"A duty dodged is like a debt unpaid; it is only deferred, and we must come back and settle the account at last." – Joseph Fort Newton Many people talk about accountability. What is accountability and what does it look like? In the last year we heard from a number of...

"Your life works to the degree you keep your agreements." – Werner Erhard I have been bumping into the topic of operating agreements a lot lately. This tells me the timing is right for a discussion on this concept. The interesting part about operating agreements is...

“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” – Peter Drucker Actually there are two types of value propositions. The first is what you offer the world and how your stakeholders value what you...

“There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, and no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.” – Ronald Reagan The title of this essay, with slight modification, is the name of a beautiful American spiritual that has...

“Some people strengthen society just by being the kind of people they are.” – John Gardner In the last month I have followed Vistage speaker Vince Langley’s suggestion to set aside ten minutes a day to do nothing but sit with my thoughts. Sure, I get plenty of ideas...

When confronted with a challenge or opportunity we often have three negative thoughts running through our heads: I don’t want to tackle this challenge—I am unwilling. I can’t handle this challenge—I am unable. I am not deserving of handling this challenge—I am...

“A conversation is a dialogue, not a monologue. That's why there are so few good conversations: due to scarcity, two intelligent talkers seldom meet.” – Truman Capote What passes for real conversation today can be compared to what Jerry Seinfeld said about his...

“Everything is designed. Few things are designed well.” – Brian Reed Design is an important focus in many large corporations and academia. Individuals who possess design skills – both product design and business process modeling – are in demand. We can all learn from...

“There's no abiding success without commitment.” – Tony Robbins Last week I had a conversation with Ted Garnett, President of PS Culture Matter. I asked him to give me his recommendation for a blog topic. He quickly suggested, “What is commitment?” He went on to...

"The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born -- that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather...