After nearly 40 years in healthcare leadership, I continue to believe that most healthcare leaders do not spend nearly enough time and energy learning from outside the healthcare field. If you ask most healthcare leaders to be honest about what they read, the conferences they attend, and the personal and professional development sessions in which …
A critically important, universal success principle is presented on page 14 of the February 6, 2012 Fortune magazine. The very brief article is part of “The Best Advice I Ever Got”series. Bob Rodriguez, managing partner and CEO of First Pacific Advisors, tells the story of approaching a guest lecturer while in graduate school at the University …
It is Friday, February 3, 2012. Just 2 days until Super Bowl Sunday 2012. Virtually every person reading this article will watch part or all of the big game… as well as most of the extremely expensive advertisements! Like all events, the Super Bowl provides excellent opportunities to relate to, remember and re-focus on important …
Seth Godin, the world-class thought-leader, best-selling author, excellent speaker, and one of the most read bloggers in the world is on target once again. Earlier this week, Seth wrote a blog (sethgodin.typepad.com) titled: An Endless Series of Difficult but Achievable Hills. This blog, repeated below, provides excellent food for thought – and action for success! “Lightning rarely …
Tony Schwartz, President and CEO of The Energy Project and author of Be Excellent at Anything, addressed a critical leadership principle in a recent Harvard Business Review blog titled Why Appreciation Matters So Much. No leader who desires leadership excellence can ignore this critical success factor: “Whatever else each of us derives from our work, there may …
It was Sunday afternoon November 20, 2011. I had just completed an hour-long workout at home on my recumbent bike. As is true with most people, I was feeling relaxed and invigorated after a good workout. Just as I was enjoying a refreshing glass of cool water, my cell phone rang. My first thought was, …
A recent article in Healthcare Executive Magazine titled, The 85 Percent Solution, is worthy of revisiting and re-emphasizing. The author assumes you are responsible for at least 85 percent of your success. Even if up to 15 percent of your success depends on luck, you can achieve the results you desire. The author writes, “Accountability is …
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Sir Winston Churchill, the British statesman, prime minister, author, and Nobel Prize winner is credited with having made this powerful statement, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is …
Do you regularly allocate quality time and focused energy in life-long pursuit of ever-improving Personal Presence? If you don’t, I suggest you should. And it is never too late to start. Virtually nothing will contribute more to your personal, professional and organizational leadership and success than improving your Personal Presence. “Personal Presence may be difficult …
Do you want more success in all areas of your life? Virtually 100% of all people on the planet desire more success in their lives (however they define success). Here are three keys to more success in all areas of your life. Focus on collaboration Lead initiatives Stay current Whether in your family, within …
Mac Anderson and John Murphy recently wrote a small but very powerful book entitled Habits Die Hard: 10 Steps To Building Successful Habits. The publisher, Simple Truths, describes the critical importance of this powerful, life-changing book as follows: “We are all creatures of habit and if you make good habits, good habits will make you. This …
In a recent article focused on Essential Commitments for Leadership, Rick Warren, the best selling author of The Purpose Driven Life, wrote the following: “Leaders are always defined by self-imposed standards. I’m not talking about standards set by other people, but standards they set for themselves. Great leaders always expect more from themselves than they do …
Improving professional relationships by improving conversations with those whom you do business, is always an excellent leadership strategy… as well as an excellent investment in your future. CBS Money Watch recently published an article featuring 21 ways to improve conversations, thereby improving personal and business relationships. The list includes asking questions such as: …
The Harvard Business Review published some excellent advice in a recent article titled Five Resolutions for Aspiring Leaders. The article was written by John Coleman and Bill George. “Find a trustworthy mentor: Mentorship is a critical component of your development as a leader. A 2004 study showed that young leaders with mentors were more likely to …
2011. Was it a good year? A bad year? A great year? A difficult year? A year of transition? A year of stability? A year of significant change? A taxing and trying year? A year of inspiration and progress toward your personal and professional mission? A year filled with successes and failures? Like virtually every …
Seth Godin, the best selling author and world-class marketing thought leader recently wrote a blog post that is well worth sharing. The blog provides excellent perspective and food-for-thought for 2012 and beyond. I encourage you not only to read, but to take appropriate action as suggested by this particular blog post, which was titled Trustiness: “We’re all …
Successful people and successful organizations are busy this time of year, tweaking and making appropriate adjustments to their 2012 strategic and operational plans. Even more so for highly effective and highly successful people and organizations. They have carefully reviewed their 2011 successes and failures. They are building on and leveraging their strengths and successes. They are …
One of the many blessings and benefits of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays is the time and inclination to reflect on what is really important in your life…. and what you are doing about what is really most important in your life. The wisest of the wise… the most truly successful of the successful… …
“Differentiation is the essence of strategy, the prime source of competitive advantage. You earn [revenue and marketshare] not just by performing a valuable task [or service] but by being different from your competitors in a manner that lets you serve your core customers better and more profitably.” “The sharper your differentiation, the greater your advantage.” …
Fast Company recently published an article titled, “How to Prepare When You Only Get One Shot At Persuasion.” The article argues that when you have only one shot to present and persuade – as opposed to a block of time or several opportunities – you must prepare differently. Every leader has faced, and will face …