Create A Team Agreement Before Trying Any Outdoor Team Building Activities!
In the event you’ve been thinking about integrating some outdoor team building activities into your employee development programs, we’ve got one big piece of advice for you: ALWAYS create a team agreement beforehand!
Can People Really Be Motivated?
There’s an old story that goes like this: “An elderly man has endured the insults of a crowd of ten-year-olds each day as they passed his house on their way home from school. One afternoon, after listening to another round of jeers about how stupid and ugly and bald he was, the man came […]
What is Success?
If you’ve ever watched “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (and who hasn’t?), you know that Indiana Jones doesn’t really have a choice; he must find the Ark of the Covenant (with all its mysterious power) before the bad guys or leave the entire world at dire risk. For Indy, it’s all or nothing, a one-way […]
When Things Go Wrong—Really Wrong
As all good trainers know, thorough planning is always recommended. But as we also know, despite the best laid plans, things don’t always work out the way we had expected. And isn’t it funny how this always, always, seems to happen when you’re on the road?!! So there I am in Dubai a few years […]
I’m Off to See the CEO, the Wonderful CEO of Oz
Nothing evokes more nostalgia than a family tradition. When I was growing up, for example, one of our biggest traditions was to make predictions on New Year’s Eve…what was going to happen in the upcoming year, not only in the nation and the world but also in the family. (I recall always predicting that this […]
Negativity is Bad for Your Brain — Literally!
I’m a big fan of Upworthy, a website for viral content that promotes stories with a progressive bent on political and social issues. Well, last week Upworthy posted a startling article about how negative thoughts towards aging could be bad for our brains. According to the piece, a study from the Yale School of Public […]
The Golden Rule At Work
One of the most popular axioms in western culture, going all the way back to Ancient Greece, is The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as they would do unto you.” In other words, treat others the way you, yourself, would like to be treated. Although useful in general (who doesn’t want love, respect and kindness, […]
Because I Said I Would…
Some time back, I shared the story of Alex Sheen. Founder of Because I Said it Would, a nonprofit dedicated to “bettering humanity through the power of a promise,” Sheen is one of the world’s keenest devotees of Promise Keeping. Inspired by his recently passed father, a habitual promise keeper, Sheen came up with a […]
Gritting it Out on the Race From Hell
Pulling into the aid station at the half-way point of my first (and so far only) half-marathon – my legs exploding in pain – I know I’m in big trouble. Me: “If this was just a training run instead of a race, I’d definitely stop right now.” Girlfriend: “Geez, that sounds tough. On a scale […]
The Four Traits of Warrior Teamwork
If you had to pick four traits for your work team to embody, what would they be? Collaboration, perhaps? Cooperation? Communication? Surprisingly, when Steve Kerr addressed his group of 14 men before a morning meeting this week, he omitted many of the traditional team characteristics, instead focusing on 4 unconventional behaviors: joy, mindfulness, compassion and […]