Yahoo News reports that in a recent survey taken by BNET.com reports that 64% of CEO's view current CEO pay scales as excessive (in contrast, 77% of employees believe CEO's to be overpaid).
Even more importantly, 50% of CEO's said that their leadership style was effective while only 38% of employees agreed.
These statistics are in line with my observations in my first book LEADING PEOPLE THE BLACK BELT WAY, where I discuss the impact on the bottom line of poor leadership.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Catholic Servant Leadership
I'm very excited about my newest book that is coming out in January, 2008. It's entitled Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader: An Introduction to Catholic Servant Leadership.
You can learn more at the website:
http://www.catholicservantleader.com
Peace,
Tim Warneka
Author: Black Belt Leader, Peaceful Leader: An Introduction to Catholic Servant Leadership
Friday, November 02, 2007
Integral Leadership Book Makes Earthpage Blog!
Our new integral leadership book, The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching -- a modern interpretation of the Tao Te Ching -- by Patrick Warneka and Timothy Warneka has been selected to be featured on Earthpage's blog.
You can read the blog here.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Are You Giving Your Customers What They Need?
Amazon, that seller of everything on-line, recently did an amazing thing:
They gave their customers what they needed.
If you're like me, you use Amazon reviews quite extensively. Amazon reviews allows me to make a more informed purchasing decision because I can read feedback from people who are actually USING the products (Reading through the reviews, it's amazing how many things seem to NOT work with Microsoft's Vista OS.)
Always on the cutting edge, Amazon recently rolled out capabilities for video reviews. Problem was, hardly anyone was using them. So Amazon came up with a brilliant strategy:
they gave away free video cameras.
That's right. Amazon gave away $179.00 Flip Video Cameras. And they were smart about it ... they gave them away to people who consistently post reviews.
In other words, Amazon had set up a sales channel that wasn't working. Rather than abandon it, they chose instead to support it by giving people (customers, in this case) the materials they needed to get the job done. (I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall listening in on the negotiations between Amazon and Pure Digital, the makers of the Flip Video Camera!)
I got mine. Best of all, the give-away happened at a synchronistic time for me. Recently, I've been reviewing options to move into providing videos for my customers. The Flip Camera gives me an easy way to begin explore the digital video arena.
For years, I've been a big fan of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. I was a fan even when the naysayers in the late '90's said that Amazon would never amount to much. This camera give-away continues to support my belief in Amazon, and not just because I got a free camera. Rather, it is strategic moves like these that shows how Amazon is continuing to provide their customers a better way. Strategies like that will always win in the marketplace.
Go, Jeff!
BOTTOM LINE: Superior leaders make sure they give their customers what they need. It's called great customer service.
They gave their customers what they needed.
If you're like me, you use Amazon reviews quite extensively. Amazon reviews allows me to make a more informed purchasing decision because I can read feedback from people who are actually USING the products (Reading through the reviews, it's amazing how many things seem to NOT work with Microsoft's Vista OS.)
Always on the cutting edge, Amazon recently rolled out capabilities for video reviews. Problem was, hardly anyone was using them. So Amazon came up with a brilliant strategy:
they gave away free video cameras.
That's right. Amazon gave away $179.00 Flip Video Cameras. And they were smart about it ... they gave them away to people who consistently post reviews.
In other words, Amazon had set up a sales channel that wasn't working. Rather than abandon it, they chose instead to support it by giving people (customers, in this case) the materials they needed to get the job done. (I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall listening in on the negotiations between Amazon and Pure Digital, the makers of the Flip Video Camera!)
I got mine. Best of all, the give-away happened at a synchronistic time for me. Recently, I've been reviewing options to move into providing videos for my customers. The Flip Camera gives me an easy way to begin explore the digital video arena.
For years, I've been a big fan of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon. I was a fan even when the naysayers in the late '90's said that Amazon would never amount to much. This camera give-away continues to support my belief in Amazon, and not just because I got a free camera. Rather, it is strategic moves like these that shows how Amazon is continuing to provide their customers a better way. Strategies like that will always win in the marketplace.
Go, Jeff!
BOTTOM LINE: Superior leaders make sure they give their customers what they need. It's called great customer service.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The importance of "emotional baggage" for leaders
A leader recently emailed me about the importance of leaders dealing with "emotional baggage" - emotional leftovers that can arise as anger, frustration, etc. years after an event. This leader wanted to know how emotional baggage from the past might hurt him in his leadership role today.
His question got me thinking.
Whenever leaders ask me this question, I use the metaphor of physical wounds. If I'm cooking in the kitchen, and I cut myself with a knife, I may have to get several stitches. If the wound heals properly, two years down the road there will be a scar. If the cut is still festering and oozing disgusting fluids two years later, I am going to get the cut treated, because left untreated, that festering wound can make me very physically sick.
This analogy holds for leaders' psychology. If I go through an event that leaves emotional scars, what is called "emotional baggage" is what happens when our emotional wounds are festing and oozing emotional pus. The feelings of anger, frustration (or whatever feeling you experience in relation to this past events) ARE the emotional pus.
The best response when this "emotional pus" occurs is to manage the emotional wound with a coach. Working with a coach can help drastically descrease (or even remove) this emotional baggage.
So what happens when leaders ignore when their emotional wounds are oozing? They infect others around them, decreasing emotional engagement and employee performance.
Bottom Line: Effective leaders take care of emotional baggage from the past because they know doing so will make them even better leaders.
His question got me thinking.
Whenever leaders ask me this question, I use the metaphor of physical wounds. If I'm cooking in the kitchen, and I cut myself with a knife, I may have to get several stitches. If the wound heals properly, two years down the road there will be a scar. If the cut is still festering and oozing disgusting fluids two years later, I am going to get the cut treated, because left untreated, that festering wound can make me very physically sick.
This analogy holds for leaders' psychology. If I go through an event that leaves emotional scars, what is called "emotional baggage" is what happens when our emotional wounds are festing and oozing emotional pus. The feelings of anger, frustration (or whatever feeling you experience in relation to this past events) ARE the emotional pus.
The best response when this "emotional pus" occurs is to manage the emotional wound with a coach. Working with a coach can help drastically descrease (or even remove) this emotional baggage.
So what happens when leaders ignore when their emotional wounds are oozing? They infect others around them, decreasing emotional engagement and employee performance.
Bottom Line: Effective leaders take care of emotional baggage from the past because they know doing so will make them even better leaders.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Leading the Next Generation of Employees
Some Kansas State University professors and students are creating an interesting buzz in discussing the state of students today. You can watch the video on YouTube. The KSU blog is here.
A fascinating discussion of a vision of students today ... critical information for any leader will be hiring in the foreseeable future.
A fascinating discussion of a vision of students today ... critical information for any leader will be hiring in the foreseeable future.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Best Leadership Practices .... Part 2
In part 1 of this blog, I talked about keeping it simple. In part 2, we'll talk about another mission-critical task for leaders:
changing your consciousness.
Just as children learn to crawl, then walk, then run, so too do adults have developmental tasks they must achieve. These days, many psychological researchers including Robert Kegan and Ken Wilber are pointing out that the largest developmental task is broadening your consciousness.
Clam bake, anyone?
In a recent report in Nature magazine, scientist have discovered physical evidence that early humans held the technology to have a clambake ... over 164,000 years ago, which is far earlier than scientists had thought.
While is appears to be child's play today, the ability to have a clambake required a certain level of consciousness development. According to the article, it actually took thousands of years for that clambake technology to become widespread.
Unfortunately, we don't have 1,000's of years for new levels of consciousness to emerge. The well-established threat of global warming, and our continued use of violence to solve problems has put us on a race with the clock. There's no guarantee that humanity will survive.
Emerging levels of consciousness, referred to as post-rational (which I wrote about in my book The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching) are what will get us out of this mess.
To be effective, leaders need to be on the forefront of consciousness development.
We'll talk more about consciousness development in the near future.
BOTTOM LINE: Best leadership practices for the 21st century include leaders developing their consciousness
changing your consciousness.
Just as children learn to crawl, then walk, then run, so too do adults have developmental tasks they must achieve. These days, many psychological researchers including Robert Kegan and Ken Wilber are pointing out that the largest developmental task is broadening your consciousness.
Clam bake, anyone?
In a recent report in Nature magazine, scientist have discovered physical evidence that early humans held the technology to have a clambake ... over 164,000 years ago, which is far earlier than scientists had thought.
While is appears to be child's play today, the ability to have a clambake required a certain level of consciousness development. According to the article, it actually took thousands of years for that clambake technology to become widespread.
Unfortunately, we don't have 1,000's of years for new levels of consciousness to emerge. The well-established threat of global warming, and our continued use of violence to solve problems has put us on a race with the clock. There's no guarantee that humanity will survive.
Emerging levels of consciousness, referred to as post-rational (which I wrote about in my book The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching) are what will get us out of this mess.
To be effective, leaders need to be on the forefront of consciousness development.
We'll talk more about consciousness development in the near future.
BOTTOM LINE: Best leadership practices for the 21st century include leaders developing their consciousness
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
New Leadership Prints!
