Destructive Floods and Leadership
It was 1986 in Roanoke, Virginia, and the flood gates were getting ready to break. Literally. I worked downtown at a bank, and I looked out the glass doors and saw the pouring rain that had been pounding us for…
Elephants, Riders, and Change
“Once you break through to feeling, though, things change.” – Switch – How to Change Things When Things Are Hard Chip & Dan Heath I stood in front of a group of top investment sales people – all of them…
What My Lemonade Stand Taught Me About Change
We had a great sales roll-out, and everybody seemed really excited about it. However, at the end of the day our results didn’t change – so we’re going to try something new! As a consultant, I hear a million different…
Undercover Boss Shows Power of “Soft Skills”
Undercover Boss on youtube Since I couldn’t seem to move after the Super Bowl last night (too many chips), I decided to watch the new television reality show “Undercover Boss.” I’m glad I did. For those of you that missed…
Part 2: Everything I Learned About Change I Learned as a P.K.
Last week I blogged about my life as a preacher’s kid, and the lessons I learned about change under the guidance of a father who helped struggling churches recreate themselves. Revisiting the past has been like opening the doors of…
Everything I Learned About Change I Learned as a P.K. (Preacher’s Kid)
I just spent an entire week in a dark house, cuddled under a blanket, visited by the flu fairy (and, believe me, there was nothing fun left under my pillow). Too tired to even read, I spent a lot of…
Influence: Connect before you Convince
I attended a seminar once with several high-level leaders speaking on influence. They were to share how they achieved good sales results. I had my little notebook ready, my pen poised to jot down great thoughts, and my mental adrenaline…
Sally Field & My New Year’s Resolutions
I just ran into a friend of mine who quit smoking December 25th. Now she wants to lose twenty pounds by March, secure a new job, and find her dream guy. Do I think this is realistic? No. Do I…
Elves, Stories, and Sales
I was looking back on past holidays recently, realizing that any holiday that provokes intense emotion is also filled with fascinating, memorable stories. Today I offer a holiday story, and how I might use that story to influence someone else…
How Stories Can Make Us Dance
“Every living person is a partial revelation of the truth.” — Ghandhi I love this clip from the television show “The Office.” This is about Pam and Jim’s wedding – two employees of a small, slightly irrelevant paper company in…