 consecutive NBA finals appearances and two championships, or Kevin Durant who could do nothing wrong in the eyes of … Read More
Don’t Be the Smartest Person in the Room
There’s a commercial for Experian that caught my attention recently. It begins with, “Everything you’re pretty good at now, you were once…well….pretty bad at.” I had an immediate emotional reaction to that message. That one sentence can transport you back to those early days in your career when you thought you knew everything, but had experienced virtually nothing. You stumbled. You fell. And then you got back up and learned from those embarrassing mistakes we like to call “learning opportunities.” On one hand, you may feel embarrassed thinking back to those cringe-worthy learning experiences, but on the other hand, look … Read More
Leading Through the Dark Days
“The first rule of leadership: Everything is your fault.” – A Bug’s Life Do you remember when you were an individual contributor or “high potential” early in your career and you used to say “If I was the leader, I’d…” and you’d finish that sentence with a simple solution to the organization’s problems? Those were the days. It reminds me of the expert advice offered to parents by people without children. I often say “I was so much better at parenting until I had children.” The same is often true of leadership. It all seems so easy from the outside. … Read More