I have a hard time saying “no.” Perhaps you do, too. I think it is more common than we think, especially for those who are empathetic or nurturing. Here are five reasons why we must get better.
Archive for Meetings
Seven Rules for More Effective Meetings
People get “trained” to come late because they know nothing significant will happen until well after the announced start time…. For example, “the purpose of our meeting is to report on the results of our latest market research and give you a chance to ask questions.” Or, “the purpose of our meeting is to evaluate prospective titles for Don Miller’s new book and determine which one we are going to recommend to the author.”
The Science of Naps
Snooze Now, Conquer Later
My two-year-old is asleep for the third time today. I thought I had developed a clever disciplinary method when I started telling him that cranky kids need naps, and sending him to bed multiple times. Turns out I was being more clever than I knew. Instead of being better behaved, he just keeps going to […]
Bouncing Back After Burnout
Real Stories from Leaders Like You
The intentions are noble: You want to buy a house with a backyard for your kids, pay off debt, or do something to actually justify the $50,000 worth of student loans that feels like a noose around your neck. You vow to work harder than everyone else on your team, to be the first one […]
The Importance of Play
Have an Adventure, Wherever You Are
This past weekend our family had to cancel a special trip to a friend’s lake house that had been circled on the calendar for months. Our initial weekend plans had play and adventure built into them to recharge the grownups, help us finish a busy season well and open our minds up to new possibilities […]
Get a Life!
Leave All Work and No Play in the Dust
For my first job in Washington, DC, I worked very long hours. One night, a rare dinner date was lined up. “What time do you get off?” my date asked to coordinate. A long, awkward pause followed. “It’s kind of a philosophical question,” I finally admitted. That was fine by me at the time, but […]
Self-Care As a Leadership Discipline
For leaders, there never seems to be enough time in the day, and our own needs are often the ones that get shortchanged. Now imagine what your life would be like if you really did have time for career, family, and self-care.
5 Ways to Hold Shorter Meetings
Take Things to the Next Level, in Half the Time
When Bryan Stockton was pushed out as CEO of toymaker Mattel, he fingered a complacent company culture for dipping profits. In fact, he went one step further and blamed the lack of innovation on bad meetings. Stockton’s story has been on my mind because I’m releasing a new book today called No Fail Meetings. Meetings […]
How to Shut Down Annoying Meeting Behaviors
Tips for Dealing with 8 Common Disruptors
As a young leader, I was excited to attend the annual gathering of my professional organization. It promised three days of learning and networking, plus a few business sessions. During the first session, one of my elder colleagues, a man wearing bright red suspenders, rose to ask a question, something about whether a point of […]
How Did We End Up with So Many Meetings?
A History of Distrust and Micromanagement
Meetings are a necessity. Meetings also often stink. Typically, they are a waste of time. There are too many meetings—and most of them are often poorly-organized, lack coherent agendas, serve to do little more than reaffirm hierarchies than achieve results. As a result, poorly-run meetings cost companies $37 billion a year in lost productivity. Employees […]
How to Keep Meetings from Ruining Your Productivity
Meetings are a necessary part of organizational life, and every leader needs to convene them. Unfortunately, we often allow them to run on autopilot, trapping our team in a never-ending cycle of pointless meetings. Today, we’ll show you the real purpose of meetings. And we’ll share 3 questions that will make your team more productive […]
Don’t Bet the Farm on Brainstorming
3 Reasons to Think Twice Before Scheduling that Meeting
I can tell you with some precision the moment I first doubted group brainstorming. This was many moons ago. A medium sized media firm that wanted to grow much larger had engaged my consulting services. They held a company-wide powwow, flying most of the managers and yours truly to corporate headquarters in Darkest Peru. The […]