The Black Belt Consulting Group has teamed up with ImageKind to provide you with cutting-edge leadership prints. If you are interested in prints containing themes about Aikido, Integral Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Conscious Leadership and other important leadership themes, be sure to visit:
http://timwarneka.imagekind.com/
http://timwarneka.imagekind.com/
Best Leadership Practices: Keep It Simple
Best leaders keep it simple. In this terrific article by from The Chronicle of Higher Education, University of Virginia professor John D. Arras offers several simple and insightful leadership practices.
While professor Arras is writing about leadership in the classroom, his words can easily be applied to leadership in any organization. His thoughts on "teach thinking" (every position ... even in the same field ... needs people who can think); "Keep it Real" (every leader's goal); and "Paying it Backward and Forward" (You have great leaders in your life who taught you the ropes, didn't you?) should be required reading for every leader.
Bottom Line: Great leaders keep it simple.
While professor Arras is writing about leadership in the classroom, his words can easily be applied to leadership in any organization. His thoughts on "teach thinking" (every position ... even in the same field ... needs people who can think); "Keep it Real" (every leader's goal); and "Paying it Backward and Forward" (You have great leaders in your life who taught you the ropes, didn't you?) should be required reading for every leader.
Bottom Line: Great leaders keep it simple.
Monday, October 15, 2007
How to Become a More Powerful Leader.
Want to know how to become a more powerful leader?
Be willing to say, "I don't know."
Over the weekend, I got to watch the amazing movie "We Are Marshall," which tells the story of the Marshall University (W.Va.) football team who died in a plane crash in 1970 ... and how MU rebuilt their team.
Actor Matthew McConaughy plays Coach Lengyel -- the man who took the job that nobody wanted. Lengyel had to deal with the pain and grief of those who remained after the crash ... and the conflicting emotions that people held.
At several key points in the story, various characters ask Lengyel important questions, and Lengyel has the strength to answer simply, "I don't know." No psychobabble. No B.S. Simply, "I don't know."
BOTTOM LINE: When faced with emotional turmoil and chaos, powerful leaders have the internal strength to say, "I don't know."
Be willing to say, "I don't know."
Over the weekend, I got to watch the amazing movie "We Are Marshall," which tells the story of the Marshall University (W.Va.) football team who died in a plane crash in 1970 ... and how MU rebuilt their team.
Actor Matthew McConaughy plays Coach Lengyel -- the man who took the job that nobody wanted. Lengyel had to deal with the pain and grief of those who remained after the crash ... and the conflicting emotions that people held.
At several key points in the story, various characters ask Lengyel important questions, and Lengyel has the strength to answer simply, "I don't know." No psychobabble. No B.S. Simply, "I don't know."
BOTTOM LINE: When faced with emotional turmoil and chaos, powerful leaders have the internal strength to say, "I don't know."
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Cleveland School Shooting
My blogging is timely, it appears. My last blog was about "fundamental attributional error" that is often made around violence. Yesterday, there was a school shooting in Cleveland, Ohio at SuccessTech, an alternative high school. In the report by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, they report the chaos that ensued with the shooting. The Associated Press reports that the student had "mental problems."
All of which supports my previous premise that simple answers are rarely correct answers.
Leaders should understand this.
All of which supports my previous premise that simple answers are rarely correct answers.
Leaders should understand this.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Bad Apples? A Fundemental Attribution Error Leaders Make
Many leaders I've worked with often make the mistake of labeling "problem" teams or departments as "hopeless" or "worthless". By seeing the problem as occuring at the individual level rather than the organization level, these leaders are making a mistake.
A fundamental mistake.
Referred to by social scientists as a "fundamental attribution error," this error occurs when leaders attribute the source of problems to personal defects/flaws, while ignoring the larger systemic factors as play.
In an excellent article entitled, "Bad Apples or Sour Pickles?
Fundamental Attribution Error and the Columbine Massacre" authors Gary K. Clabaugh & Alison A. Clabaugh point out the fundamental attribution error that many leaders, including the FBI, made around the Columbine school shooting.
Bottom Line:
The next time you're tempted as a leader to blame the "bad apples," have the courage to step up to the plate and consider the organizational and systemic factors that might be supporting the "problem" behavior.
A fundamental mistake.
Referred to by social scientists as a "fundamental attribution error," this error occurs when leaders attribute the source of problems to personal defects/flaws, while ignoring the larger systemic factors as play.
In an excellent article entitled, "Bad Apples or Sour Pickles?
Fundamental Attribution Error and the Columbine Massacre" authors Gary K. Clabaugh & Alison A. Clabaugh point out the fundamental attribution error that many leaders, including the FBI, made around the Columbine school shooting.
Bottom Line:
The next time you're tempted as a leader to blame the "bad apples," have the courage to step up to the plate and consider the organizational and systemic factors that might be supporting the "problem" behavior.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Are Aikido principles Effective? They’re Good Enough for the 21st Century Marines
Are Aikido leadership principles effective? The U.S. Marine Corps. thinks so.
When the U.S.M.C. wanted to bring their soldiers into the 21st century, they tapped psychologist Richard Strozzi-Heckler, an Aikido instructor and leadership expert from Marin County, California, to bring Aikido principles to the Corps. Richard documented his experiences in his fascinating book, “In Search of the Warrior Spirit.” I read "Warrior Spirit" several times through while I was researching my "Leading People the Black Belt Way" book. I I highly recommend "Warrior Spirit" for anyone interested in leadership. (Which is why I am very proud that Richard was willing to write a foreword for my latest leadership book, "The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching.")
In the past several years, the program that Richard began has been institutionalized into the Marine Corps. Currently called the Marine Corp Martial Arts Program taught out of the MACE (Martial Arts Center of Excellence), over 45,000 soldiers each year are taught some of the core underlying principles of Aikido.
The focus of MACE is three-fold:
1. Character development
2. Mental Discipline
3. Physical Discipline
The MACE program is being continuously refined and revised … and yet Aikido principles remain at their core.
Aikido leadership principles … if they are good enough for the Marine Corps, they’re good enough for YOUR organization.
When the U.S.M.C. wanted to bring their soldiers into the 21st century, they tapped psychologist Richard Strozzi-Heckler, an Aikido instructor and leadership expert from Marin County, California, to bring Aikido principles to the Corps. Richard documented his experiences in his fascinating book, “In Search of the Warrior Spirit.” I read "Warrior Spirit" several times through while I was researching my "Leading People the Black Belt Way" book. I I highly recommend "Warrior Spirit" for anyone interested in leadership. (Which is why I am very proud that Richard was willing to write a foreword for my latest leadership book, "The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching.")
In the past several years, the program that Richard began has been institutionalized into the Marine Corps. Currently called the Marine Corp Martial Arts Program taught out of the MACE (Martial Arts Center of Excellence), over 45,000 soldiers each year are taught some of the core underlying principles of Aikido.
The focus of MACE is three-fold:
1. Character development
2. Mental Discipline
3. Physical Discipline
The MACE program is being continuously refined and revised … and yet Aikido principles remain at their core.
Aikido leadership principles … if they are good enough for the Marine Corps, they’re good enough for YOUR organization.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Lonely employees, Emotional Engagement, and the Bottom Line
A new article entitled "Genes Get Lonely Too" from Newsweek by Sarah Kliff reports the growing body of research that demonstrates that the experience of loneliness can cause people to become ill.
Importantly, the research shows that it is not only the actual state of being lonely, but the perception of being lonely can also trigger illness. The article states ...
" ... loneliness actually changes how the body functions at a molecular level. The research links feelings of social isolation to an alteration in the activity of specific genes—ones that put lonely people at higher risk for serious disease. And the study, published in the current issue of Genome Biology, also points to the startling fact that it is the perception of loneliness that triggers the adverse health conditions, independent of how much social interaction an individual actually has. Even someone with hundreds of “friends” on Facebook or at the office might think of herself as a lonely person."
So why is this study important for leaders? A simple syllogism:
Employees who are emotionally engaged work are not lonely.
Lonely employees are more likely to become ill, negatively impacting the bottom line.
Therefore, one way to improve the bottom line is for leaders to increase the emotional engagement of their employees.
How do leaders increase emotional engagement?
Many increase emotional engagement by reading my books, Leading People the Black Belt Way and/or The Way of Leading People
BOTTOM LINE: Lonely employees (read: emotionally disengaged employees) are a symptom of serious problems in your organization. Effective leaders improve their bottom line by increasing the emotional engagement of their employees.
Importantly, the research shows that it is not only the actual state of being lonely, but the perception of being lonely can also trigger illness. The article states ...
" ... loneliness actually changes how the body functions at a molecular level. The research links feelings of social isolation to an alteration in the activity of specific genes—ones that put lonely people at higher risk for serious disease. And the study, published in the current issue of Genome Biology, also points to the startling fact that it is the perception of loneliness that triggers the adverse health conditions, independent of how much social interaction an individual actually has. Even someone with hundreds of “friends” on Facebook or at the office might think of herself as a lonely person."
So why is this study important for leaders? A simple syllogism:
Employees who are emotionally engaged work are not lonely.
Lonely employees are more likely to become ill, negatively impacting the bottom line.
Therefore, one way to improve the bottom line is for leaders to increase the emotional engagement of their employees.
How do leaders increase emotional engagement?
Many increase emotional engagement by reading my books, Leading People the Black Belt Way and/or The Way of Leading People
BOTTOM LINE: Lonely employees (read: emotionally disengaged employees) are a symptom of serious problems in your organization. Effective leaders improve their bottom line by increasing the emotional engagement of their employees.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Destroying Trust with the iPhone
Did Steve Jobs make a historic blunder?
When asked about cutting the cost of the iPhone $200 (from $599 to $399), Steve Jobs offered up the rather lame excuse:
"In a letter on the company's Web site, Jobs acknowledged that Apple disappointed some of its customers and said he had received hundreds of e-mails complaining about the price cut.
Jobs added that "the technology road is bumpy," and there will always be people who pay top dollar for the latest electronics but get angry later when the price drops.
"This is life in the technology lane," Jobs said in the letter Thursday."
Mr. Jobs is playing with fire here: his customer's trust. Apple Computer has done a significant amount of work in the past decade to win it's small but vital marketshare from Microsoft.
Playing with your customer's trust might be the surest way to tank Apple. By dropping the price so soon after the much heralded iPhone roll-out, Steve Jobs is risking:
1. Highly dissatisfied customers ... who will be that much more reluctant to return.
2. Having new customers delaying their Apple purchases in hopes of even further price cuts.
3. Negative media buzz putting off customers who were riding the fence.
4. ... and so much more.
Bottom Line: Cutting the price of the iPhone this close to the release date was a dangerous strategy that will more likely HURT than help Apple's bottom line.
Even if you're not in the business of providing the latest technology, every leader should make certain that their business processes are not alienating more customers than they attract.
When asked about cutting the cost of the iPhone $200 (from $599 to $399), Steve Jobs offered up the rather lame excuse:
"In a letter on the company's Web site, Jobs acknowledged that Apple disappointed some of its customers and said he had received hundreds of e-mails complaining about the price cut.
Jobs added that "the technology road is bumpy," and there will always be people who pay top dollar for the latest electronics but get angry later when the price drops.
"This is life in the technology lane," Jobs said in the letter Thursday."
Mr. Jobs is playing with fire here: his customer's trust. Apple Computer has done a significant amount of work in the past decade to win it's small but vital marketshare from Microsoft.
Playing with your customer's trust might be the surest way to tank Apple. By dropping the price so soon after the much heralded iPhone roll-out, Steve Jobs is risking:
1. Highly dissatisfied customers ... who will be that much more reluctant to return.
2. Having new customers delaying their Apple purchases in hopes of even further price cuts.
3. Negative media buzz putting off customers who were riding the fence.
4. ... and so much more.
Bottom Line: Cutting the price of the iPhone this close to the release date was a dangerous strategy that will more likely HURT than help Apple's bottom line.
Even if you're not in the business of providing the latest technology, every leader should make certain that their business processes are not alienating more customers than they attract.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
New Video about My Newest Book ...
Here's a video preview about my newest book, THE WAY OF LEADING PEOPLE: UNLOCKING YOUR INTEGRAL LEADERSHIP SKILLS WITH THE TAO TE CHING:
... or click here:
... or click here:
Sunday, July 29, 2007
More Research Supports LEADING PEOPLE THE BLACK BELT WAY...
A new survey from Salary.com suggests that workers who are emotionally disengaged from their work are less productive. Which is exactly the point I made in my first book LEADING PEOPLE THE BLACK BELT WAY (the research in support of this point was overwhelming when LEADING PEOPLE was published ... and continues to grow.
The survey, as reported in Reuters, found:
"... about six in every 10 workers admit to wasting time at work with the average employee wasting 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5 hour working day.
it then went on to say:
The reasons why people wasted time were varied with nearly 18 percent of respondents questioned by e-mail in June and July said boredom and not having enough to do was the main reason.
The second most popular reason for wasting time was having too long hours (13.9 percent), being underpaid (11.8 percent), and a lack of challenging work (11.1 percent).
Leaders who are serious about building their bottom line will take note: emotional engaged employees are always better for the bottom line. Always.
As a leader, what have you done today to build emotional engagement?
The survey, as reported in Reuters, found:
"... about six in every 10 workers admit to wasting time at work with the average employee wasting 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5 hour working day.
it then went on to say:
The reasons why people wasted time were varied with nearly 18 percent of respondents questioned by e-mail in June and July said boredom and not having enough to do was the main reason.
The second most popular reason for wasting time was having too long hours (13.9 percent), being underpaid (11.8 percent), and a lack of challenging work (11.1 percent).
Leaders who are serious about building their bottom line will take note: emotional engaged employees are always better for the bottom line. Always.
As a leader, what have you done today to build emotional engagement?
We are family ... part II
Previously, I wrote about the National Geographic article that described research showing how humans came from one source. Now Andrea Manica of the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology recently announced genetic research conducted that suggests human came from a single point in Africa. The article, by Ben Hirschler reported in Reuters on July 19th, 2007, continues and says,
The genetic evidence has always strongly supported the single origin theory, and now results from a study of more than 6,000 skulls held around the world in academic collections supports this case.
"We have combined our genetic data with new measurements of a large sample of skulls to show definitively that modern humans originated from a single area in Sub-Saharan Africa," said Andrea Manica of the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology.
Research continues to show that we are ... literally ... biologically related to each other. The person down the street and the person around the globe are all distant relatives. Every leader should think on this.
The genetic evidence has always strongly supported the single origin theory, and now results from a study of more than 6,000 skulls held around the world in academic collections supports this case.
"We have combined our genetic data with new measurements of a large sample of skulls to show definitively that modern humans originated from a single area in Sub-Saharan Africa," said Andrea Manica of the University of Cambridge's Department of Zoology.
Research continues to show that we are ... literally ... biologically related to each other. The person down the street and the person around the globe are all distant relatives. Every leader should think on this.
Friday, July 20, 2007
All things Harry ...
As this weekend is the release of the 7th and final Harry Potter book, you can read about my blog on Harry Potter and Emotional Intelligence.
Enjoy the book.
Enjoy the book.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Mindful Empiricism...
A new meta-study released today reports the difficulty in drawing conclusions about the efficacy of meditation practices, inlcluding mindfulness.
With the headline of "Meditation Won't Boost Health: Study," the media immediately gets it wrong. Scientific research cannot say something "can't" be done; good research reports that there is no strong connection between two factors.
The meta-study, conducted by Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond of the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Centre, in Edmonton reviewed a number of studies into meditation and took other researchers to task for essentially designing flawed studies.
Personally, I am convinced of the importance of meditation training. While it certainly is not a magical cure-all, I am certain that once meditation is studied under rigorous scientific conditions, it's impact will be validated.
I applaud the Evidence-based Practice Centre for pushing the boundaries of scientific studies forward!
With the headline of "Meditation Won't Boost Health: Study," the media immediately gets it wrong. Scientific research cannot say something "can't" be done; good research reports that there is no strong connection between two factors.
The meta-study, conducted by Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond of the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Centre, in Edmonton reviewed a number of studies into meditation and took other researchers to task for essentially designing flawed studies.
Personally, I am convinced of the importance of meditation training. While it certainly is not a magical cure-all, I am certain that once meditation is studied under rigorous scientific conditions, it's impact will be validated.
I applaud the Evidence-based Practice Centre for pushing the boundaries of scientific studies forward!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Fascinating discussion of plagiarism
As an author and coach/teacher, I am following with keen interest the current discussion on plagiarism.
I just came across this fascinating article by Malcolm Gladwell about plagiarism from the New Yorker. The article is from 2004, but still very relevant. Use YouTube to listen to the various songs when he gets to the discussion about plagiarism and music.
This is relevant for leaders as Mr. Gladwell opens up the discussion about looking at something seemingly as cut-and-dried as plagiarism.
Great stuff!
Tim
I just came across this fascinating article by Malcolm Gladwell about plagiarism from the New Yorker. The article is from 2004, but still very relevant. Use YouTube to listen to the various songs when he gets to the discussion about plagiarism and music.
This is relevant for leaders as Mr. Gladwell opens up the discussion about looking at something seemingly as cut-and-dried as plagiarism.
Great stuff!
Tim
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Generational Decoding Resource
Want to know who Buddy Rich is? Do you know the words to the "Oscar Meyer Wiener" jingle? Curious about what band Michael Stipe is in?
Baby boomers. Generation X. Generation Y. Millenials.Today there are more generations in the the workforce than ever before. Trouble is, different generations have completely different points of reference. Important generational icons for one age group might be completely unknown to another.
The answer? Use Wikipedia.
An on-line open-source encyclopedia, wikipedia is an excellent resource for explaining all things cultural. As an open-source encyclopedia, wikipedia is open to input from everyone (including you!), so I would suggest caution in believing the specific facts that are given in any particular entry.
While perhaps not the best tool for research, wikipedia can quickly give you specific answers to cultural minutia that you hear around the water cooler.
BOTTOM LINE: Great leaders stay open to learning about what is important to each of the generations they work with.
answers:
a. Buddy Rich was a famous big-band and jazz drummer.
b. "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Wiener, for that is what I'd truly like to be ..."
c. R.E.M.
Baby boomers. Generation X. Generation Y. Millenials.Today there are more generations in the the workforce than ever before. Trouble is, different generations have completely different points of reference. Important generational icons for one age group might be completely unknown to another.
The answer? Use Wikipedia.
An on-line open-source encyclopedia, wikipedia is an excellent resource for explaining all things cultural. As an open-source encyclopedia, wikipedia is open to input from everyone (including you!), so I would suggest caution in believing the specific facts that are given in any particular entry.
