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Why Your Workplace Needs to Be a Classroom
I’ve written quite a bit about how and why leaders need to be continuous learners. I believe that, as a leader, if you’re not continuously — and intentionally — learning, then you’re not really a...
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Will They Be Sorry To See You Leave?
“Some people brighten a room when they enter it; others when they leave.” You’ve probably heard this quotation or some variation of it. I have no idea who said it originally, but it certainly is true....
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3 Ways to Practice Intentional Creativity
According to Fast Company, creativity is now the most important leadership quality for success in business. Why is it, then, that so few leaders do little (or nothing) to make creative thinking a...
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Great Teams Focus on the Mission, Not the Squabbles
This weekend I was lucky enough to have VIP seats to see a performance by the U.S. Navy’s precision flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels. They are, by any standard, an incredible team. They fly...
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Are You About to Lose One of Your Best Employees?
I’m angry at Janie’s boss. I don’t know Janie’s boss. I’ve never met Janie’s boss. But I do know Janie. Janie is one of the most diligent, hard-working, eager-to-learn people I’ve ever met. But...
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The Benefits of Informal Get-Togethers
I just spent a delightful morning with a colleague of mine (Ron, another speaker) who was in from out of town and gave me a call. And yes, I realize I just used the word “delightful,” when the more...
View ArticleWhat Does it REALLY Mean to Be a Producer?
“So, what does a producer really do?” During my 15 years as the Executive Producer of Seattle’s hit comedy TV show Almost Live!, I was asked that question a lot. Many times by members of my own staff....
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How Are You Filling Your Idea Pipeline?
I’ve just been reading a terrific new book called High-Profit Prospecting by my friend and colleague Mark Hunter. Mark is a consummate sales professional, and his book is about how to keep your sales...
View ArticleWhat’s Going to Move Your Needle?
Options, options, too many options! Don’t you feel like that sometimes? · Which of these hundred mayonnaises should I buy? · Which of these hundred TV series should I Netflix? · Which of...
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Profitable Creativity May Be Closer Than You Think!
Would you like to find a creative solution to your current challenge du jour? It may be as close as the morning newspaper. (Note to younger readers: the “morning newspaper” used to be an actual thing....
View ArticleStop Whining About “Change”!
As I look out my office window, I see the leaves on the trees are starting to change color. Believe it or not, I’m not shocked by this. Nor am I wailing about the fact that the temperature is dropping...
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Why Coming Up With a Great Idea is Worthless
“I hate coming up with a great sketch idea.” That’s what Bob Nelson told me when he was one of the writers on Almost Live!, the comedy TV show that I executive produced in Seattle for 15 years. (For...
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Are You Playing “Monkey See, Monkey Do” Leadership?
“Bill’s been to a seminar!” I was a new leader, barely into my twenties, and the TV station I worked for had sent me to a leadership seminar. I eagerly returned to the office the next day, head and...
View ArticleAre You Ready for the High Winds?
Hurricane level winds. That’s what they’re telling us here in the Pacific Northwest. As I write this, there’s a storm coming, and they’re telling us to prepare for hurricane level winds. So I...
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The Smartest Thing You Can Do as a Leader
As a leader, the smartest thing I ever did was hire people better than me. For 15 years, I was the Executive Producer of a comedy TV show in Seattle. I was also a writer and performer for the show, but...
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Are You Solving the Right Problem?
Albert Einstein once said, “If I only had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” And while I don’t necessarily agree...
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Stop Treating Creativity as an Option
Turning creativity into money. That’s how I sometimes described my job as the Executive Producer of a hit comedy TV show in Seattle. Turning creativity into money. See, our job, week after week, was...
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3 Steps to a More Collaborative Team
I was just listening to an interview with one of the world’s top leadership experts, my friend and colleague Mark Sanborn. He was asked how leadership has changed over the past several years. Here’s...
View ArticleWant Better Ideas? Then Stop Brainstorming!
I used to be a fan of brainstorming. What could be better for generating ideas than gathering your team around a table, presenting the challenge, and then letting the ideas flow! No bad ideas here!...
View ArticleDid You Know That Mowing the Lawn Can Lead to a Cure for Cancer?
If you’re wondering why your team doesn’t seem to be engaged in their work (which, according to Gallup, describes 68% of the American workforce), it may be because they just don’t give a crap about...
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