Between the Lines

This Between the Lines article is being written primarily at the request of my readers. Many have mentioned to me the increasing prevalence of improper, inappropriate, and often just downright rude behaviors. This may be somewhat similar to an entry made back in 2009 entitled That’s So Rude. Unfortunately, it appears the trend is ‘up’ for [...]

Many of my clients are new to the concept of coaching. They know there is a difference between consulting and coaching yet are not sure what they are. Often, their expectation is due to prior experiences. So, what is the difference and why in the world do we even care? A few key observations, distinctions [...]

“Going where no man (or woman) has gone before” has become a modern day cliche representing adventure, bravery, and futuristic thinking. OK, I’ll admit, I have always loved Star Trek - both the William Shatner version and the modern version. I am not an obsessed ‘trekkie,’ yet I love the chemistry of the leadership team on [...]

Happy 2011 everyone! I hope your year is off to a great start. Many of you have asked me to recap the most popular posts from 2010 – so my first posting of 2010 is just that: The Top Ten Between The Lines for 2010! The best advice I ever got Do I have to be liked [...]

As an executive, we have two assets which rival as to which is most valuable to us. Both our time and our team are the two most critical components in achieving our objectives, personally and collectively. Today I am going to focus on our time and a few suggestions on how to get the greatest [...]

A few years ago, I read a wonderful article in Fortune magazine that was nothing more than a collection of wise advice from notable individuals. This article stayed with me. So I thought I would offer a blog that is a brief collection of advice ranging from famous leaders (a few paraphrased from this article) [...]

Recently I have been asked to lead several board and executive retreats through their annual strategic planning process. The similarities of their challenges are startling similar – regardless of industry, non-profit or for-profit organizations. The days of plentiful donations for non-profits are gone. Double digit growth, for most companies, is a friend of distant past. [...]

As we come back from this July 4th holiday weekend, I ran across stories of five Congressional Medal of Honor recipients which touched me to the core. These men are basically ordinary individuals who performed extraordinary acts. They went back again and again into enemy territories to protect their regiments, taking fire and shrapnel for hours [...]

Most business executives relish in the perceived power behind the word accountability.  For employees it is either a welcomed set of expectations and boundaries which drive performance OR it becomes a marker which conjures up fear, insecurity, and concern of not being able to meet the expectation. Without the ability to hold individuals accountable, a [...]

Many of you may remember my first article on authenticity from September 2008. I wrote that particular article because I had grown frustrated with how easily people were bantering the ‘authenticity’ word around, and my sincere concern that this potent and powerful concept was being diluted by overuse and misuse. Let’s face it; we live [...]