While perhaps not the best tool for research, wikipedia can quickly give you specific answers to cultural minutia that you hear around the water cooler.
BOTTOM LINE: Great leaders stay open to learning about what is important to each of the generations they work with.
answers:
a. Buddy Rich was a famous big-band and jazz drummer.
b. "Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Wiener, for that is what I'd truly like to be ..."
c. R.E.M.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Mindfulness Works!
In an article from Live Science, researchers have discovered empirical evidence to support meditation and other mindfulness practices.
The article by Melinda Wenner describes new reseach completed at UCLA that,
"Brain scans show that putting negative emotions into words calms the brain's emotion center. That could explain meditation’s purported emotional benefits, because people who meditate often label their negative emotions in an effort to “let them go.” "
According to the article, the study's lead author, UCLA psychologist Matt Lieberman describes the study in these words:
“In the same way you hit the brake when you’re driving when you see a yellow light, when you put feelings into words, you seem to be hitting the brakes on your emotional responses,” Lieberman said of his study, which is detailed in the current issue of Psychological Science. "
Read the full article here:
http://www.livescience.com/health/070629_naming_emotions.html
BOTTOM LINE: Superior Leaders Practice Mindfulness.
The article by Melinda Wenner describes new reseach completed at UCLA that,
"Brain scans show that putting negative emotions into words calms the brain's emotion center. That could explain meditation’s purported emotional benefits, because people who meditate often label their negative emotions in an effort to “let them go.” "
According to the article, the study's lead author, UCLA psychologist Matt Lieberman describes the study in these words:
“In the same way you hit the brake when you’re driving when you see a yellow light, when you put feelings into words, you seem to be hitting the brakes on your emotional responses,” Lieberman said of his study, which is detailed in the current issue of Psychological Science. "
Read the full article here:
http://www.livescience.com/health/070629_naming_emotions.html
BOTTOM LINE: Superior Leaders Practice Mindfulness.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Mindfulness on the Outer Banks ... a complimentary download.
Mindfulness -- the ability to powerfully attend to the present moment -- is an important skill for every leader.
I recently had the opportunity to spend some time vacationing on the beautiful Outer Banks in North Carolina. During my vacation I was able to spend some time being mindful on the beach near Duck, North Carolina.
I recorded two mindfulness coaching sessions for leaders that I'm making available here. Both session were recorded right on the North Carolina beaches in Duck, so you'll hear the rolling surf and the wind and even a sea bird or two calling out as they fly overhead.
You are welcome to download either version and keep it in your iPod or other mp3 player for those times when you are stressed out as a leader. Also, please feel free to share these mindfulness moments with friends, co-workers and colleagues.
Short Version:
This version is about 2 minutes in length. Perfect for those times in-between meetings when you need an emotional boost. Download it here.
Long Version:
This version is about 15 minutes total. It's perfect for your morning commute or when you are waiting for that delayed flight. Download it here.
Enjoy!
I recently had the opportunity to spend some time vacationing on the beautiful Outer Banks in North Carolina. During my vacation I was able to spend some time being mindful on the beach near Duck, North Carolina.
I recorded two mindfulness coaching sessions for leaders that I'm making available here. Both session were recorded right on the North Carolina beaches in Duck, so you'll hear the rolling surf and the wind and even a sea bird or two calling out as they fly overhead.
You are welcome to download either version and keep it in your iPod or other mp3 player for those times when you are stressed out as a leader. Also, please feel free to share these mindfulness moments with friends, co-workers and colleagues.
Short Version:
This version is about 2 minutes in length. Perfect for those times in-between meetings when you need an emotional boost. Download it here.
Long Version:
This version is about 15 minutes total. It's perfect for your morning commute or when you are waiting for that delayed flight. Download it here.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Tim Warneka at 440.944.4746
P. O. Box 20, Cleveland, OH 44092
Tim@asogomi.com
END
Need an author or book cover picture? Download your complimentary photos at: http://www.asogomi.com/pressroom.html
Contact:
Tim Warneka at 440.944.4746
P. O. Box 20, Cleveland, OH 44092
Tim@asogomi.com
http://www.asogomi.com
Seeing the Light:
Seeing the Light:
Patrick Warneka's Photograph
Selected for International Photography Website!
Cleveland, OH, -- June 12, 2007 – When professional photographer around the world need supplies, there’s one place they go: Calumet Photographic. This week Calumet selected Patrick Warneka’s photographic work entitled “Millennium Night” for their exclusive “Photo of the Week.” “I am honored to have my work listed with the outstanding photographers that frequent Calumet,” said Warneka, a professional photographer and co-author of the newly released The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching.
“I am excited that others can share in the beauty that I see around us in our daily lives,” said Warneka, whose clients include Colgate, University of Michigan and others. “The photo that Calumet selected was very similar to my photos in The Way of Leading People,” he said. Warneka’s new book, co-authored with his brother Timothy H. Warneka, updates an ancient Chinese leadership text for today’s global culture.
Warneka, a professional photographer who lives in Chicago, Illinois, says that his passion involves photographing urban landscapes. “There’s something very powerful about the structures around us,” he noted. “When the light is right, it’s that power I capture in my pictures.”
To view Warneka’s “Millennium Night”, visit Calumet’s website at:
http://www.calumetphoto.com
“I am excited that others can share in the beauty that I see around us in our daily lives,” said Warneka, whose clients include Colgate, University of Michigan and others. “The photo that Calumet selected was very similar to my photos in The Way of Leading People,” he said. Warneka’s new book, co-authored with his brother Timothy H. Warneka, updates an ancient Chinese leadership text for today’s global culture.
Warneka, a professional photographer who lives in Chicago, Illinois, says that his passion involves photographing urban landscapes. “There’s something very powerful about the structures around us,” he noted. “When the light is right, it’s that power I capture in my pictures.”
To view Warneka’s “Millennium Night”, visit Calumet’s website at:
http://www.calumetphoto.com
END
Need an author or book cover picture? Download your complimentary photos at: http://www.asogomi.com/pressroom.html
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Tim Warneka selected as presenter at International Creativity Conference!
I very excited to announce that I'll be presenting at the 2007 International Creativity Conference at the world-famous Gestalt Institute of Cleveland!
Here's the information .....
***************************************************************
Black Belt Keynote Speaker Selected to Present at International Creativity Conference
Motivational Speaker Blends Martial Arts, Emotional Intelligence for Creating Success
Cleveland, Ohio – June 8, 2007 – Black Belt Keynote Speaker Timothy Warneka has been selected as one of only 20 international speakers to present at the International Creativity Conference at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. Warneka, co-author of the new book The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching will present “Celebrating Flow: How to Manage More Creativity than You Can Handle” for the conference being held in University Circle August 8 – 11, 2007.
“The conference planning committee for Gestalt & Creativity: An International Conference is pleased to welcome Mr. Warneka to the celebration,” says Sarah Toman, Ph.D, an Associate Professor at Cleveland State University and a member of the Creativity Celebration Planning Committee at the Institute. “I’m very honored to have been chosen to present to members of the world-wide Gestalt community,” said Warneka, a visiting faculty member at the Institute.
The conference features Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb as keynote presenter. Ms. Spagnuolo Lobb hails from Italy and is the editor of Creative License: The Art of Gestalt Therapy (Springer Verlag, 2003).
The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland was founded in 1954 by some of the earliest students of Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, Isadore Fromm, and Paul Goodman. It is the most well-established and largest institute in the world dedicated to the study of Gestalt theory to work with individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations.
The Institute’s website explains that the term Gestalt is a German word that means a complete pattern or perceived whole. “A Gestalt approach strongly encourages looking at the big picture,” states Warneka, who uses these principles in his keynote speeches for organizations. The president of the Black Belt Consulting Group, Warneka also holds black belt ranking in the revolutionary non-violent martial art of Aikido. “Gestalt and Aikido complement each other beautifully, and they both very creative.” observes Warneka.
A professional keynote speaker and author of several books, Warneka explained that creativity is a central theme of leadership. “My latest book, The Way of Leading People draws on 2500 year-old wisdom from China that explains how to be more creative as a leader,” stated Warneka. The book is available through the publisher Asogomi Publishing International as well as on-line book sellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The Creativity Conference will be held at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland on August 8 – 11, 2007.
For more information about bringing Warneka to keynote for your organization’s next event, visit:
http://www.blackbeltconsulting.com/resources.html
For more information about Warneka’s books, visit the publisher at:
http://www.asogomi.com/
To learn more about Gestalt & Creativity: An International Conference visit the website for The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland’s at:
http://www.gestaltcleveland.org/index.html
-END-
Permission to Reprint
Need an illustration or author photo? Book cover and author images are available at:
http://www.asogomi.com/pressroom.html
Here's the information .....
***************************************************************
Black Belt Keynote Speaker Selected to Present at International Creativity Conference
Motivational Speaker Blends Martial Arts, Emotional Intelligence for Creating Success
Cleveland, Ohio – June 8, 2007 – Black Belt Keynote Speaker Timothy Warneka has been selected as one of only 20 international speakers to present at the International Creativity Conference at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland. Warneka, co-author of the new book The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching will present “Celebrating Flow: How to Manage More Creativity than You Can Handle” for the conference being held in University Circle August 8 – 11, 2007.
