Tuesday

Mindfulness v. No One Home



Have you ever talked to someone and noticed that there was “no one there.” Sure, they were standing right in front of you (or on the phone) physically but you knew they were not present. And sadly, we are often the one who is mentally checked-out. The one who is not being very mindful.

Monday

Making a Mess v. Clean-up



Now is the time to take 100% responsibility. Make a realistic commitment to clean-up your mess (and follow-through). You are, after all, the one “in charge.” One way or another, you are responsible for what is going on. 

Saturday

Means v. Ends



Many (ok, most) businesses look at their customers as a means to an end. The end being to make more money at whatever cost. The means are the customer. They view employees in the same way. As means to an end.

Friday

Deep v. Shallow


Until you stop breathing, there's more right with you than wrong with you.
~ Jon Kabat-Zinn
How many of us practice shallow breathing? The majority? It’s as if we were waiting for “the other shoe to drop.” As if something dreadful were about to happen.

Thursday

Dollars v. Good Sense



Life itself is difficult. Living life with integrity is one of the greatest challenges we face because it requires some really tough choices. It requires you to decide how you will define success.

Wednesday

Innovation v. Kaizen





A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
~ Lao Tzu
We all have a tendency to take big leaps hoping to get massive results right away. An example is the fact that most people who want to get back in shape hit the gym hard on day one. Then they go out for a run. When you speak again, they admit that they were sore for days and totally abandoned the exercise program.

Tuesday

Great Leaders Encourage Disagreement



Today’s post is from our friend and Tribe Member Greg Chambers. You can find him here.


Did you ever come out of an all-day meeting and look at your peer and say “Why did we waste all day here?” Why didn’t the Director just tell us what they wanted us to do?” It’s so frustrating, and so obvious when it happens. The worst part is that it is abundantly clear to most everyone in the room what is happening. The director or manager has an agenda, and they want to make everyone feel like they had a part in creating the policy, process, or resulting action. So they pull everyone in a meeting, and steer the conversation and decisions into the direction they want them to go. Heaven forbid if anyone stands up and points out that the Emperor has no clothes!

Monday

Message v. Messenger



You’ve likely heard the old saying “don’t shoot the messenger.” There is historical precedent for this saying because at one time, if the messenger delivered bad news, they were likely to be executed. This is, to say the least, irrational. The messenger was only delivering a message from someone else. Yet, even today, we have a tendency to take out the bad news we don’t want to hear on the person who delivers it.

Saturday

Gardens v. Cans



As a young boy (age 5) we lived in a boarding house run by two old Italian men named John and Tony. These were truly old school Italians who made their own wine, cooked their own sauce and had a huge garden out back.

Friday

Right Sized v. Over-sized



Besides downright unethical practices, one of the most annoying things that come out of old-model businesses is the idea of bundled services. Or the idea that they know what is best for the customer.

Thursday

Wednesday

Communication is a Bridge Not a Hammer


Communication bridges the gap between people (there is no real gap but it seems like it based upon physicality). A meltdown in a parking lot assumes there is a separation. See to it that your words or lack of words do not become a flood that washes away the bridge, leaving you stranded on the far shore.

Where has a lack of common courtesy (and common sense) sabotaged your communication efforts? Does your organization send out customer correspondence that reads like it is “yelling” at the customer?

Tuesday

Subject v. Object



People and pets are always the subject. Everything else? Objects. Background. Props for the stage.

Monday

Cushy v. Uncomfortable



A country's assets reside in the tinkerers, the hobbyists, and the risk-takers.
~ Nassim Nicholas Taleb

A cushy corporate job is just that. Until it’s not. The fact is most corporate jobs are cushy while they last (even if it does not feel all that cushy). But the cushy corporate jobs are becoming increasingly unstable. They may be outsourced at any moment. It has gotten to the point that we recommend creating a “Plan B” to almost all of our private clients.

Saturday

Conscious Leaders care about The Call



What’s the call? It is what happens at the start of the hero’s journey. You and only you get the call to adventure. Only you can answer it. The challenge you are presented with is to go on the journey willingly or not.

Friday

Conscious Leaders Care about Loving Kindness



What? Loving kindness? You may be asking why write about that. Well, our friend and tribe member Bill Cumming says that “Loving-kindness is what is required in every situation.”

Every situation is pretty broad. That would include work life, family life, financial life, personal life, etc. Basically all situations. That’s a pretty sweeping statement to be sure. And here is the rub: “You cannot give unconditional love unless you have experienced it.”

Thursday

The 10 Key Questions Conscious Leaders Ask Themselves



A conscious leader asks themselves these key questions on a regular (daily) basis: 

Wednesday

Conscious Leaders Care about Gratitude



One of my best friends passed away in 2012 from a massive stroke. He was a great man. He was successful beyond imagination from the stand point of wealth, power and influence. Yet, deep down, he felt something was missing. He felt an existential lack.
 

Tuesday

Conscious Leaders Care about Now



Now. Right now. This present moment. It is all that exists. Now is where the action is!

Monday

Conscious Leaders Care about Being Real



Of late, there seems to be increasing worship of billionaires. As if making a billion was the end all and be all of life. Hint: it is not. Nothing wrong with making a lot of money for sure. In some ways, it can merely be how you keep score of how many people you are serving (assuming it is earned honestly).

Saturday

Conscious Leaders Care About Reputable



Have you ever camped at a National Park in the United States? Ever stood around a camp fire with friends only to notice one guy’s boots were two sizes too large. They flapped as he shifted his feet to stay warm. These monstrosities were too close to the fire and were in danger of burning. No one said a word. He himself did not know it until it was too late... until his boots were on fire [true story].

Friday

Conscious Leaders Care about Risk Takers


The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
~ Steve Jobs

One sure fire way to know if you are an entrepreneur (or cut-out to be one), is your willingness to take risks. The ability to form a great idea and then work it into a viable product or service that serves a large number of people (at least 1000 true fans).

Nassim Nicholas Taleb has gone so far as to say that, “If you take risks and face your fate with dignity, there is nothing you can do that makes you small; if you don't take risks, there is nothing you can do that makes you grand, nothing.”

Now, by risks we are not talking about bungee jumping. We are not talking about big game hunting. Or any other form of thrill seeking. What we are talking about is creating a desired future by risking “what is” for what can and should be. That is where the round pegs in square holes hang-out who change the world for the better. They take the plunge into massive creativity and massive love. Not off the side of a tall bridge.

Where are you taking conscious risks to make something new happen? Does your organization reward the people willing to risk the status quo for something better?


Wednesday

Using Film to Raise Your Level of Consciousness



The old saying that “the eyes are the window of the soul” may apply in the case of what we watch on our screens. Many studies indicate that the violence portrayed on TV, movies and video games does damage to children and desensitizes them to violence. The more the exposure, the higher their rate of acting out in violent ways when they get older. 

Tuesday

How to Create Business Meetings That People Actually Want to Attend



We’ve all been there. The weekly meeting that everyone dreads going to. It’s the same old thing. Everyone goes around the room, talks about what they are up to, and rarely is there any real interaction or collaboration. The manager hands out more tasks that need to be completed by Friday. The meeting ends with a yawn. Then, there are the meetings where the manager is known for being a bully. He or she brow beats the attendees. People are fearful they will be “called on the carpet.” Nothing good comes of either of these types of meetings. Generally people are just waiting until they can find another job, hoping that the next place is better.  

Monday

Pizza and Leadership



A true Italian pizza sauce should literally have a pinch of sugar not a cup of sugar.