Cui Bono — Who Benefits? Asking “who benefits” is the best way to understand what appears to be strange behavior, which becomes your key to addressing resistance to innovation and change. Those responsible for specific actions are most likely to gain from them. China’s waning zero-COVID policy is a classic example. Overwhelming scientific evidence suggests that high-quality […]
Diversity is an iceberg; what you see above the waterline represents a fraction of its mass. Below the surface lies the iceberg’s bulk. Ignore that and wind up like the Titanic.
Take a moment and write down the names of these five people and how they make you feel. This self-assessment helps you determine if you spend time with people who drain, trap, or elevate you. These primary associates illustrate your self-respect, aspirations, values, and standards. Are you hanging with the right crowd? I wasn’t. I […]
Custom-fit jobs to people if you want a high-performing team. Cram people into ill-fitting roles if you want to burn them out. “But, Jim, you are so good at your job. Why are you leaving?” I’m burned out. I need a break. I need to do something else. How often have high-performing employees left your […]
“Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder,” wrote the 13th-century Persian poet Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rumi. “Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.” [Admired Leadership’s Field Notes brought this quotation to my attention.] Successful people are one or two of these three. The lamp symbolizes wisdom; you help people see […]
The easiest path is to hedge and reduce risk, but this winding road leads to drift and failure. Commitment is your quickest path to success. Should I pay for a high-performance bicycle or start with something cheap? Should I find a coach or get a book and study on my own? Should I tell people […]
Lessons Learned on the Road I had bicycled nearly 300 miles into stiff headwinds from Hurricane Ian, which heightened the pain and added to my fatigue. It’s not supposed to feel like this. I was popping ibuprofen and acetaminophen like candy, sitting on bags of ice at night, and considering other ways to reduce the pain. […]
Lessons from the Fallen Hero Honor Ride That’s me, a Middle-Aged Man in Spandex (MAMS), who completed the 1700-mile bicycle journey from Spalding, Nebraska, to Arlington National Cemetery. I was visiting the graves of the six paratroopers from my unit who were killed in action in Afghanistan and raising funds for the Saber Six Foundation, […]
Queen Elizabeth II demonstrated that leadership is not about your chromosomes, personality, hardwiring, or credentials. It’s about how you behave. Full stop. Hundreds of thousands of Britons lined London streets and countryside thoroughfares leading to Windsor castle. They tossed flowers, offered prayers, and paid respects as Queen Elizabeth II journeyed to her eternal resting place. They arrived voluntarily. […]
Lazy and unethical is what they have in common. Quiet quitting is a term making its way around the internet. It refers to employees who stop being productive while drawing a paycheck for as long as possible. Quiet firing is railroading an employee to quit so that you do not have to pay severance or undergo […]
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