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I recently had a chance to talk with my friend Chris Hutchinson, who authored the book Ripple : A Field Manual for Leadership That Works.
It reminded me of how much I rely on the side-effects of actions I take in any group of people. Often I’ll be interacting with just one person, but my impact will extend to those they work with, and those THEY touch. And so on and so on.
I suppose it’s inherent in the kind of leadership coaching that I do. I almost never meet or even see my clients’ co-workers or family. Yet those people are affected by the changes my client is is making.
Read the rest of this entry »When disaster strikes, some are affected more than others.
We saw this with the pandemic, with local fires and floods, and with the recent Crowdstrike failure. Every organization has exposure to things outside their control. The image of “fragility” seems appropriate to me.
Some people are super-organized and like to put plans in place for every contingency. Great, I suppose, but the Return on Investment can be very low. Most of us don’t have the time (or willpower!) to plan for unlikely things.
So what’s the right balance?
Read the rest of this entry »As the boss, you may think that leadership is all about making the plan, communicating the plan, and measuring progress.
That’s kinda true, but it’s not the whole story. Not even the most important part.
The plans create a structure and organization. Great! But rarely do they create the focus and energy for getting results. That comes from where you spend your attention.
Read the rest of this entry »What’s changing because of your work?
We all want to make a difference, right? Whether it’s introducing the world to new ideas, or fixing problems, or giving people productive work … that’s where the motivation comes from.
This is true at the individual level, for an organization, even for society as a whole. And the answer is usually different at each level.
Read the rest of this entry »We tend to think of leadership as something you achieve, then you get to keep it forever. Or at least a long time.
But I’m a member of an amazing service organization, Rotary International, which has the practice of changing leadership every year. I’m signed up to be the president of the club for the 2023-24 year, and I’m starting to get my mind wrapped around the implications of that. And trying not to get stressed out about it.
But I’m keenly aware that I’m just a temporary seatholder in a long string of leaders, going back to 1977 for our club. It’s a humbling realization.
Read the rest of this entry »We’re always focused on limits. They provide comfort and security, in a way, because they clearly identify how much achievement is enough.
When somebody says, “give it 110%!”, it’s really just a gentle nudging outside the comfort zone. But that’s not where true breakthroughs come from!
Breakthroughs are 200%. Or 1000%. Or entirely changing the rules of the game.
Read the rest of this entry »It’s now becoming a little easier to be optimistic about the future of my business and those of my clients. But, for me, optimism has always been an essential tool for success.
Sometimes optimism is just about putting on a good face, kind of a “fake it ‘til you make it” affair. But I strive for something deeper than that.
There are three reasons I find this important:
Read the rest of this entry »This is an insanely busy time for some of you, while others are taking the chance to settle back a bit and prepare for next year’s challenges.
But wherever you’re at, it’s always good to maintain perspective. That’s what leaders do, right?
Read the rest of this entry »Being driven by ethical values can seem a bit lonely.
After all, the world seems to be screaming at us to focus on making money. The money is great, it’s absolutely necessary. But what about making an impact?
Since you’re still reading this, I assume you’re one of the ones who wants to positively influence the community, world, and society through your business.
Read the rest of this entry »Seth Silvers launched Story On in 2015 to help companies create amazing marketing strategies built on the power of stories. It’s a powerful concept, because stories operate at a much deeper level than traditional “features and functions” marketing. This approach can be absolutely transformational for attracting a loyal “tribe” of customers, donors, and employees.
Seth has had the opportunity to work with some great businesses on both a local and national level. Those successes grew into some extended engagements which, though valuable, began to draw Seth away from his core mission of helping purpose-driven businesses market with stories.
So he’s rebooting his approach, getting back to having a deeper impact with those clients for whom this will create true transformations.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Values-Based Business 