Manage Your Anger or It Will Manage You

An executive recently asked me, “Do you ever get angry?” I believe the question she really wanted answered is, “How do you manage your anger or frustration?” Even though sometimes I feel like an alien, frustration and anger are a “normal” reaction for human beings. I have never been one to be over the top with rage, but I have had my moments.

Finish What You Start

How many bricks does it take to complete a patio? The same amount it takes to start building a patio. Answer: ONE! This is the approach I took when I wrote my book Water The Bamboo — "one page at a time" — besides, you can only water one bucket at a time. You must focus on one brick at a time to finish. However, if you are like most people, you start more patios than you finish. I think it's okay to not finish from time to time but one should address this if it becomes a pattern.

Laugh More in 2016

In speaking engagements I use humor to inspire and engage my audiences. (Little known fact, I have performed stand-up comedy shows.) However, lately I have noticed there are days I am not laughing enough. Research shows kids laugh up to 415 times a day while adults laugh only 15 times. This year one of my goals is to laugh more. Besides, why should the kids have all the fun?

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What if your team improved 1%?

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I spend a lot of time reading books and articles on leadership, peak performance, and innovation to help my clients reach their strategic goals. In my book Water The Bamboo® I encourage leaders and teams to identify their Bamboo Dream (vision) and to faithfully water it for five years before it grows 90 feet in 60 days. The watering (effort) is essential to success.

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Manage Your Own Punch Bowl

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Being a leader requires emotional energy. There are lots of demands on your time and energy. I was recently leading a seminar with a group of upcoming leaders and I was asked, "How can I stay positive in such a demanding world as a leader with the complexity of all my roles?" I responded that it’s up to you to fill your punch bowl. Every day I think about what activities I will engage in that will fill my punch bowl.
 

Lessons from a Legend

As a former Division I college basketball player, I'm always excited this time of year as practices get under way. It is like the holiday season: new shoes, new teammates, and a new season. Even though it has been years since I have played in a competitive basketball game, it gets me fired up about the season of my current life and business. In honor of the season I think it is only appropriate to make a special tribute to one of the game's all-time greatest coaches, the late John Wooden.

Advice to Your Younger Self

My youngest daughter just turned 11. This momentous event got me thinking about what advice I would give the 11 year old me. I then started asking a lot of friends, colleagues, and random people this: Given all that you know now, and what the 11 year old you was dealing with, what advice would you give yourself?

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Can you and your team survive a punch in the face?

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As the great American “philosopher” Mike Tyson once said after he was told that a boxing challenger had a plan to defeat him, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” I am not a Mike Tyson fan but no matter what you think about him, he had at least one moment of genius.

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Key Principles of Chess Can Help You Become a Better Leader

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My youngest daughter and I have been playing a lot of chess. In my youth I was my third grade class chess champion but of course only a few kids knew how the chess pieces moved. As I coach my daughter on some of the key principles of chess I realized that many of these principles could be applied to leadership.