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.
Leadership Strategies for Dealing with Team Conflict
Conflict is normal and sometimes necessary to progress. Many people view conflict as negative but, in reality, it’s not always a bad thing. In fact, it has the potential to bring mission-critical issues to light. After all, conflict is often the result of misaligned expectations, so dealing with conflict the right way can strengthen team communication and improve culture.
5 Principles for Getting Along with Others
4 Reasons "Fake It 'Til You Make It" Is a Bad Idea for Leaders
It is true that in some instances "fake it 'til you make it" makes sense but most of the time this is a losing strategy for a leader. Fake leaders can be found everywhere and are easy to identify. They give us an uneasy feeling that they shouldn't be trusted. Fake leaders end up losing respect, struggling to gain trust, and failing to create meaningful, lasting relationships.
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."
5 Reasons to Take a Leadership Retreat
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.
6 Tips for Better Organizational Culture
In my work as a professional speaker and leadership trainer, I've learned a great deal about how strong organizational cultures are created and maintained. One of the biggest roadblocks to an effective organizational culture I see again and again is the mission and values of the organization are misaligned with how decisions are made. Whether it comes in the form of miscommunication or power imbalances, misaligned purpose begets a sub-par organizational culture.
9 Key Principles of the Farm You Can Use Now
7 Key Ideas for a Leader-Coach
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?