“The conference planning committee for Gestalt & Creativity: An International Conference is pleased to welcome Mr. Warneka to the celebration,” says Sarah Toman, Ph.D, an Associate Professor at Cleveland State University and a member of the Creativity Celebration Planning Committee at the Institute. “I’m very honored to have been chosen to present to members of the world-wide Gestalt community,” said Warneka, a visiting faculty member at the Institute.
The conference features Margherita Spagnuolo Lobb as keynote presenter. Ms. Spagnuolo Lobb hails from Italy and is the editor of Creative License: The Art of Gestalt Therapy (Springer Verlag, 2003).
The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland was founded in 1954 by some of the earliest students of Fritz Perls, Laura Perls, Isadore Fromm, and Paul Goodman. It is the most well-established and largest institute in the world dedicated to the study of Gestalt theory to work with individuals, couples, families, groups and organizations.
The Institute’s website explains that the term Gestalt is a German word that means a complete pattern or perceived whole. “A Gestalt approach strongly encourages looking at the big picture,” states Warneka, who uses these principles in his keynote speeches for organizations. The president of the Black Belt Consulting Group, Warneka also holds black belt ranking in the revolutionary non-violent martial art of Aikido. “Gestalt and Aikido complement each other beautifully, and they both very creative.” observes Warneka.
A professional keynote speaker and author of several books, Warneka explained that creativity is a central theme of leadership. “My latest book, The Way of Leading People draws on 2500 year-old wisdom from China that explains how to be more creative as a leader,” stated Warneka. The book is available through the publisher Asogomi Publishing International as well as on-line book sellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
The Creativity Conference will be held at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland on August 8 – 11, 2007.
For more information about bringing Warneka to keynote for your organization’s next event, visit:
http://www.blackbeltconsulting.com/resources.html
For more information about Warneka’s books, visit the publisher at:
http://www.asogomi.com/
To learn more about Gestalt & Creativity: An International Conference visit the website for The Gestalt Institute of Cleveland’s at:
http://www.gestaltcleveland.org/index.html
-END-
Permission to Reprint
Need an illustration or author photo? Book cover and author images are available at:
http://www.asogomi.com/pressroom.html
Going International with Asogomi Publishing International
My micro-publishing company is now truly international! Here're the details...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Micro-Publisher Lands Deal with Key International Publisher
Micro-Publisher’s Best-Selling Leadership Book Vaults into International Market
Contact: Timothy H. Warneka at 440.944.4746
P.O. Box 20
Cleveland, OH 44092
Tim@timwarneka.com
http://www.timwarneka.com/
Cleveland, Ohio – June 6, 2007 – Micro-Publisher Asogomi Publishing International announces landing its first international agreement with Pearson Education India. Pearson and Asogomi recently signed an agreement for Pearson to publish Asogomi’s best-selling book, Leading People the Black Belt Way: Conquering the Five Core Problems Facing Leaders Today. Written by Asogomi’s president, Tim Warneka, Leading People the Black Belt Way describes the Black Belt Way, a new approach to leadership that draws from the science of Emotional Intelligence and principles from the revolutionary non-violent martial art of Aikido.
“It is an honor to be able to work with an illustrious publisher such as Pearson Education,” commented Warneka, who founded Asogomi in 2005 in order to bring more sophisticated leadership approaches into the field. Pearson Education won the Foreign Rights for publishing Leading People the Black Belt Way after a heated bidding war with another publisher in India. “We are quite happy to have won the bid for such an important leadership book,” reports Sonal Sharma, a representative of Pearson.
To learn more about Asogomi Publishing International, visit them on-line at:
http://www.asogomi.com/
Warneka’s books are $19.95 (paperback) and $29.95 (hardback) and are available from Asogomi Publishing International. Or send your business card and a check (U.S. fund only) payable to Asogomi Publishing International, P.O. Box 20, Cleveland, Ohio, 44092. Or call 440.944.4746.
The books are also available from your local bookstore as well as from on-line book sellers such as Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) and Barnes & Noble (http://www.bn.com/).
-END-
Permission to Reprint
Need an illustration or author photo? Book cover and author images are available at:
http://www.asogomi.com/pressroom.html
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Micro-Publisher Lands Deal with Key International Publisher
Micro-Publisher’s Best-Selling Leadership Book Vaults into International Market
Contact: Timothy H. Warneka at 440.944.4746
P.O. Box 20
Cleveland, OH 44092
Tim@timwarneka.com
http://www.timwarneka.com/
Cleveland, Ohio – June 6, 2007 – Micro-Publisher Asogomi Publishing International announces landing its first international agreement with Pearson Education India. Pearson and Asogomi recently signed an agreement for Pearson to publish Asogomi’s best-selling book, Leading People the Black Belt Way: Conquering the Five Core Problems Facing Leaders Today. Written by Asogomi’s president, Tim Warneka, Leading People the Black Belt Way describes the Black Belt Way, a new approach to leadership that draws from the science of Emotional Intelligence and principles from the revolutionary non-violent martial art of Aikido.
“It is an honor to be able to work with an illustrious publisher such as Pearson Education,” commented Warneka, who founded Asogomi in 2005 in order to bring more sophisticated leadership approaches into the field. Pearson Education won the Foreign Rights for publishing Leading People the Black Belt Way after a heated bidding war with another publisher in India. “We are quite happy to have won the bid for such an important leadership book,” reports Sonal Sharma, a representative of Pearson.
To learn more about Asogomi Publishing International, visit them on-line at:
http://www.asogomi.com/
Warneka’s books are $19.95 (paperback) and $29.95 (hardback) and are available from Asogomi Publishing International. Or send your business card and a check (U.S. fund only) payable to Asogomi Publishing International, P.O. Box 20, Cleveland, Ohio, 44092. Or call 440.944.4746.
The books are also available from your local bookstore as well as from on-line book sellers such as Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com) and Barnes & Noble (http://www.bn.com/).
-END-
Permission to Reprint
Need an illustration or author photo? Book cover and author images are available at:
http://www.asogomi.com/pressroom.html
Friday, June 01, 2007
Latest Book Release!
In co-operation with my brother Patrick Warneka, I am very proud to announce the release of my newest book!Our book, entitled The Way of Leading People: Unlocking Your Integral Leadership Skills with the Tao Te Ching is the result of an exciting collaboration between Patrick's photographs and my writing.
Here's some information about the book from the publisher, Asogomi Publishing International:
Are you ready to lead people into tomorrow? Every generation has its leadership classics, but did you know that one classic surpasses them all? Only the TAO TE CHING—written in China over 2500 years ago by the celebrated scholar Lao Tzu—has been translated more often than any text except the Bible. Succeeding as a leader in today’s global economy requires your understanding of Master Lao’s practical leadership wisdom: accept what is; flow with the natural order of things; be alive to the present moment.
Prepare yourself for some pleasant surprises. Authors Patrick Warneka and Timothy H. Warneka—leadership experts and martial artists—have updated Lao Tzu’s classic leadership strategy, aligning it with today’s global realities. With a powerful foreword by well-known author Richard Strozzi-Heckler, THE WAY OF LEADING PEOPLE is the perfect gift for that special leader in your life. Inspired by the modern urban landscape, THE WAY OF LEADING PEOPLE will unleash your integral leadership skills ... while teaching you how to successfully lead people into tomorrow.
For more information about the book, or to download some examples of Patrick's fantastic photography, visit the book's website at:
www.wayofleadingpeople.com
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Is "Process Worship" Killing Your Organization?!?
process worship (proc-es wur-ship): 1. The act of valuing 'the way things are done' over any actual outcome. 2. Strongly adhering to bureacratic rules even in the face of disaster.
In an article on yahoo today, a report requested by the U.S. Pentagon reports that U.S. Marines on the front lines in Iraq are not getting the supplies they need due to bureacratic entanglements.
The report was supposed to be presented in March 2007, but according to the article by Richard Lardner,
"The presentation was canceled by Marine Corps leaders because its contents were deemed too contentious, according to a defense official familiar with the document. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it publicly."
Is your organization suffering from process worship? As a leader, how do you know?
You can find out in the same way this report did: by asking the operators in the field. Whether you have an international sales force or your entire team works out of one office, you can learn about bureacratic SNAFU's if you listen openly to the people on your front line.
Bottom Line: Smart leaders eliminate process worship because it slows their organizations down. In today's global economy, slow organizations are ineffective organizations.
In an article on yahoo today, a report requested by the U.S. Pentagon reports that U.S. Marines on the front lines in Iraq are not getting the supplies they need due to bureacratic entanglements.
The report was supposed to be presented in March 2007, but according to the article by Richard Lardner,
"The presentation was canceled by Marine Corps leaders because its contents were deemed too contentious, according to a defense official familiar with the document. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it publicly."
Is your organization suffering from process worship? As a leader, how do you know?
You can find out in the same way this report did: by asking the operators in the field. Whether you have an international sales force or your entire team works out of one office, you can learn about bureacratic SNAFU's if you listen openly to the people on your front line.
Bottom Line: Smart leaders eliminate process worship because it slows their organizations down. In today's global economy, slow organizations are ineffective organizations.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Leading People the Black Belt Way book review...
"If you’re looking for a goldmine of timeless leadership treasures, you’ll want to add Leading People The Black Belt Way to your collection..."
