there are 3 types and each one uses your brain differently — Meetings. The dreaded time-suck most of us want to avoid. One of the reasons meetings don’t work is that we try to do too many types of things in one time slot. There are actually three types of meetings: 1. Update Meetings As the name suggests, you provide an update…

your purpose isn’t up; it’s forward — Have you been told your purpose is your North Star? As far as serving as an unmovable beacon that provides clear direction, the metaphor works. Unfortunately, it paints a mental picture that puts your purpose high above your head. When we see purpose that way, we think about it as…

move from an inclination to a change in behavior — We like to talk about mindset. The startup community talks about having a growth mindset. Others say you need an empathy mindset. I’ve also seen a learning mindset and an improvement mindset. According to my friends Merriam and Webster, mindset can be defined as “a mental attitude or inclination.” Okay…

start with the value, then make the thing — Phil wanted to build a big business. So, he took the resources he had available and made a Thneed. A thing with a name that doesn’t mean anything. A thing that can do anything for everybody. He then put his energies into telling as many people as he could that…

ideas are like mischievous pixies — don’t let them lead you astray — Pixies have a penchant for making mischief. In fact, to be pixie-led is to be led astray. When things go wrong, it’s easier to blame the pixies. We have pixies in our business — we call them ideas. They’re fun, shiny, and exciting. …

your Core strategy has 5 pieces — and you need all 5 — Many leaders present an inspiring vision or a carefully crafted statement to their team. They put effort into the production with well-made slides and sometimes a video to circulate for an additional boost. Then that’s it. One statement alone isn’t useful because it doesn’t connect your why to your what…

the boss is dead. long live the conductor. — For a long time, when we talked about leadership, we were talking about the boss — the person sitting in the high-back chair in the crisp corner office with the important title. And the title was generally enough to keep them there. Or, as the mob would put it: “The…

or why your plan has different elements — I got an email from a leader the other day. She had asked me about developing a plan, and I happily shared some resources. After reading them, she asked, “Why does the distinction between objectives, key results, and tasks matter? …

remember, you’re telling a story — We work hard to measure our impact, at least in part so we can share it. And like many things in life and business, there are good ways to share your impact…and not so good ways. Here are 5 don’ts to avoid when you’re developing an impact report: #1 Don’t share your metrics without context. Numbers lack…