Between the Lines

Bull & Bear Essentials offers an excellent list of top ten tips for success in life. These tips were consolidated from a series of interviews which Barbara Walters conducted with four billionaires. Those who have heard me speak over the past few years and/or read my blogs will recognize some familiar themes. I have highlighted those which resonate with a few key points from my recently published book, “Is This Seat Taken?”

A recent article in Forbes draws a relevant correlation between the recent movie on baseball and business. In a nutshell: what truly matters to the endeavor of baseball, and how can we measure what truly matters in business?

The article is worth reading, as we begin our 2011 recap and 2012 business planning and strategic discussions. Two key takeaways for me:

Many of you are currently interviewing for a new position/promotion within your existing company or in some cases other positions outside your current employer. You are likely a seasoned veteran who has not had to formally interview in quite some time. So – how can you get noticed and stand out when so many of the individuals you are up against are equally qualified?

This is an art – not a science – as we all know. Yet, there are a few easy tips to keep in mind…

As many of you know, my first book, “Is This Seat Taken?” was released this week on 11/1/11. This story book is a collection of highly personal vignettes from my life as a global traveler over the years. My intention in remembering and sharing these stories is simply to highlight the wisdom of the many virtually invisible people who cross our paths each and every day. The only prerequisite to benefit from these individuals is for us to be awake in the present moment to hear and see what is right in front of us. These insights helped me on my own individual road to alignment.

But writing a book is not for the faint of heart.

Over the past few weeks, there have been front cover articles on two of the world’s most powerful women: Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. These leaders serve from opposite sides of the political arena, yet, I believe that they possess several of the same leadership qualities which have no doubt served them well. What can we learn from them?

Several of my clients are what I would call true entrepreneurs. The characteristics are the same, regardless of the playground on which they are playing. There is a fabulous book which actually does a phenomenal job of capturing common behaviors, or “rules” as the author frames them, which offer the ripest ground for entrepreneurial success. This book will leave you inspired by three extremely successful entrepreneurial stories of Harvard Business School graduates, and their deviation from the standard path toward success.

I believe we can ALL learn from these perspectives, regardless of what our chosen career path may be.

On a recent American Airlines flight, I was reading an article about PGA Tour caddy John Wood, and I thought a few of his tips were relevant for business, as well as our golf game.

Each of these tips on how to play like a pro golfer are easy to offer, but hard to do! Guess that is why there is only one Tiger Woods; yet there are still plenty of strong golfers in the world.

Recently I was asked by an organizational client to solicit feedback on several of their key leaders, as part of their leadership development effort for these individuals. The question was raised: “What do you think has more impact on developing our leaders: peer feedback, manager feedback, or employee feedback?”

In today’s post, I briefly discuss my thoughts.

Newsweek published a fabulous article on Steve Jobs’ creative genius a few months ago. The top 10 tips from his playbook follow. They are very insightful, and can be helpful for any of us embarking upon a opportunity which commands “out of box” thinking and management of a creative process. These tips are not for every situation within an organization; however, when trying to stimulate and inspire new “green field” ideas, they are spot on…

Whether you are the CEO, a product manager, a team leader, or an individual contributor, I have found the most successful individuals are those that actively and sincerely solicit input, help and ideas from others in their organizations. Now, this is not the proverbial “obligated ask” – I am referring to those individuals that seek out and get additional heads and hands on board with their initiatives.

This takes time, effort, patience and a true desire to BUILD A TEAM from all levels of the organization. Many attempt to do this, perhaps because they have been told they “need to.” However, the leaders who master the art of true inclusiveness will build a network which will become a tremendous asset in their careers if done with purity of intention. A few tips: