“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” –Ken Blanchard, consultant, author of The One Minute Manager For the past two months, I’ve been studying the topic of influence without authority. I find it fascinating… and to be honest, frustrating, too. The topic is extremely relevant to how work gets done these days. It’s integral to how change and [read more]
We are fortunate this week to have a guest contributor – my colleague and dear friend, Rahna Barthelmess. Rahna is an expert in branding and personal branding and today’s guest blogger. She and I first met when she was a brand manager at LEGO. We both attended a “Train the Trainer” program for personal branding [read more]
Frequently people in my network reach out to let me know about open job positions. They ask for my help in sharing the opportunity with people that I know who might be qualified and interested. They need help in finding talented, motivated people to join their team. And they know that one of the best [read more]
One of my favorite things to do is to put people and ideas together. Cool things emerge nearly every time. Ideas are shaped and transformed, positive energy flows, and relationships deepen. It can feel like “magic.” When it happens in your presence, it is an amazing, almost indescribable experience. Perhaps this is why I am [read more]
Last week I had a terrific networking lunch with a great guy named Rob Oliver who works for ADP. Rob knows the value of being persistent. After two failed attempts at getting together, we both persevered until our face-to-face meeting materialized and… voilà…value was created for both of us. Third time’s a charm! First time [read more]
I was so pumped up on Sunday, having returned from my annual business coaching session with my brilliant neighbor, Ted. He is so profoundly intelligent, wise and knowledgeable. It’s hard to believe he’s a just one human being. I am incredibly blessed to have him in my network. It’s also very convenient to have him [read more]
“Tis the season” that you are likely to be sending and receiving gifts. What do you expect and what is expected from you in terms of acknowledgement and thanks for those gifts. There is protocol and then there’s common practice. According to Emily Post Institute, there is an etiquette involved in acknowledging gifts. “It’s always [read more]
I’ve had two recent experiences that motivated me to share my thoughts with you on the importance of seating in networking and in business. You may know this already, but bear with me as I refresh you on the strategy of physical positioning. It is important that you are both seen and heard at networking [read more]
“Leaders are readers.” I heard this expression three times in the past week. This leadership idea was shared with me by a local high school teacher, a senior manager of business excellence at a global toy company, and a CEO of a 116-year old national insurance company. Not only does this expression, “leaders are readers,” [read more]
