In September, 1928, a Scottish physician discovered the world’s first antibiotic: penicillin. This groundbreaking advancement earned Sir Alexander Fleming knighthood and the Nobel Prize. Yet, soon after this achievement, he began publicly warning that bacteria could become immune or resistant to antibiotics if exposed to non-lethal quantities. Few listened to him. Despite his warnings, the
If you were coaching an actor before a performance, you’d have them rehearse their lines. If you were coaching an athlete before a competition, you’d have them practice and train. As a leader, mentor, friend or parent, you also have opportunities to help others improve key skills. Every Leader Is a Coach After nearly 20
What I’m hearing you say is that you would like to win more deals and have greater impact this year. Is that right? Regularly recapping what you’ve heard someone (or a group) say shows that you’re listening and ensures you’ve accurately understood. It can also help people make more progress toward decisions as they agree
In the movie Invictus, national rugby team captain Francois Pienaar faces a challenge shared by most South Africans: He’s asked to change his beliefs and his ways. Newly elected president Nelson Mandela has set bold objectives for racial reconciliation after years of apartheid. The movie beautifully depicts the true story of how Mandela influenced Pienaar
In his book “A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life,” Parker Palmer observes that human beings — especially in group settings — often behave like animals in the wild that remain in hiding and only allow themselves to be seen when it’s safe and worthwhile to take the risk. The only difference in
For many organizations, hybrid work is not going away any time soon—if ever. Hybrid can come in all kinds of configurations. Two team members might work from their house while three will work from offices…and all in different cities. This means most leaders have become remote leaders even if they still maintain the corner office
It was a high-stakes meeting. Others had given their opinions, and I decided I should speak up, too. So I did. As I was speaking, though, I began to have the sense that I wasn’t saying exactly what I wanted to say. I tried to convey confidence through a strong voice and gestures, but I’m
Years ago, I worked with a leader whose behavior would completely change during the final three days of every quarter. He would transform from a magnanimous, caring leader with a natural, relaxed demeaner into an anxious, ruthless man. Everyone knew that, for those three days, he was to be feared…unless we were comfortably ahead of
Eugene Peterson wrote in his memoir that he was hurt when his son said to him, “You only preach one sermon!” As an experienced and well-regarded minister who preached on many different texts and applications, the elder Peterson couldn’t believe his son would say such a thing. Then one day, the comment made more sense.
In April, we succeeded in getting our client’s attention, creating interest, and building the belief that our project would make an impact. But COVID made a lot of other things seem more urgent to them, and interest in our project stalled out. The question for us was, should we all just go into a holding
Matt Norman is president of Norman & Associates, which offers Dale Carnegie Training in the North Central US. Dale Carnegie Training is a global organization ...READ MORE