So begins this review of Leading People the Black Belt Way by Lora Adrianse.
Other excerpts from Ms. Adrianse's blog include:
"... This book is a great investment because it’s jam packed with hidden gems. It’s so content rich that he could have easily broken it down to several smaller, simpler books. Warneka clearly put his heart and soul into this piece of work..."
... and ...
"... If you couldn’t put down Daniel Goleman’s books on emotional intelligence, you’re likely to be thrilled with this book. On the other hand, if you found Goleman’s books to be great reference material versus engaging and inspirational, you’ll likely feel the same way about this one..."
You can read Ms. Adrianse's full blog here.
So begins this review of Leading People the Black Belt Way by Lora Adrianse.
Other excerpts from Ms. Adrianse's blog include:
"... This book is a great investment because it’s jam packed with hidden gems. It’s so content rich that he could have easily broken it down to several smaller, simpler books. Warneka clearly put his heart and soul into this piece of work..."
... and ...
"... If you couldn’t put down Daniel Goleman’s books on emotional intelligence, you’re likely to be thrilled with this book. On the other hand, if you found Goleman’s books to be great reference material versus engaging and inspirational, you’ll likely feel the same way about this one..."
You can read Ms. Adrianse's full blog here.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Bellowing Dinosaurs: The Perils of Listening to Academic Advice
College people are smart, so college professors are even smarter, right?
Not always.
Today's world is moving fast (you know this), and many tenured academics have not been in the workforce for 10, 20 or even 30 years. Insulated (and often isolated), these educational professionals have the job security of tenure have very little incentive to change the status quo. In fact, it is often best for them to protect the status quo, because that is what will keep students headed in their direction, keeping them employeed.
Tenure is killing today's academic world. But that's a discussion for another time.
With the rotting infrastructure that tenure can create, more often than not the voice of academia is the voice of the dinosaur, who, like Tyrannosaurus Rex in the movie Jurassic Park, would bellow loudly at anything that threatened the status quo.
Like newspaper reporting.
My brother (and co-author of a new book) Patrick just alerted me to an article on Yahoo News about James Macpherson, editor and publisher of the two-year-old Web site pasadenanow.com in Pasedena, California who is outsourcing stories to reporters in India.
Entrepreneurs, as many of you know, are a hearty breed who need to be flexible and adaptive ... everything that academics are not.
Mr. Macpherson, our entrepreneurial hero in this tale is reported as saying (all quotes are from the article, which was written by AP writers Justin Pritchard and Matthew Rosenberg):
"I think it could be a significant way to increase the quality of journalism on the local level without the expense that is a major problem for local publications," said the 51-year-old Pasadena native. "Whether you're at a desk in Pasadena or a desk in Mumbai, you're still just a phone call or e-mail away from the interview."
Amen, Mr. Macpherson! Good for you for recognizing the reality of the global community in which we live!
Now, let's look at what the dinosaurs say:
"Nobody in their right mind would trust the reporting of people who not only don't know the institutions but aren't even there to witness the events and nuances," said Bryce Nelson, a University of Southern California journalism professor and Pasadena resident. "This is a truly sad picture of what American journalism could become."
Spoken like someone who has known an institution for far too long. These days, most employees, including reporters, stay at their jobs these days for less than 5 years. So where are the nuances?
Let's continue...
"It is a shaky business proposition as well, said Uday Karmarkar, a UCLA professor of technology and strategy who outsources copy editing and graphics work to Indian businesses. If the goal is sophisticated reporting, he said, Macpherson could end up spending more time editing than the labor savings are worth."
Why? Professor Karmarkar seems to be implying that Indian reporters are not capable of sophisticated writing. Rather elitist, no? There are no reporters in India who can write? Um....does Professor Karmarkar understand we're living in a global village?
I say, "GO, James Macpherson! Bully for you for being willing to innovate!"
Bottom Line: The next time you read about an academic pontificating--especially when said blathering has to do with the cutting-edge of business development--beware. Remember that many tenured faculty are little more than bellowing dinosaurs: low on practical marketplace experience and high on protecting the status quo. Listen to what they have to say, but take it with a LARGE helping of salt.
Not always.
Today's world is moving fast (you know this), and many tenured academics have not been in the workforce for 10, 20 or even 30 years. Insulated (and often isolated), these educational professionals have the job security of tenure have very little incentive to change the status quo. In fact, it is often best for them to protect the status quo, because that is what will keep students headed in their direction, keeping them employeed.
Tenure is killing today's academic world. But that's a discussion for another time.
With the rotting infrastructure that tenure can create, more often than not the voice of academia is the voice of the dinosaur, who, like Tyrannosaurus Rex in the movie Jurassic Park, would bellow loudly at anything that threatened the status quo.
Like newspaper reporting.
My brother (and co-author of a new book) Patrick just alerted me to an article on Yahoo News about James Macpherson, editor and publisher of the two-year-old Web site pasadenanow.com in Pasedena, California who is outsourcing stories to reporters in India.
Entrepreneurs, as many of you know, are a hearty breed who need to be flexible and adaptive ... everything that academics are not.
Mr. Macpherson, our entrepreneurial hero in this tale is reported as saying (all quotes are from the article, which was written by AP writers Justin Pritchard and Matthew Rosenberg):
"I think it could be a significant way to increase the quality of journalism on the local level without the expense that is a major problem for local publications," said the 51-year-old Pasadena native. "Whether you're at a desk in Pasadena or a desk in Mumbai, you're still just a phone call or e-mail away from the interview."
Amen, Mr. Macpherson! Good for you for recognizing the reality of the global community in which we live!
Now, let's look at what the dinosaurs say:
"Nobody in their right mind would trust the reporting of people who not only don't know the institutions but aren't even there to witness the events and nuances," said Bryce Nelson, a University of Southern California journalism professor and Pasadena resident. "This is a truly sad picture of what American journalism could become."
Spoken like someone who has known an institution for far too long. These days, most employees, including reporters, stay at their jobs these days for less than 5 years. So where are the nuances?
Let's continue...
"It is a shaky business proposition as well, said Uday Karmarkar, a UCLA professor of technology and strategy who outsources copy editing and graphics work to Indian businesses. If the goal is sophisticated reporting, he said, Macpherson could end up spending more time editing than the labor savings are worth."
Why? Professor Karmarkar seems to be implying that Indian reporters are not capable of sophisticated writing. Rather elitist, no? There are no reporters in India who can write? Um....does Professor Karmarkar understand we're living in a global village?
I say, "GO, James Macpherson! Bully for you for being willing to innovate!"
Bottom Line: The next time you read about an academic pontificating--especially when said blathering has to do with the cutting-edge of business development--beware. Remember that many tenured faculty are little more than bellowing dinosaurs: low on practical marketplace experience and high on protecting the status quo. Listen to what they have to say, but take it with a LARGE helping of salt.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Science Confirms Human Relatedness
The media must have missed this one in its strident attempts to catalog the latest Paris Hilton escapades....
A very important story for all leaders appeared in the March 2006 issue of National Geographic (okay, I'm writing this in May, 2007 ... I'm a bit behind in my reading. :-).....
In an article called "The Greatest Journey," National Geographic research James Shreeve states:
"Scientists now calculate that all living humans are related to a single woman who lived roughly 150,000 years ago in Africa, a "mitochondrial Eve." She was not the only woman alive at the time, but if geneticists are right, all of humanity is linked to Eve through an unbroken chain of mothers." (p. 62).
This is ground-breaking, earth-shattering information. Each and every one of us -- every single human you pass today -- is related. The taxi cab driver who drove you to the airport is a distant cousin. The CEO's secretary is a long-lost aunt.
This information is revolutionary because science has now confirmed what most World Wisdon Traditions have been saying for years ... that we are all part of the same family, or, as Mr. Shreeve states in his article, "Increasingly refined DNA studies have confirmed this opening chapter of our story over and over: All the various shaped and shaded people of Earth trace their ancestry to African hunter-gatherers." (p. 62)
So, you might ask, what difference does this make for leaders? I'll suggest that the difference is enormous, because it brings up this very important question:
Now that you know everyone on the planet is related to you, will you treat people the same way you did before?
Think about it.
A very important story for all leaders appeared in the March 2006 issue of National Geographic (okay, I'm writing this in May, 2007 ... I'm a bit behind in my reading. :-).....
In an article called "The Greatest Journey," National Geographic research James Shreeve states:
"Scientists now calculate that all living humans are related to a single woman who lived roughly 150,000 years ago in Africa, a "mitochondrial Eve." She was not the only woman alive at the time, but if geneticists are right, all of humanity is linked to Eve through an unbroken chain of mothers." (p. 62).
This is ground-breaking, earth-shattering information. Each and every one of us -- every single human you pass today -- is related. The taxi cab driver who drove you to the airport is a distant cousin. The CEO's secretary is a long-lost aunt.
This information is revolutionary because science has now confirmed what most World Wisdon Traditions have been saying for years ... that we are all part of the same family, or, as Mr. Shreeve states in his article, "Increasingly refined DNA studies have confirmed this opening chapter of our story over and over: All the various shaped and shaded people of Earth trace their ancestry to African hunter-gatherers." (p. 62)
So, you might ask, what difference does this make for leaders? I'll suggest that the difference is enormous, because it brings up this very important question:
Now that you know everyone on the planet is related to you, will you treat people the same way you did before?
