For those of us in Texas, this recent standoff between Nolan Ryan and Mark Cuban to buy the Texas Rangers was right up there with the Jerry Jones/Jimmy Johnson and the firing of Tom Landry back in 1989. Old perceptions, die hard. For those of us who are purists, the only choice for ownership was Nolan…

When I lead leadership development workshops, we often begin with a well-known exercise which highlights a person’s Journey Line – in other words: how a person has gone through life up to this point, and how their highs and lows create the person (and leader) they have become. I, for one, believe we grown and learn…

I can only imagine that both Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard are indeed rolling over in their graves with the most recent debacle of Mark Hurd falling from grace while at the helm of Hewlett-Packard.  There are many casting aspersions about him; and that I will not do. His conscience and the unavoidable fall-out personally…

Recently I was reading a fabulous book, The Extraordinary Coach by John Zenger, which had a great analogy relative to giving feedback to employees. As you all  know, I am a big believer in giving and getting feedback on a regular basis. Feedback is a gift – as cliched as this may sound. In his…

Last night I was watching a news program relative to the ongoing saga of British Petroleum and the lack of responsiveness to the oil crisis, the passing of the mantle from Tony Hayward to Bob Dudley, and the ongoing ’20-20′ hindsight commentary of how the company’s leadership responded to the crisis. I am certain there…

Recently I had the distinct pleasure of working with the The Center for Educational Innovation – Public Education Association (CEI-PEA), which is a New York City-based nonprofit organization that creates successful public schools and educational programs. These individuals are doing tremendous things to improve the quality of education for the 1.6 million children in the New…

Many of my clients are ending their third quarter and embarking on Q4 or, at a minimum, coming into the second half of their fiscal year. Many are struggling to make their sales quota numbers, shore up their teams, secure the funding and resources needed, or simply unify their organizations to work more collaboratively together. They have…

It seems that every company is embarking on a formal mentoring program. Many have met with mixed success. There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal not too long ago, which I thought had a few salient points to consider on this topic. Below are key points which may lead to the program…

Last week, I read a parable which I found intoxicatingly wise. It has to do with giving generously and with no expectation. This particularly struck me, as recently a colleague was hoarding information which could have helped us all reach a collective goal; yet, this person would not share this information with anyone. I could ponder…

I have recently read an incredible book: The Inspiring Leader by Zenger and Folkman. If you are a leader – or aspiring to be one – this is a book worth reading. One chapter which captivated me was on on the most common mistakes a leader makes when trying to inspire others. These ‘top 10’ behaviors…