1: “We managers like to talk about change, so much that embracing change has become a cliché of management,” Andy Grove writes in Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company.
But not all changes are the same.
What Andy calls “a strategic inflection point is not just any change,” he notes. “It compares to change the way Class VI rapids on a … continue reading
1: Then Intel CEO Andy Grove was sitting in a conference room with other members of the Intel team.
The topic? “Evaluations of a certain highly touted new software from a company whose other products we already use,” Andy writes in his legendary business book, Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company.
Intel’s head of Information Technology shared the challenges her team … continue reading
1: Ever said, “It’s just quicker if I do it myself?”
Probably.
Yesterday, we looked at the powerful results of “the ownership program” at the New York City restaurant Eleven Madison Park where junior team members were given ownership of different types of beverages, including coffee, cocktails, and tea.
“I’m not going to lie,” General Manager Will Guidara acknowledges in his book Unreasonable Hospitality, “it’s much easier to … continue reading
1: “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience,” said the educational reformer John Dewey.
Our ability to think, to reflect, to “think about our thinking” is integral to our ability to learn.
The term used to describe our ability to be aware of our thinking is called metacognition.
Which author Anne-Laure Le Cunff calls “the forgotten secret to success” in her book Tiny Experiments… continue reading
1: Fred Kofman was five years old. It was the night before he was to start first grade.
“I had a meltdown in bed,” he recalls in his book The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership.
“My parents heard me crying, so they came to check on me. When they asked me why I was crying, I told them that I was afraid that they would get mad … continue reading
1: There was once a woman in Russia who dreamed of becoming a ballerina.
“She practiced hard and eventually wound up taking workshops with renowned masters,” Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership.
One day, she asked one of the teachers what he thought of her technique. He replied brusquely that she didn’t have what it took to be a star.
“The news crushed … continue reading
1: One evening, future LinkedIn CEO and Executive Chairman Jeff Weiner was enjoying a pint of Belgian beer with his business coach, Fred Kofman.
He shared with Fred that his personal mission was “to expand the world’s collective wisdom.”
“That reminds me of a Buddhist teaching,” Fred recalls saying in his book The Meaning Revolution. “Wisdom without compassion is ruthless; compassion without wisdom is foolish.”
“Hmmm,” Jeff answered.… continue reading
1:Fred Kofman was in the United Kingdom facilitating an executive meeting for one of his clients.
The meeting was scheduled to finish on Friday. Fred would fly home to the United States on Saturday so we could attend his daughter Sophie’s 14th birthday party on Sunday.
However, the executive team was unable to reach a decision on a critical issue. They decided to resume the discussion on Monday.
The … continue reading
