Yelling Doesn’t Work
An oldie but still gold.
In the early 1960′s, when Tom Watson Jr. was CEO of IBM he discovered that one of his executives made a mistake costing the company $10 million. He called the man into his office asking him “Do you know why I called you here?” The man replied “I assume you’re going to fire me.”“Fire you?” Watson replied. “I spent $10 million educating you. I just want to be sure you learned the right ...
10 Lessons From the Coalface
As a coach who assists people and companies to be successful, I would love to say that on my side business is always running smoothly.
Yeah, right.
There isn’t anyone out there who hasn’t started or run a business and not experienced some down time and challenges. It’s what it means to take risks and is inescapable. It also is what enables us to succeed – if we can learn from both our wins and losses.
Carol Dweck is a proponent of being an open learner – seeing ...
The importance of a growth mindset
At the Neuroleadership Summit in San Francisco last week, neuroscientists and business leaders connected to share ideas around the theme “Adaptive Organisations.”
Carol Dweck’s conversation on the beliefs organisations should hold was particularly important as it illuminated one of the essential components of success: a growth mindset.
Organisations that are willing to learn will be more adaptive and innovative, making them more ready to deal with the increasing ...
Anyone can be great
Jeroen’s answer to my serve last week was quite bold. “Dare to fire people that do not fit your company culture.“
Permit me to contradict myself as I answer his challenge.
People do not engage in fixed behaviours and have an unlimited potential waiting to be tapped.
Given the right future, one that is congruent to their own personal values, talents and interests, they will rise to a new level of performance and become a valuable asset to their company.
If they are ...
What mindset do you foster?
Nigel Holmes’ diagram illustrates what happens when a manger or leader fosters a culture of growth and learning.
A growth mindset is developed through praise of a person’s efforts as well as achievements, by treating challenges and obstacles as opportunities for learning and by letting your people know that you support their efforts to fulfil their potential.
You’ll get the best out of them, build a culture of innovation and maximise your company’s investment. ...
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
A young woman was lamenting to her mother about how hard life was for her. It seemed as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose. She was so overwhelmed that she didn’t know how she was going to continue.
Without saying a word, her mother filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire until they came to a boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.
In about twenty minutes she turned ...
