School is back in session. Over the past few weeks, millions of children have grabbed their backpacks and lunchboxes, boarded the bus, arrived at school, and walked into a classroom full of new faces. During the first day of school, a student’s mind buzzes with questions: • Who will be my friends? • Does my teacher seem nice? • Are…
Public confidence in Congress has dropped to historic lows, and the American people have little to no respect for big businesses and banks. The President’s approval rating hovers around 40%, and less than 1/3 of the public expresses “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the media. At a time when a host of institutions are drawing…
As Americans, we love to roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves. We have an entire television channel, the DIY Network, dedicating to helping us tackle projects on our own—without relying on professional help. Rightfully, we feel a sense of pride after mastering new skills and empowering ourselves to build or fix something around the house. While initiative and…
How do you convince people to buy into your vision for the future? That’s the question every leader must figure out how to answer if he or she hopes to have significant influence. Unfortunately, many well-intentioned leaders fail to find support for their vision because they start off on the wrong foot. Communicate the Vision Some leaders try to share…
In the science-fiction classic, Back to the Future, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) journeys 30 years back in time—from 1985 to 1955. While in the past, he saves his father (then only a teenager) from being hit by an oncoming car. In doing so, Marty unintentionally breaks the chain of events that led his father and mother to fall in…
All leaders go through stretches when they have to work overtime to meet deadlines and deliver results. We refer to these times as “busy seasons,” and they are illustrated by the following examples: The farmer harvesting his crop An event planner finalizing details on the eve of a major conference A student studying for final exams …
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