Since Lolly Daskal and I launched our You Matter Radio Show in January 2010 we have interviewed an amazing array of truly bright, inspired and inspiring people from around the world. Our interviews are a way for us to inquire into the limitless ways people are making a difference by leveraging their unique passions, talents […]
It was a bright sunny day on the beach in Hilton Head, SC. This was the first of what would become an annual gathering of college friends for 20+ years and still going strong. I invited my brother’s wife, Marla, to join us that year. As my long time friend, Sheri, my very new sister-in-law,
Mike Henry, Founder of the Lead Change Group and the LeaderPalooza unconference organizer asked the participants of the first LeaderPalooza to share their thoughts about the unique value of the event and the Lead Change Group. Here are my reflections a few weeks after the event. In February 2010 I had the privilege to spend
Jane Perdue of The Braithewaite Group and the Life, Love & Leadership blog has introduced a challenging topic with a post called “Politics are Necessary but Not Necessarily Evil” where she suggests that many of the core characteristics of quality leadership are also the central tenets of office politics. Jane’s post is thought provoking: a
What is the raw material from which we build our foundation for success? I believe it is our relationships. By relationships I am referring to more than just the ones we have with others. All of our relationships begin with the one we have with ourselves. In a sense, the people around us are a
Some of you have nudged me about not posting yet this year. I truly appreciate that you have noticed and thank you for reaching out! The new year is off to a great start: a slow one on my blog, but with 4 firsts for me. So I thought I would take this opportunity to
For me 2009 was a year of tremendous learning and change, love and loss, as well as shedding stuff and organizing. Now that the frenzy of activity has passed I have enjoyed some time to reflect on many things including lessons learned. The lesson revealed to me was one my dad tried to teach me
Thank you for all you do. Thank you for all of your hard work throughout the year. Thank you for… These the are the kinds of things we say to the people who work for us and with us. And when the sentiment behind the words is sincere, it truly matters that we say these
I can think of no more important place for our leadership to make a difference than in our families. The Holiday Season is a particularly opportune time for us to lead the way for something new and maybe even miraculous to show up. Wherever in the world you may live the holidays have a way
In a previous post titled Who is Right? I wrote about the cost of being right and the dangers of righteousness. Starting with an example of a company providing customer service, I expanded the conversation to how this applies to a leader. Here I am going to explore how it applies to every one of
If you look closely at this picture you will see that 8 out of 26 letters are completely worn off. I purchased this Gateway laptop in July of 2008. I also purchased an extended warranty from Office Depot to cover hardware defects and malfunctions for 3 years. Seems to me the keys are hardware. And
In an excellent post titled “Listen Like a Leader”, Randy Hall shares a great story illuminating a trap that people in leadership positions can easily fall into: focusing on ensuring their people get to know them rather than focusing on getting to know their people. He also points to what I will call a corollary
On 6/10/01 I wrote the poem below in memory of one of our children, Walter Contreras Valenzuela, Morristown, NJ. He was a young boy who was murdered in my town. I put a link in my last post “What Stands Are You Taking?” to this poem for those interested in reading it. The morning after
A few months ago Colin Lewis took a stand for a group of disadvantaged children in his community. He has been investing his time as well as donating the proceeds from subscriptions to his Wisdom Notes to the orphanages supported by the Chiva Foundation. As a subscriber I can say they are truly remarkable and
Following is an excerpt from my father, Jim Ernst’s, memoirs. I am sharing it here because in his story lies a wonderful demonstration of the power of our beliefs. “We didn’t have much food in the house. We lived in a one family house in Baldwin, NY on Long Island. I was born during the
