Last year, I had the honor and privilege of presenting and keynoting at a number of amazing conferences and organizations. The highlight for me was giving the commencement keynote address at my alma mater, University of Oregon. For bamboo insight and inspiration, watch my 15-minute talk, even if you are not a Duck!
Make Time to Play in 2018
What If You Watered One More Day?
6 Ways to Improve Self-Discipline
No matter how skilled an individual or team is, having the self-discipline to execute on projects and ideas is the single most important skill needed in today's business environment. An individual or team with average talent and skill can outcompete a more talented team if they have mastered the art of discipline.
10 Ways to Overcome a Bad Day at Work
Slay the Pandas in Your Life
In my book Water The Bamboo®: Unleashing Teams and Individuals I encourage both individuals and teams to identify and water their bamboo (vision). It takes four to five years of watering for Giant Timber Bamboo to grow over 90 feet in 60 days.
5 Principles for Getting Along with Others
How to Recover from a Setback
5 Ideas for More Courage
In the French language, courage translates to "heart and spirit." If you brought your heart and spirit to your work, what would you be able to accomplish? One of the biggest obstacles holding people back from achieving their dreams is fear. The antidote to fear is courage—attack your fears with your "heart and spirit."
Stay More Engaged at Work
A lot of my work with leaders and teams is centered around how to increase and sustain employee engagement. When people first begin their jobs, they are typically fully engaged, but this initial enthusiasm eventually fades into "what's next?" or thinking the bamboo grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
Strategies for Increasing Patience
In a world asking us to move faster and do everything instantly—dominated by fast food, instant credit, and constant communication—many of us have lost touch with what it means to be patient. But as Harvard professor Dr. Edward Banfield concluded after 50 years of research, patience is the key to success.
6 Ways to Be More Focused
Thanks to constant distractions from email, social media, and other technologies, the average human attention span according to a recent study has dwindled to just 8 seconds, not much more than a guppy. In addition, there's increasing pressure to get more done at work and work longer hours—these productivity hindrances can be especially detrimental to engagement and team growth.
9 Key Principles of the Farm You Can Use Now
7 Steps to Stronger Communication
Strong communication is the foundation upon which all lasting relationships are built. In the workplace, strong communication leads to more engaged employees, decreased turnover rate, and improved overall performance. But if all these benefits sound great, then why is modern communication so difficult?
Incorporating Wellness into Your Daily Routine
Make Your New Year’s Goals Stick
10 Ways to Make Sure You Don't Reach Your Goals
Make a Plan for the 16th Minute
Now that the hype has died down, the Olympics (and Paralympics) seem like a distant memory. Imagine making the medal podium and a few weeks later hardly anyone remembers your name. Was the 15 minutes of fame worth it? Most Olympians have trained from a very young age to reach that pinnacle in their sport — talk about Watering The Bamboo!
Are meetings getting in the way of work?
We’ve all been there: Soul sucking meetings with little direction, no clear champion, and no decisions. Brainstorming sessions that result in great ideas but no real deliverables. The "quick chat" that turns into hours. As a leader you must change the way meetings are conducted in your organization, knowing full well that they are a necessary component of communications in today’s environment.
You Can't Water with a Leaky Bucket
Imagine trying to water your bamboo with a bucket that has holes in it or one that has no bottom. A leaky bucket is one that lets in negativity, worry, doubt and gossip—all of which are drains on your enthusiasm and energy. Bamboo farmers must keep their buckets full of fresh water, and to do that you must fix your leaks!