The saying in French, mise en place, roughly translates to everything in its place. French cooks use this approach to keep order and readiness in their work. I have done this for decades, and I even train my kids on this important practice, not only for survival and getting things done, but to exercise careContinue reading “Mise En Place”
Tag Archives: Leadership
For Those Who Can’t Do
My kids and I love that Jack Black movie, School of Rock. The other day, we were laughing at a line that Black’s character, Dewey Finn, made a group of his colleagues roll with in a lunchroom scene, “Those that can’t do, teach, and those that can’t teach… teach gym.” Too funny. We live in a worldContinue reading “For Those Who Can’t Do”
Overcoming The Valley of Death in Growing Businesses
The idea of growing a business is romantic. That spirit of entrepreneurship, leadership and scaling have a wonderful image of adventure and nobility. In the trenches, when a firm decides they want to grow, it is messy. It is hard work day in and day out to get the strategy clear and the people andContinue reading “Overcoming The Valley of Death in Growing Businesses”
Don’t Limit Yourself
Too often we are mired in the circumstance we chose thinking we are limited. This is not necessarily so. You can always choose differently, and that is the opportunity to grow and become bigger than your circumstance. Perhaps you hate your job, your life or even a bad deal you are currently in. The stress ofContinue reading “Don’t Limit Yourself”
Why I Blog and Share
My first blog post was on October 15, 2005. I was exploring what blogging meant. At that time, the blogosphere was exploding to tens of millions, and I started that humble process of writing and sharing to help my friends and clients with things I was learning. I used to gift books that I likedContinue reading “Why I Blog and Share”
Doing What You Want to Do
There’s a big consequence for winging it. If you allow your days to be dictated by the demands of others or the urgencies that days tend to push on us, it is difficult, if not impossible, to do the things that you want or matter to you. Furthermore, your own energy levels and resistanceContinue reading “Doing What You Want to Do”
The Value of Bookends
Starting something means you committed in some way. You gave a, “Yes,” and now you are in. Your new yes is one of the items that are in your life and now demands attention, whether small or large. The temptation is always there to commit on the front end. A moment of inspiration, someone else’sContinue reading “The Value of Bookends”
All You Have to Think About
The next thing. Isn’t that it? It sounds simple. It is simple. But it’s hard. It’s simple and hard. The ability to be clear about the next thing is not common. Most people you encounter dialogue or procrastinate around decisions and actions that could be made quickly. In other words, there’s not a lot ofContinue reading “All You Have to Think About”
Don’t Be the Bottleneck
It’s hard to do business with people that are disorganized. And the truth is that we have an enormous amount of options in this economy to find alternatives. Everyone is trying to get something done and we rely on others in communications and actions to move along the projects we are pursuing, whether that isContinue reading “Don’t Be the Bottleneck”
An Important Thought to Have
I think a lot about how to make someone’s experience world-class. It’s fun. I’ve had a lot of meetings, calls and project work in the last week with clients, team members and partners. It’s important to me that I add a little bit more in my interactions and experiences. I think life and business areContinue reading “An Important Thought to Have”