Generally speaking, optimism is a positive force. The same cannot be said for foolish optimism. The potential problems brought on by naïve, misguided happy talk are every real. Poorly informed leaders often share false optimism unwittingly because they don’t have reliable data. The blame can be theirs alone, or it can be credited to subordinates…
Opinions encourage and support the sharing of thoughts and ideas. They can evoke discussion, and they can encourage purposeful debate. There are times and situations when freewheeling thought, unfettered imagination, and outside-the-box thinking can and should be the order of the day. Such free and open expression based on unrestrained thinking often sets a grand…
In the best of times, there are villains. In the vilest of times, there are heroes. Stress, challenges, and difficulties, often bring out both the best and worst in people. As is true in literature, the story of humankind has its protagonists and its antagonists. These people have been, currently are, and will always be…
Considering only the end result, there is little difference between manslaughter and murder. In both cases someone dies. The same is true about mistakes and lies, since in both instances incorrect information is provided. Based on end results, one could conclude, that the difference between mistakes and lies is a distinction without a real difference.…
When leaders provide details regarding who, what, when, where, and how, they provide the basics for an anticipated course of action. Such information generally assigns tasks, establish goals, sets time and place guidelines, and generates the basis for supervision. And although all of that information is vital, a critically essential piece is still missing. For…
Good luck and its benevolent cousins, a break, a Godsend, or a windfall, are real. So are bad luck and its disgruntling cousins, karma, a turn of fate, or a misfortune. Luck is unpredictable. Luck, both kind and cruel, often comes to call on its own time schedule, regardless of how aware potential beneficiaries or…
There are no absolutes regarding that which is viewed as funny, acceptable, or welcome in any environment that hosts two or more people. Those views are instead highly subjective in their nature, they are affected by a wide range of influencing factors, and their potential impact on a team is enormous. As a result, the…
The old metaphor of a raging bull in a china shop is graphic and easy to imagine. Not unlike the metaphorical china shop bulls, bulls of a different nature can and often do visit leadership teams, boardrooms, and organizations. Unlike china shop bulls, organizational bulls generally creep in over time. As a result, leaders and…
When the success of a plan is dependent on a single or standalone entity, such as a particular individual, a critical resource, or an anticipated course of events, that plan is said to have a single point of success. Correspondingly, it also has a single point of potential failure. For example, a non-profit’s annual staff…
Regardless of age, level of experience, or position, there are times when adults regress into pure childishness. When they do, they can quickly become petulant, grumpy, nasty, irritating, uncooperative, and well, downright troublesome. Dealing with them can be at best difficult, and in some cases, it becomes nearly impossible. If left unchecked, their ability to…