Think about it.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Leading the Earth...
On my Healing Katrina blog, I discussed an article about global warming. You can read it here.
Bottom Line: Great leaders take the Earth and future generations into account when they make leadership decisions. Poor leaders do not. It's that simple.
Bottom Line: Great leaders take the Earth and future generations into account when they make leadership decisions. Poor leaders do not. It's that simple.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Cleveland Bridges NOT Falling Down...
This past Saturday morning, my family and some friends ventured down to the area around the Cleveland zoo, where the city had announced that they were going to demolish a bridge that was almost 100 years old.
For those of you who have never been to the Cleveland Zoo, when you walk through parts of the zoo, you walk under this enormous old bridge. I remember being very young walking under that bridge.
I will miss that bridge ... there was something strangely comforting about walking under the shade of that structure on a hot and sunny visit to the zoo.
But back to Saturday.
Over 700 pounds of explosives were supposed to be detonated at about 8:00 a.m. EST, causing the bridge to collapse in about 5 seconds.
The problem was: it didn't happen that way. It took several attempts to blow up the bridge, and my understanding is that part of it is still standing today, three days later.
Here's a video from YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g_ndpXYRp8
The lessons for leaders?
How something is planned and how that same plan is execute are often two very different things. Emotionally intelligent leaders plan for such a series of events.
For those of you who have never been to the Cleveland Zoo, when you walk through parts of the zoo, you walk under this enormous old bridge. I remember being very young walking under that bridge.
I will miss that bridge ... there was something strangely comforting about walking under the shade of that structure on a hot and sunny visit to the zoo.
But back to Saturday.
Over 700 pounds of explosives were supposed to be detonated at about 8:00 a.m. EST, causing the bridge to collapse in about 5 seconds.
The problem was: it didn't happen that way. It took several attempts to blow up the bridge, and my understanding is that part of it is still standing today, three days later.
Here's a video from YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g_ndpXYRp8
The lessons for leaders?
How something is planned and how that same plan is execute are often two very different things. Emotionally intelligent leaders plan for such a series of events.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Leaders and Maps
In November 2007, the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History will be presenting what promises to be a spectacular cartography exhibit entitled "Maps: Finding Our Place in the World."
As reported by Yahoo News, the exhibition promises to focus on how maps reflect the reality of the mapmaker.
As the article quotes:
'"Any map," said exhibit curator Robert W. Karrow Jr., the Newberry's curator of maps, "even a modern map, even the most scientifically rigorous modern map, comes packed with a whole bundle of cultural propositions that regulate how it's going to look."'
Why is this important for leaders?
Whether you are leading a team of explorers across the Polar Ice caps or managing a team of lawyers in New York City, every leader needs to be aware of their own 'cultural propositions'--which I called worldviews in Leading People the Black Belt Way. These worldviews can be particularly damaging to organizations when leaders use them without examining them.
As a leader, how aware are you of your 'cultural propositions'?
The fate of your organization may rest of your answer.
As reported by Yahoo News, the exhibition promises to focus on how maps reflect the reality of the mapmaker.
As the article quotes:
'"Any map," said exhibit curator Robert W. Karrow Jr., the Newberry's curator of maps, "even a modern map, even the most scientifically rigorous modern map, comes packed with a whole bundle of cultural propositions that regulate how it's going to look."'
Why is this important for leaders?
Whether you are leading a team of explorers across the Polar Ice caps or managing a team of lawyers in New York City, every leader needs to be aware of their own 'cultural propositions'--which I called worldviews in Leading People the Black Belt Way. These worldviews can be particularly damaging to organizations when leaders use them without examining them.
As a leader, how aware are you of your 'cultural propositions'?
The fate of your organization may rest of your answer.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
A must-read book for every leader!
I'm very excited! Dr. Riane Eisler, an author who's work has profoundly influenced my own, just announced a new book entitled The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics. I've even had the priviledge of speaking to her and I've found her to be warm, caring and deeply committed to making this world a better place.
Based on what I've read about Dr. Eisler's book, it's sure to be important reading for every leader.
The Real Wealth of Nations is available on Amazon and through other booksellers right now.
Here's the announcement about The Real Wealth of Nations:
FOR RELEASE APRIL 16, 2007:
BESTSELLING AUTHOR RIANE EISLER INTRODUCES THE REAL WEALTH OF NATIONS: CREATING A CARING ECONOMICS
Los Angeles--April 16, 2007-- Dr. Riane Eisler first captured world attention with her bestselling book, The Chalice and the Blade. With her new book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics (Berrett-Koehler Publishers; ISBN-13: 9781576753880, $24.95, April 2007), she offers a new way of thinking by transforming "the dismal science of economics" into a practical plan for solving global warming, poverty, and terrorism. Hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as "a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking," by business guru Peter Senge as "desperately needed," and by Gloria Steinem as "revolutionary,' The Real Wealth of Nations proposes a "caring economics" that is more cost-effective, humane, and sustainable.
"My work has been moving more and more toward practical solutions," said Eisler. "Present economic systems, both capitalist and socialist, aren't solving our problems - from chronic poverty and environmental devastation, to the loss of good jobs in the US and the stress put on families by the absence of decent parental leave. We have to start with basics: that the real wealth of nations isn't financial; it's the contributions of people and nature."
The Real Wealth of Nations details a new strategy for an economic system that gives visibility and value to the most essential human work: the life-sustaining work of caring and caregiving whether it's done in the home or the workplace. Eisler cites powerful statistics regarding the real value of the unpaid work in households. A 2004 Swiss government survey reported the value of this work at 162 billion Euros or 190 billion dollars (US) - 70 percent of Switzerland's reported gross domestic product. Salary.com estimated that a fair wage for a typical stay-at-home parent would be $134,471 (US) a year. But while this is compelling, Eisler says that there is much more that we have to pay attention to. In The Real Wealth of Nations, Eisler provides examples of how the current economic system in the US is achieving negative results: In its 2004 Global Competitiveness Report, the World Economic Forum found that the US trailed the much smaller Finland in economic competitiveness, which Eisler shows is largely due to the fact that Nordic nations, where women have higher status, invest in their human capital, starting in early childhood and the US does not. According to a 2006 CIA report, the US ranked 42nd in child mortality, behind Cuba and many other poorer nations because money is allocated for prisons, weapons, and wars, and not healthcare, childcare, and other caring activities.
Eisler provides in her book a structure for business leaders and politicians to transform our economic system into one that values human effort and nature and leads to improved levels of health and education among people of all socioeconomic strata, reduced employee turnover and absenteeism, environmental health, and greater productivity for businesses and our country. She provides hard evidence to show that companies with caring policies achieve a higher return on their investment for shareholders. For example, one study showed that offering employees childcare yielded a return on investment of 521 percent in four years.
Eisler, who as a child fled Austria with her family during Nazi occupation, has been on a lifelong quest to probe the human condition, examine the root causes of many of society's challenges, and provide solutions for them. Her other books include the award-winning The Power of Partnership and Tomorrow's Children, Sacred Pleasure, a reexamination of sexuality and spirituality, and Women, Men, and the Global Quality of Life, which documents the key role of the status of women in a nation's general quality of life.
Eisler holds degrees in sociology and law from the University of California, taught pioneering classes on women and the law at UCLA, and is a founding member of the General Evolution Research Group (GERG), a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and World Business Academy, and a commissioner of the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality, along with the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and other spiritual leaders. She is co-founder of the Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence (SAIV), www.saiv.net and president of the Center for Partnership Studies, www.partnershipway.org, dedicated to research and education. She is also the author of over 200 essays for both popular and academic publications.
The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics will be available April 16 at major booksellers everywhere.
Based on what I've read about Dr. Eisler's book, it's sure to be important reading for every leader.
The Real Wealth of Nations is available on Amazon and through other booksellers right now.
Here's the announcement about The Real Wealth of Nations:
FOR RELEASE APRIL 16, 2007:
BESTSELLING AUTHOR RIANE EISLER INTRODUCES THE REAL WEALTH OF NATIONS: CREATING A CARING ECONOMICS
Los Angeles--April 16, 2007-- Dr. Riane Eisler first captured world attention with her bestselling book, The Chalice and the Blade. With her new book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics (Berrett-Koehler Publishers; ISBN-13: 9781576753880, $24.95, April 2007), she offers a new way of thinking by transforming "the dismal science of economics" into a practical plan for solving global warming, poverty, and terrorism. Hailed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as "a template for the better world we have been so urgently seeking," by business guru Peter Senge as "desperately needed," and by Gloria Steinem as "revolutionary,' The Real Wealth of Nations proposes a "caring economics" that is more cost-effective, humane, and sustainable.
"My work has been moving more and more toward practical solutions," said Eisler. "Present economic systems, both capitalist and socialist, aren't solving our problems - from chronic poverty and environmental devastation, to the loss of good jobs in the US and the stress put on families by the absence of decent parental leave. We have to start with basics: that the real wealth of nations isn't financial; it's the contributions of people and nature."
