Is yours a yawner? Or is it snappy – with empty words?
Raise your hand if your organization has a mission statement. When I do that survey during leadership/culture presentations, almost every hand goes up. Mission statements are as common as a logo, website, or budget. Everybody has one. BUT...does it... Define the soul of your organization? Energize and engage? Align with leaders’ and employees’ personal purpose?…
Three key examples of the benefit of clarifying your values
A young boy came home and told his dad that the other kids kept stealing his pencils at school. The father stomped off to the school to complain. “It’s not about the pencils,” he bellowed to his son’s teacher. “I get plenty of those from work. It’s the principle of stealing that bothers me most.”…
Strategic opportunism is at the heart of innovation
A wise old sage hosted a dinner. Toward the end of the meal, everyone was given fortune cookies and told they were holding their future in their hands. The guests eagerly opened them to read the words of wisdom they contained. The paper slips inside each cookie were blank. “Is this a joke?” they asked.…
Forecasters with the biggest news media profiles are especially bad at predicting the future
Years ago, an elderly couple went to a country fair. The husband was captivated by an animated psychic promising to tell his age and what kind of person he is. He inserted a coin, and the machine sprang to life. The animatronic clairvoyant peered into her crystal ball, mumbled a few words, and pointed to…