Posts Tagged ‘Development’
Connecting The Coasts
Exactly 100 years before America put a man on the moon, the nation had accomplished another astonishing technological feat: the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The ambitious transportation route spanned the width of the United States, connecting residents of America’s Pacific Coast with those on the Atlantic Coast. The newly constructed railway cut travel time…
Read MoreHow I Learned To Connect With People
If it is true that almost everything we become and accomplish in life is with and through other people, then the ability to create rapport with them is the most important skill we can learn. Looking back at the early and middle stages of my career, I identified six practices that helped me to connect…
Read MoreMaking the Most of Life’s Significant Moments
By themselves, significant moments do not alter a person’s behavior. Events certainly can make powerful impressions on us: they stir our emotions, capture our imagination, provoke our conscience, or bring revelation. However, events do not automatically transform us, and the feelings they evoke usually are short-lived. Leadership breakthroughs happen when we seize the opportunity…
Read MoreLeadership Breakthroughs
In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s the Berlin Wall served as a tangible reminder of the Iron Curtain separating Western democracies from Europe’s Soviet-led Eastern bloc. The East German government had erected the wall in an attempt to halt the country’s “Brain Drain,” in which ever-increasing numbers of prominent citizens were fleeing westward. The barricade…
Read MorePersuasive or Manipulative?
All leaders are salespersons. Though they may not be peddling a product, leaders are selling a picture of what the future could be and should be. They seek to persuade others to buy-in to a particular vision. Unfortunately, skepticism toward leadership abounds throughout society. Every year since 2004, Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, in…
Read MoreDealing with Relational Difficulties
Following a 34-17 loss on October 2nd, Santonio Holmes, wide receiver and team captain for the New York Jets, suggested fault for the defeat lay with his team’s quarterback and offensive linemen. In venting his frustration, Holmes violated a team rule to keep criticism of fellow players internal to the organization. The wide receiver’s comments…
Read MorePopulating Your Passion
With $50 in his pocket, Dustin Hoffman headed to New York, hoping to find work as an actor. Inexperienced and unknown, Hoffman struggled to find employment. Acting gigs were not paying his bills, so he worked an assortment of odd jobs to stay afloat, including typing for the Yellow Pages, stringing together Hawaiian leis, and…
Read MorePassion: The Fuel of Persistence
While reading a magazine at a dentist’s office in Paris, Philippe Petit became engrossed in an article about the Twin Towers in New York. As an 18-year old street performer, Petit was constantly on the lookout for venues for his high wire balancing acts. Studying an artist’s rendition of the World Trade Center, Petit came…
Read MoreResolving to Grow Through Relationships
Before the days of GPS devices, my glove compartment was stuffed with area maps, and I consulted them to navigate the roadways. When planning vacations, I pored over printed maps to plot my route from one point of interest to the next. I recall being assigned the role of navigator on family trips and hunching…
Read MoreMoving Past Our Myths About Creativity
The following moral/ethical dilemma supposedly was included on an actual job application: You are driving down the road at night during a torrential downpour, when you pass by a bus stop. Three people are waiting for the bus: 1) An elderly lady who looks as if she needs medical attention. 2) A longtime friend who…
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