The Human Juke Box
Most people have loads of misguided ideas about stress. Most people believe that if you are actively engaged with life, stress is inevitable. Most people think “life is tough and along with the “good stuff” comes the stress”. The common belief that people have to cope with in life assumes that life is inherently stressful. […]
Emerging Mindsets Eat Emerging Markets for Lunch
This week I’m thinking about the incredible power of a distinction almost nobody understands. It’s about the crucial difference between creating a future versus living in a default future. Sure, companies make plans and strategies, they brainstorm (I never understood why I would want a storm in my brain), analyze and other things, but they almost […]
Backing into your Future
The epic Seth Godin, a marketing mastermind, just posted this: “If you hesitate to map out your future, to make a big plan or to set a goal, you’ve just gone ahead and mapped your future anyway.” What Seth says here is so important for everyone and everything. Why? Because 99,9% of people make zero effort to […]
Stop Trying To Be So Damn Superior
One of the most destructive behaviors I see in companies is the “I’m superior” behavior. Also disguised as the “I’m better then you”, “I know better then you”, “I have no blind spots, but you do”, “If only other people were is good as I am” behaviors. They are everywhere. They are subtle, but they […]
Integrity is the Elephant in the Room
“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson This week starts for me overlooking the Leidseplein in Amsterdam from my hotel room. As I reflect over the last week I see the enormous struggle people have with a certain topic they are not even aware of. It’s the topic […]
Leading vs Managing
“Most of what we call management consists of making it hard for people to work” — Peter Drucker Peter Drucker is considered to be the most influential management thinker of the 20th century. The difference between management and leadership is that leadership (when done well) makes it possible for people to be the best version […]
Putting the Dead Rat on the Table
Crossing the bridge from being an employee to being a true leader is the willingness to put the dead rat on the table and then own that dead rat. Even if it’s not yours. A very effective way to test the true power of a team is to measure the willingness and speed with which […]
How to Create an Unbeatable team
When the Avengers, a team of superheroes, protect the earth against another alien invader they work like a team, a super team. Meaning, they all use their own unique superpowers in the most effective way possible. Hulk uses brute force when confronted with a strong opponent. Captain America applies his leadership skills to get the […]
You Can’t Shrink Your Way to Greatness
“You can’t shrink your way to greatness” — Tom Peters I love what Tom Peters said. Yet, when I look around me I see a lot of organizations trying to do exactly that. The way I see it you only have two real issues in organizations when you look at it from a macro sense. One is you have people trying […]
It’s Impossible to Control Your Thinking
“No one can make you feel inferior without your own consent” – Eleanor Roosevelt Some time ago I was listening to a TEDx speech by Jason Fried the CEO of 37 Signals. His message was that companies spend so much time “collaborating” that people don’t have time for the real work. Even worse, employees can’t find enough […]
