How To Think About LeadershipLet’s talk about focus. One of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes: “People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.” I love how much is packed in those precious few sentences. Here’s a simpler version I remind myself of every day from St. Francis of Assisi. Do few things but do them well, simple joys are holy. Bam! (You didn’t see me leading with Steve Jobs and a Saint, did you?) This belief guides me. It’s hard to convey how deeply I feel the need for focus. Blocking off time. Blocking off distractions. I am striving to do my best work with the chosen task at hand. It’s somehow related to my weakness–my desire to please others. That desire has strong gravity, pulling me to say yes to too far many things. Saying yes is my default. Not good. I think that’s why those quotes mean so much to me. I know I need them. What we choose to focus on is what fuels our success. And what we say no to lets us focus. Let’s talk about how to do it… |
| How To Focus In Client MeetingsFun! Starting with an interview with one of our expert facilitators and coaches, Gina King. Gina handles some of our most prestigious clients, and in this one, she teaches us how to plan for and focus in our BD meetings in a way everyone wins. Had a blast with Gina on this one!
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 | How To Be A Trusted AdvisorI promised an interview with the GOAT of Trusted Advisor content–start rubbing your hands together folks because I’m delivering! The book Trusted Advisor coined the term, making a big impact on me over 20 years ago, so I reached out to its authors. That started a new friendship with coauthor Charlie Green, and we decided to record an interview. We could have finished each other’s sentences. Man, I had fun with this. Charlie’s a super guy with even superer insights. Highly recommend!
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What I’m Focused On At HomeYou might remember I took July off to finish our next book’s manuscript, so I’m actually writing this in June…so I’ll have to guess at the fun I will be having while at home in July…I know Becky and I are going backpacking, so here’s an older photo from where I know we’ll go in the Cohutta Wilderness, the largest land area unpenetrated by roads east of the Mississippi…talk about being in the middle of nowhere; we love it…we backpack several miles…no cell signal or people…hours feel like days…just us, usually talking about life and reflecting in a more profound way that we can’t anywhere else…there’s something about being in nature that’s looked the same for 1000s of years. Hobo stew in the coals! |
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