Picture: Keith Mackie and his three Western Region teams Our early career years, and the people for whom we work, have a great influence on the skills we develop. I had the privilege of spending my first 20 years of my career with American President Lines (APL). The culture at APL was phenomenal. Strong leaders,
When we develop our team, we look for trust and transparency to develop; and as these start to develop, the team starts to become much more effective. The team starts to challenge each other, the team starts to support each other. Team meetings become working sessions for critical issues and priorities. Time is planned and
I work with several young people who are starting out in entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. I learn so much from them. I am really honored to have this experience of working with them. When I look back at how I started after college it was a headfirst dive into the rat race, defining success without
The greatest ideas start with a simple thought, start with a simple comment made. The greatest opportunities start with a connection made, a discussion had. The greatest relationships start with a handshake, a comment. Great things emerge from the simple. Whether we choose to hear it, or whether we choose to be too busy and
Yin and Yang and How We Interact with Technology by Tania Fowler Yin and Yang Yin and Yang: in Chinese philosophy they represent the two opposite principles in nature. Yin is dark and negative and Yang is bright and positive. Yin and Yang is a philosophy that I really get behind. When people talk of
A colleague of mine was telling me about his boss, the CEO, who was in the midst of leading a major acquisition. Several key members of his team have been disappointed n the how the CEOs is handling certain priorities during this time: “He isn’t focusing on getting feedback from us, in engaging with us.”
My brother Bruce was telling me an experience he had at a major retailer while he was waiting in line at a cash register. The line was getting long and customers were starting to grumble and complain about the service and why the other cash registers were not open. An announcement came over the intercom
This story is an excerpt from my book, Our Stories Matter. There are times when our filters, our preconceptions blot out reality, and by doing so we miss the opportunity to see life in others, to see the world from a broader perspective. As we look to become more self-aware, we do so by opening
Often, if we allow our thoughts to race ahead of us, if we start to worry or obsess about potential consequences, we find that we often become the victim of our self-fulfilling prophecies. We worry too much about potential outcomes, and subconsciously our actions start to take us in that direction. It is not a
Clarity of communication Clarity of goals Clarity of vision Clarity of purpose Clarity of expectations Clarity of boundaries Clarity of values Clarity. That is your job. Don’t be surprised if your team isn’t following your cues. Don’t hint or insinuate. Spell it out.