Blog
Turning Potential Into Results
The Canary in Leadership’s No Man’s Land
Last week I learned I was wrong about something I was absolutely, bet-you-$100-sure about. In my 40 years of playing tennis, I was sure “No Man’s Land” on the tennis court was located just inside the baseline and extended through about half of the service box. It’s called “No Man’s Land” because if a player…
Read MoreAre you living and leading by design or by default?
Riddle me this: No matter your gender or geography, your doubts or desires, your highs or lows, if you lead 5 or 500, you are always influenced by me. What am I? Answer: The conversation you have about the future. The conversation that is shaping your life, how you lead, how you follow, right…
Read MoreDon’t be bored: Gather clues!
When I was a kid (and not damming up Yellow Creek), my brother and I played two board games, Monopoly and Clue. My brother liked (and usually won) Monopoly which probably paid off in his role as a VC. Clue was my favorite. I liked it because I was good at making educated guesses. Nothing…
Read MoreLeaders Come From All Parts of the Orchard
People who want to be leaders often ask me: “Do I have the right personality to lead?” My answer: There’s no personality type that designates someone a leader. This doesn’t mean you ignore your personality, preferences and foibles. It means you become aware of them so you can lead yourself first, then others. To gain…
Read MoreGot complaints? Replace whines with action!
When a friend’s birthday approaches, I sort through my stash of cards for one that’s appropriate. For the last 6 years (OK, maybe 10), I’ve rejected the same 5 birthday cards. What I thought was funny when I bought them, isn’t funny anymore. The cards in the No pile include an old gal hiking up…
Read MoreIllusions are too cool, until they turn too costly
Optical illusions are a hoot. They work by taking advantage of how our brain’s hard-wiring processes information. Recently, a photograph of a bride’s dress posted online went viral along with the question: Is the dress White and Gold or Blue and Black? Those in the W&G camp are adamant that they are right, just as…
Read More7 Steps to Effective Delegation
Fess up: Do you delegate or drop-off? Dropping-off. We ask others to do stuff for us all the time – stuff we don’t want to do, don’t have the time to do, and couldn’t do even if we had the time. We drop our suits off for pressing (a task we can’t do), our car…
Read MoreResolutions? Bah, humbug!
Looking back If you haven’t made your New Year’s resolutions yet, or, probably more likely, the one’s you’ve made have fallen away, it’s ok. In fact, it’s better than ok … read on.In my December 2013 blog, I declared “releasing” as my one-word intention for 2014. I put it on a card and stuck it…
Read MoreOstrich-ize your Leadership
When someone’s ignoring what we think they ought to pay attention to, we chastise them with: “Don’t be an ostrich and stick your head in the sand!” Well, add one more thing to the list of the stuff we believe that isn’t true. This past summer, I visited the Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch outside Red…
Read MoreSchool’s Always In for Leaders
It’s Fall. School’s back in session. I’m taking an online class in strategic planning. Ordered my used books from half.com and downloaded my ebooks. (I’ll see if I can resist printing them.) With pencil and highlighter in hand, I opened HBReview’s “On Strategy” to read my first assignment. When I got to page 5, yellow…
Read MoreSubscribe
Get Camille's latest posts!