The US Aikido master George Leonard in his book “Mastery” speaks of 4 approaches that we take to learning new disciplines. It scares me that I might be a regular Hacker… how to shift my approach and push through “good” and reach “better” and one day “expert”?: The Dabbler – The Dabbler’s learning curve rises very quickly, … Read more
Two months ago, I was at IESE business school with Verne Harnish and his wife Julie. We were talking about entrepreneurial success and achievement. He shared with me a quote that comes from his father-in-law: “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Verne’s father-in-law has apartments that he rents out. What criteria does … Read more
I read Conversations on Leadership by Lan Liu when I was sitting in the IESE library recently. He interviews some of the big thinkers and identifies 8 core disciplines of leadership. Connecting with People Learning from Failure Reflecting on Experience Thinking Deeply Storytelling Being a Teacher Knowing Yourself Becoming Yourself Further readingLan Liu is a … Read more
I have prepared a series of short videos for my IESE courses this year. This is a 3 minute video describing the 5 aspects of a powerful speaking voice. A powerful voice will transmit authority to your audience and allow them to engage with you as a credible leader. The five aspects of a … Read more
This post is inspired by a talk “You and your research” by Richard Hamming. One life to live “Now, why is this talk important? I think it is important because, as far as I know, each of you has one life to live. Even if you believe in reincarnation it doesn’t do you any good … Read more
You have to sell. Yes, you. You have to sell. You have to get good at it. (7 steps of the sales process, how to pitch a brilliant idea) You need lots of help. More than you can imagine. You need to learn to ask for it. (Ask better questions, 17 habits for a fulfilling life … Read more
Busy-ness (on the Wrong Things) is the new Laziness “What’s the best thing you could be working on, and why aren’t you?” Paul Graham Richard Hamming suggests that you ask yourself three questions: What are the most important problems in your field? Are you working on one of them? Why not? Paul Graham suggests that … Read more
This post includes additional detail to support my post at ActiveGarage blog: Origin of Leaders Pt 3: Learning – Growing through the Crucibles in your life. It is worth reading that post first for the background and context for this post. How do we achieve mastery? An entrepreneur friend recently commented to me an early … Read more
Fake it. Yes, pretend. There are three benefits that grow from you “acting” confident: Attitude follows Behavior: Over time, you become more like you act—self-assured, confident, and convinced of the truth of what you are saying. Emotional Contagion: Walk down an airport corridor and smile, and watch people smile back; change your facial expression to … Read more
On 9th August 2010, Ed Stafford arrived at the sea, having walked the length of the Amazon river. Over 860 days of walking, 20,000 mosquito bites, 5,000 leeches, poisonous spiders and snakes. No boss told him to do it. Nobody paid him for it. Why did he do it? How did he keep going for … Read more