There’s a popular fable about a frog in a pot of water. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it won’t perceive the danger and will cook to

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The world is a complex place, with plenty of chances for confusion in thought, communication, and decision-making. As leaders, we have a responsibility for clear thinking, clear communication, and effective decision-making. Confusion is the enemy of each of these things, and there is one common problem that can impede us in all of those pursuits

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When we think about innovation, we often think of the big home-run idea – the kind books are written about and dreams are made of. We get starry-eyed at the prospect – and then discouraged that we aren’t creative enough and could never be that innovative. But what if we thought about innovation differently? What

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Joni showed up at her boss Bob’s office more frustrated than he’d ever seen her. Joni was a relatively new supervisor and had been developing well, but on this day, she seemed different. When Bob asked what was wrong, her frustration came out immediately. “What do you do when people don’t want to change,” she

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Do you have friends at work? According to a survey at Olivet Nazarene University, 82% said they do and in fact, on average they had 5 friends at work. 29% would even describe one as a best friend. So, it’s likely that your answer to the question I posed above was yes. And when I

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Friends at work. Is that a good idea? What about as a leader? In working with groups of leaders for thirty years, I know this question will always create a variety of opinions, some pretty strongly held on both sides of the fence. Let’s unpack the question and give you some clearer direction. But first

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Business and organizational life is a human activity. To think that we can succeed alone without connections to and working relationships with others is folly. Personal productivity and technical expertise are not enough. Research shows (and our experience proves) that the most successful people are good at building and nurturing strong working relationships. This is

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I am a flag-flying, proud American. As such, I grew up believing in the power and privilege of freedom. I believe that freedom is a good thing. I also know that it is possible to have too much of a good thing, including freedom. When it comes to work freedom, there is clearly a point

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On the day that we release this video, it’s just about the middle of the year. But whether you’re watching this video in June or you’re watching it in November, it is a very valuable practice to do a process check. A process check is an opportunity to get out of the day to day

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