Knowledge vs. Skill

People are recipients of many lectures in school, but are rarely asked to translate learned material into an activity. At the end of a seminar or mini-course, there are few opportunities to apply newfound knowledge. Why? Traditional education: Focused on knowing instead of doing Easy to present knowledge to a large group of people Expensive…

Smartest in the Room

Most people recognize good leadership, but what characterizes effective leaders? In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins identifies one type of leader as most effective. Contrary to popular thought, there was little correlation between charisma or personality with effective leadership. In fact, it had little to do with the leader’s personal ability, but the…

The Power of Words

Danger statements: “You are so smart.”  “You are so talented.” 5th Grade Study: In 1998, Carol Dweck and a colleague took 400 fifth-graders and gave them a series of simple puzzles. Afterwards, each of the students was given his or her score, plus something else: Six words of praise. Half the students were praised for…

Yo-Yo Ma was not Born an Expert

Research shows attaining expert levels in any field requires 10 years (or 10,000 hours) of intense training, or deliberate practice. Deliberate practice differs from ordinary practice in that it emphasizes execution (performing) with immediate feedback, then focusing on correcting execution failures. Many people practice what they are already good at since it is more fun…

Perfection Paralysis

While scanning notes looking for the “perfect” idea to re-ignite our blog two notes jumped off the page: First, summary notes from a section of Patrick Lencioni’s, “The Advantage.” Perfection Paralysis There isn’t ONE RIGHT answer in most circumstances Successful teams will tell you it’s about rallying around the best answer they could come up…

Next Play

When was the last time you missed a big play – either on the court or in your personal or professional life?  Did you hang your head in defeat?  Sulk after the error?  Or, on the flip side, how long did you celebrate after a big victory? How many of us have focused our energy…

Change is Hard

Ever wonder why we struggle to change a habit that is clearly not good for us? Maybe we want to stop smoking, start exercising or lose weight. But, we can’t seem to do it because, let’s be honest, change is hard! Organizational change can be even harder. Inhibited by behavioral economics, self-interests, politics, and lack…

Swagger vs. Posturings

Do you have swagger? Swagger– a blend of confidence, talent, and preparation.  Swagger is earned with effort and work. Swagger is powerful. Posturing– a false front constructed as a defense mechanism to hide inadequacies.  Preparation has been replaced by shortcuts and cover ups.  A “Fake it ‘til you make it” mentality.  Posturing gets exposed. The…

Recommended Reading

We recently asked our network of entrepreneurs for reading recommendations.  Our list of books has been a hit on our blog, and we recently got a recommendation for insightful online reading. How to Build an A-Team When You’re Surrounded by C Players www.businessinsider.com A few key insights include: “People are not a company’s most valuable…