What You Call “Practice” Might Be Hurting You
I used to play a lot of tennis. I was never terribly good at it. For example, some serves are referred to as a “weapon.” Mine was referred to as a “gift.” But what I lacked in quality, I made up for...
View Article3 Sure Fire Ways to Get the Best From Your Team
Eddie was a screw-up. Everyone at the burger place where I had my first job knew it. Eddie just couldn’t seem to do anything right. And because he always screwed up, the rest of us expected him to...
View ArticleHow to Become a Master of Your Work
I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that you either are, or you want to be, good at what you do. I’m going to take that even further and assume that you either are, or want to be, great at...
View ArticleThe One Thing Better Than Good Intentions
I was talking to a colleague earlier this week. Like me, she runs her own business. She told me that one of her “beginning-of-the-year” practices is to sit down in a quiet place, with a cup of coffee...
View ArticleOne Simple Equation That Will Help You Achieve Remarkable Results
Like many of you, I hold a planning retreat for my business at the beginning of each year. (I also do a smaller one at the beginning of each month, which is a practice that I strongly recommend.) My...
View ArticleHow to Make Your Team Members Feel Like Crap
Here’s the scene: You’re at a party, or a conference, or a meeting—somewhere with a lot of people around. You see someone whom you’d like to talk to, so you walk over and start a conversation. And...
View ArticleHow to Tell If Your Leader Is a Risky Pilot
This morning I discovered that the hard drive on my Mac was completely full. Zero empty space. I discovered this when I tried to check my email, and I couldn’t even download one message. I had about 50...
View ArticleThe #1 Skill to Improve for Better Leadership Results
I recently sent out a survey to over 600 leaders, asking them one question: In thinking about your leadership, what would you most like to change/improve this year? As you can imagine, the responses...
View ArticleHow To Be a Terrible Leader
You’ve probably watched a TED Talk video or two (or ten) at some point over the past several years. But have you ever been to a TED/TEDx event in person? It turns out there’s a huge—and...
View ArticleWhere to Find the Idea That Will Make You Rich
I can’t tell you what your next million-dollar idea will be—but I can tell you, with near 100% certainty, where you’re going to find it. And it probably won’t be where you think. In order to understand...
View ArticleTED Talk Secrets That Will Make You a Superior Leader
A little over a week ago, I was on a stage in Vancouver, BC, giving a TEDx talk about creativity to 2,700 people. The video will soon be available online, where it could be seen by (fingers crossed!)...
View ArticleHow Bruce Springsteen Can Make You a Better Boss
There’s nothing quite like seeing a world-class team operating at the highest level, is there? For example, let’s take Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The video below shows Bruce (“The Boss”)...
View ArticleHow a Different Perspective Can Make You a Better Leader
I spent several hours yesterday helping a colleague (whom I’ll call Poppy, because it’s fun) rewrite her website. She was concerned—rightly so—that her site was too wordy, didn’t really capture who she...
View ArticleAre You Missing Out On the Most Important Business Tool?
Quick Quiz: What do the following have in common? The iPhone The Tesla Model S Spanx The self-cleaning litter box The Sputnik 1 satellite Answer: They were all the product of a creative idea. As was...
View ArticleBreakthrough Ideas Are Not Created In a Vacuum
Your next great idea will not come to you out of thin air. I can say this with near 100% certainty because that’s not how ideas work. That breakthrough idea—the one that will make you rich and famous...
View ArticleHow to Be a Great Little-Known Leader
John Wooden. Nelson Mandela. Richard Branson. Abraham Lincoln. Great leaders, all of them. Their words and actions inspired and motivated thousands upon thousands of people. But probably not you. At...
View ArticleHow To Make Your Team Hate You In One Easy Step
A friend of mine has a cat that she affectionately refers to as her “barnacle,” because he’s always there. Wherever she goes, there he is. The kitchen, the living room, the office, on the stairs—he is...
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How Dots Will Make You a More Creative Leader
In my new TEDx Talk, I talk a lot about dots. Dots, dots, dots. Why would I waste so much of my precious 18 minutes talking about dots? Because dots are the building blocks of creativity, and...
View ArticleHow To Be Better Than Saturday Night Live
“You guys are better than Saturday Night Live!” I used to hear that all the time. I still do, although now “are” has changed to “were.” For 15 years, I was the Executive Producer of a sketch comedy TV...
View ArticleWhy The Best Leaders Are Out Of Control
I recently read an interview with Marija Ringwelsky, the co-founder and COO of Remedy, a company that helps protect people from medical overcharges and billing errors. In it, Ms. Ringwelsky said:...
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