The Real Wealth of Nations details a new strategy for an economic system that gives visibility and value to the most essential human work: the life-sustaining work of caring and caregiving whether it's done in the home or the workplace. Eisler cites powerful statistics regarding the real value of the unpaid work in households. A 2004 Swiss government survey reported the value of this work at 162 billion Euros or 190 billion dollars (US) - 70 percent of Switzerland's reported gross domestic product. Salary.com estimated that a fair wage for a typical stay-at-home parent would be $134,471 (US) a year. But while this is compelling, Eisler says that there is much more that we have to pay attention to. In The Real Wealth of Nations, Eisler provides examples of how the current economic system in the US is achieving negative results: In its 2004 Global Competitiveness Report, the World Economic Forum found that the US trailed the much smaller Finland in economic competitiveness, which Eisler shows is largely due to the fact that Nordic nations, where women have higher status, invest in their human capital, starting in early childhood and the US does not. According to a 2006 CIA report, the US ranked 42nd in child mortality, behind Cuba and many other poorer nations because money is allocated for prisons, weapons, and wars, and not healthcare, childcare, and other caring activities.
Eisler provides in her book a structure for business leaders and politicians to transform our economic system into one that values human effort and nature and leads to improved levels of health and education among people of all socioeconomic strata, reduced employee turnover and absenteeism, environmental health, and greater productivity for businesses and our country. She provides hard evidence to show that companies with caring policies achieve a higher return on their investment for shareholders. For example, one study showed that offering employees childcare yielded a return on investment of 521 percent in four years.
Eisler, who as a child fled Austria with her family during Nazi occupation, has been on a lifelong quest to probe the human condition, examine the root causes of many of society's challenges, and provide solutions for them. Her other books include the award-winning The Power of Partnership and Tomorrow's Children, Sacred Pleasure, a reexamination of sexuality and spirituality, and Women, Men, and the Global Quality of Life, which documents the key role of the status of women in a nation's general quality of life.
Eisler holds degrees in sociology and law from the University of California, taught pioneering classes on women and the law at UCLA, and is a founding member of the General Evolution Research Group (GERG), a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science and World Business Academy, and a commissioner of the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality, along with the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and other spiritual leaders. She is co-founder of the Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Violence (SAIV), www.saiv.net and president of the Center for Partnership Studies, www.partnershipway.org, dedicated to research and education. She is also the author of over 200 essays for both popular and academic publications.
The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics will be available April 16 at major booksellers everywhere.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
When Will We Decide to Protect Ourselves....
Population of Great Britain & Wales: 53 million.
Number of homicides involving firearms last year: 46.
Population of New York City: 8 million.
Number of homicides involving firearms last year: 579.
The difference? Gun control laws.
What's it going to take, America?
Number of homicides involving firearms last year: 46.
Population of New York City: 8 million.
Number of homicides involving firearms last year: 579.
The difference? Gun control laws.
What's it going to take, America?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Cherry Blossoms & Leadership
I had a speaking job in Washington, D.C. this past week, so I took my family along. We spent the weekend with my kids (ages 12 and 9) touring the Mall. I saw the WWII monument for the first time, and was powerfully moved in showing my children the Vietnam Memorial and the Korean War memorial. At the Vietnam Memorial, a park ranger gave one of the best presentations I have ever heard in my life (and I give keynote speeches and train people for a living!). There was also a vet from Maine who shared a few stories about his time in Vietnam.
All in all, a very powerful experience. I was deeply moved by the many people who sacrificed their lives for a greater purpose.
After visiting the Mall, we walked over to the FDR memorial (and saw a few waning cherry blossoms!). The FDR memorial reminded me the powerful sweeping changes that a leader ... and a people ... can achieve when they set their hearts to it. In my lifetime, we've never seen such sweeping changes that FDR and others wrought ... and in my humble opinion, we need such sweeping changes now more than ever.
As a leader, what are you giving your life for? Most of us do not have the honor of laying our lives down for our country or our families, but many leaders have -- in their own quiet ways -- equally important impacts on the future generations.
As a leader, make sure you give your life for what matters to you most.
All in all, a very powerful experience. I was deeply moved by the many people who sacrificed their lives for a greater purpose.
After visiting the Mall, we walked over to the FDR memorial (and saw a few waning cherry blossoms!). The FDR memorial reminded me the powerful sweeping changes that a leader ... and a people ... can achieve when they set their hearts to it. In my lifetime, we've never seen such sweeping changes that FDR and others wrought ... and in my humble opinion, we need such sweeping changes now more than ever.
As a leader, what are you giving your life for? Most of us do not have the honor of laying our lives down for our country or our families, but many leaders have -- in their own quiet ways -- equally important impacts on the future generations.
As a leader, make sure you give your life for what matters to you most.
Friday, March 30, 2007
On Creating a Corporate Culture of Fear
Are employees in your organization afraid?
If so, as a leader new research should give you a reason to worry. This month the Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience published a research article entitled:
"Learning fears by observing others: the neural systems of social fear transmission"
in which the authors discovered "...that fear acquired indirectly through social observation, with no personal experience of the aversive event, engages similar neural mechanisms as fear conditioning."
Which essential means that if your organization supports a culture of fear it will impact the bottom line. For example, if employee "A" has a run-in with an emotionally dysfunctional leader, not only will employee's brain begin to re-wire into a fear response, other employees's brains will also begin to re-wire into a fear response.
Fearful employees are emotional UNintelligent employees. Fearful employees are at higher risk of becoming emotionally disengaged with your organization, which creates a signficant drain on your organization's bottom line.
For those readers who are interested, you can read the full abstract of this important research article here.
BOTTOM LINE: Any Organization with a Culture of Fear is an Unprofitable Organization.
If so, as a leader new research should give you a reason to worry. This month the Journal of Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience published a research article entitled:
"Learning fears by observing others: the neural systems of social fear transmission"
in which the authors discovered "...that fear acquired indirectly through social observation, with no personal experience of the aversive event, engages similar neural mechanisms as fear conditioning."
Which essential means that if your organization supports a culture of fear it will impact the bottom line. For example, if employee "A" has a run-in with an emotionally dysfunctional leader, not only will employee's brain begin to re-wire into a fear response, other employees's brains will also begin to re-wire into a fear response.
Fearful employees are emotional UNintelligent employees. Fearful employees are at higher risk of becoming emotionally disengaged with your organization, which creates a signficant drain on your organization's bottom line.
For those readers who are interested, you can read the full abstract of this important research article here.
BOTTOM LINE: Any Organization with a Culture of Fear is an Unprofitable Organization.
Monday, March 26, 2007
The Integral Equivalent of Teaching Emotional Intelligence...
A Norwegian TV show recently posted this very funny skit on YouTube. My IT colleagues who work at various HelpDesks find it hilarious. From an integral coaching perspective, I find the same thing happens when I'm coaching people in building their Emotional Intelligence...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek
Enjoy a laugh today!
:-)
Tim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek
Enjoy a laugh today!
:-)
Tim
A Ph.D. in .....what?!?
A colleague recently told me that she was going to get her Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship ...
... and she's never owned a business.
Is it me, or is that a little weird?
She's going to learn about the rigors of the marketplace by sitting in a classroom and writing a dissertation?
IMHO, she'd be better off starting her own business.
Everyone who has owned a business for more than five years qualifies for a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship.
... and she's never owned a business.
Is it me, or is that a little weird?
She's going to learn about the rigors of the marketplace by sitting in a classroom and writing a dissertation?
IMHO, she'd be better off starting her own business.
Everyone who has owned a business for more than five years qualifies for a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Living for the 70's....
When I consult with organization, sometimes the process requires me to interview various employees up and down the management chain.
I was recently consulting for a mid-size company, and as I walked around I consistently heard employees proudly say:
"We do things here the same way we did them 30 years ago!"
one variation even went:
"We do things the same way we've been doing them for years ... except that we have email now!"
(Honest. Someone actually said that.)
Um...............
See the problem?
Unless you're a maker of 70's fashion, doing things the same way you did them 30 years ago is a serious problem. Processes that are 3 decades old are not points of pride--they are red flags that something has been seriously missed.
BOTTOM LINE: Emotionally Intelligent leaders listen carefully for signs of stagnation in their organization. Stagnation means the same thing as "someone else will eat our lunch".
I was recently consulting for a mid-size company, and as I walked around I consistently heard employees proudly say:
"We do things here the same way we did them 30 years ago!"
one variation even went:
"We do things the same way we've been doing them for years ... except that we have email now!"
(Honest. Someone actually said that.)
Um...............
See the problem?
Unless you're a maker of 70's fashion, doing things the same way you did them 30 years ago is a serious problem. Processes that are 3 decades old are not points of pride--they are red flags that something has been seriously missed.
BOTTOM LINE: Emotionally Intelligent leaders listen carefully for signs of stagnation in their organization. Stagnation means the same thing as "someone else will eat our lunch".
Friday, March 09, 2007
Harry Potter as Leader
To learn more about the leadership qualities of Harry Potter (and to read my predictions about "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", the final book in J.K. Rowling's best-selling series), visit my blog about Harry Potter here.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Whew! Finally back!
Hi all!
My apologies to my regular reader ... been experiencing some technical difficulties, but they seem to be resolved.
I'll be back to blogging regularly quite soon!
Regards,
Tim
My apologies to my regular reader ... been experiencing some technical difficulties, but they seem to be resolved.
I'll be back to blogging regularly quite soon!
Regards,
Tim
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