Tag Archives: coaching

What is it About A$$holes?

You are driving down the highway, travelling with the flow of traffic as you near a construction zone where the traffic narrows from three lanes, then to two, and finally to one lane. You’ve merged into the single lane, when you see, in your side-view mirror, a black Dodge Ram pickup truck blithely cruising along the shoulder […]

Seeing With Fresh Eyes

French novelist Marcel Proust wrote that, “The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.” To me, this sounds like the exact opposite of déjà vu. We all know that déjà vu feeling. It’s the distinct feeling that, even though we are in a completely unfamiliar place, somehow, we’ve […]

Stomping Grapes or Making Wine?

If you’re anywhere near my age, you’ll remember a very funny episode of the “I Love Lucy” show, where, en route to Rome by train, Lucy is spotted by a famous Italian cinema director and chosen to play a part in his new movie “Bitter Grapes.” Lucy sets out to immerse herself in the role. When […]

Four Rules for Building Powerful Teams

Last week, my business partner Moss Jackson and I  finished up a leadership development program that we had created for a long-time client. The program brought together senior leaders from different business units and corporate functions within the company, who worked in small teams on a variety of challenges. All but one of the challenges […]

Playing in the Wind

Golf is a game played in beautiful surroundings.  Golfers play out in the open air, on golf courses that are usually carefully cultivated and highly manicured playgrounds, where their bright white golf balls gleam against the green grasses that fill the fairways.  Even the hazards the golfers try to avoid can be visually appealing.  Bunkers are filled […]

The Tale of the Peacock’s Tail

Have you ever wondered why peacocks developed such long, beautiful tails?  It’s simple evolutionary biology.  Peahens show a reference for large-tailed peacocks.  In the earliest days, this made a lot of sense.  A showy tail was a marker of a good, healthy male who knew how to feed himself — a good breeding partner, and […]

Consequences and Accountability

One of my clients likes to talk about the importance of accountability. He believes that it is critical that the people who work for him feel a sense of accountability for the results of their efforts.  I think he may be a bit confused when he talks this way about accountability, as if it arises […]

Good Coach, Bad Coach

Except for those unfortunate few of us who, like moths attracted to a flame, find themselves drawn toward every new piece of reporting on the scandals at Penn State and Syracuse, most of us are sick and tired of hearing about so-called “coaches” who took advantage of their titles and positions to abuse young boys. […]