Managing Yourself

Friedrich Nietzsche’s full quote from 1888, “Out of life’s school of war — What does not kill me makes me stronger.”  This quote came to mind as I was listening to Henry tell me his story. Perhaps it will resonate for you as well.  Henry grew up in a middle-class…

“Many senior executives say the biggest problem they face is not having someone to talk to about their business”. Bill George, author of Authentic Leadership and True North CEO’s are lonely? It may sound counterintuitive because leaders spend most of their workdays meeting with people. Even so, loneliness affects many…

How many times during the day do we pause and ask ourselves what was I intending to accomplish today, how did I end up here? According to one study, the cause of this is decision fatigue. Decision fatigue helps explain why ordinarily sensible people get angry at colleagues and families, splurge on clothes,…

The leader of the past may have been a person who knew how to tell, but certainly, the leader of the future will be a person who knows how to ask. -Peter Drucker Socrates, Peter Drucker and other great leaders know that questions are one of your most powerful leadership skills.…

While the changes around you come fast and frequent, you might not adapt to them with the same sense of urgency or speed. While a key to your successful adaptation to change is physical—the actions you take because of change—it’s first mental—your mindset. You and I may look at the…

“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” — Warren Buffett For years I worked too much. Although I created financial stability and received recognition as a top performer, long hours deprived me of other experiences I desperately wanted. Even though I…

First, you have to understand yourself, because the hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself…but, as long as you are true to who you are, you can cope with the most difficult circumstances that life presents. Bill George. True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership Being authentic is…

The other day, after speaking to a great audience nearby, I stopped by the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and took the picture below. It was a windy 33-degree day and you could see the huge ice accumulations on the edges of The Falls. I'd been there at other times…

As I started immersing myself in the research, I realized that (like many desirable ways of being), authenticity is not something we have or don't have. It's a practice - a conscious choice of how we want to live. Authenticity is actually a collection of choices, choices that we make…

What does it mean to diversify your ego? Does that even make sense? In the investment world, diversification is de rigueur. Anyone who works with an investment advisor has heard him talk about the benefits of holding a diversified portfolio. The reasons are pretty straightforward, asset classes typically move differently and…