Tag: personal growth for executives

Three Recipes for Unhappiness

February 22, 2012 | By | Add a Comment

You can never get enough of what you don’t really need. ~ Unknown I’m a slow learner. In my twenty and thirties, I knew I was ambitious, hard-working, and resourceful but I had no idea what really drove me. Ironically, it was the source of my internal drive that limited my performance and happiness. I was a focused young man. And although I didn’t blatantly plow over colleagues in the early years of my career, my career pace and path were certainly more important than my relationships at work. It seemed practical to operate this way. I took my work seriously and I had plenty of friends outside of work. Eventually I heard the feedback from mentors and co-workers. I […]

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How to Get to Heaven

December 20, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

How do you develop the authentic humility and fulfillment necessary to lead yourself and others? Tim Tebow’s contagious humility starts with his thank-you’s (see my recent blog post). Before he responds to reporters’ questions, he thanks Jesus, his teammates, and his fans. Then he attributes the good outcomes to a broad set of factors, and acknowledges his errors when things didn’t go well while he was on the field. He never talks as though he’s making things happen on his own for his own benefit. He always acknowledges his sources of support in its many forms. Contrast Tebow with me when I was in my twenties, making millions and being interviewed by the press (albeit many fewer millions, and less […]

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Executive Life Coaching: Moving From Success to Fulfillment and Back Again

February 22, 2011 | By | Add a Comment

What’s the definition of success? Is this person successful: Self-made multi-million dollar net worth by age thirty, CEO of a company for which you led the IPO by age thirty-five, in good health, solid marriage, active social life, vacation home, expensive European cars in the garage, the time and money to play and vacation in nice settings? Maybe there isn’t one definition for success. Perhaps we all have to determine for ourselves what it is. If so, what’s your definition? I used to be the guy in the first paragraph. I thought I was successful. The problem I ran into was I always wanted more of all of it. A bigger condo in the mountains, more money in the bank, […]

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Take the One Minute Challenge: How to Tap Team Genius by Leading from Silence

November 17, 2010 | By | Add a Comment

Why didn’t they tell me to shut up? As I look back on the various senior leadership positions I’ve held, I realize that my teams would have been better served if I’d kept my mouth shut in certain team settings in which I was sharing what I thought were brilliant ideas. In the event such advice would serve you (and if you are a high-achieving leader it probably would), take my advice and shut up! As much as we’d like to consider that we’re the smartest person in the room (and many times leaders are), when it comes to talking, less is more. Betsy was the team leader of a group of ten Pacific Northwest executives who ran a mid-sized […]

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