Following Jared Kleinert ‘s example, I also spoke at the Chief of Staff Network summit yesterday. My slides are posted at https://lnkd.in/gsFbNnqM for those interested, although I told a bunch of stories that won’t be captured by the slides, and had a lively Q&A session after the talk that I hope will be captured by…
Month: October 2021
“You have to do the work. But you don’t have to show your work.” “
“You have to do the work. But you don’t have to show your work.” My Columbia mentor, Jon Williams, gave me this advice when I was preparing for my master’s degree presentation. His point was that I was thinking of the presentation as a school assignment, where I put in everything I had learned from…
As a reminder, the Chief of Staff Summit hosted by Chief of Staff Network is later this week. I’ll be speaking on Thursday about Finding Your Way as Chief of Staff, and there’s a ton of other great content as well.”
As a reminder, the Chief of Staff Summit hosted by Chief of Staff Network is later this week. I’ll be speaking on Thursday about Finding Your Way as Chief of Staff, and there’s a ton of other great content as well. Hope to see you there! #chiefofstaff
“Sometimes magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone else might reasonably expect.” — Teller (of the magicians Penn and Teller)”
“Sometimes magic is just someone spending more time on something than anyone else might reasonably expect.” — Teller (of the magicians Penn and Teller) I once worked with a director who consistently wowed me with his narrative and presentation skills, going into executive team meetings and changing their minds about critical strategic decisions. When I…
How do you get commitments from others?”
How do you get commitments from others? I had a phase of my career where I was constantly frustrated because executives weren’t listening to me. I’d send emails with my brilliant ideas, and the leaders would make the exact opposite decisions as I recommended. And when the not-so-great outcomes I predicted came to pass, all…
How are you communicating expectations? “
How are you communicating expectations? I’ve asked several clients this question in the past week. These leaders are disappointed that their team is not delivering, and frustrated they are having to do something they feel their team should be doing. And yet, when I ask them who is responsible for doing that work, and how…
“You are perfect just the way you are. And there’s room for improvement!” – Shunryu Suzuki”
“You are perfect just the way you are. And there’s room for improvement!” – Shunryu Suzuki A coach once shared with me this quote from the Zen master that brought Buddhism to America, and it continues to befuddle me. I deeply feel the “room for improvement”, and am constantly seeking to develop or improve myself….
Modern life is fragile. “
Modern life is fragile. Last week, we were in Tahoe, enjoying the fall foliage. On Friday at 3pm, the power went out. Minor inconvenience, right? No more internet so we had to stop working due to spotty cell coverage. Then the sun started going down. The house heater was electric, so there would be no…
Impact over intent. “
Impact over intent. I have been reflecting on this social justice phrase recently. The idea, as I understand it, is that our actions and words have impact on others, and a thoughtful person will take responsibility for that impact, rather than defend themselves by focusing on their good intent. It’s much harder to think about…
I am a big fan of Lina Srivastava and am excited about her latest project, the Center for Transformational Change. She brings hard won experience in the field to collaborate with leaders to drive real change.