A simple way to identify where you are in your career, understand how to be a better manager, and making better work decisions — The decision tree is a concept I learned from Susan Scott’s Fierce Conversations. There are four levels: Leaf — if you’re at this level, you make the decision, act on it, and you don’t report it Branch — if you’re at this level, you make the decision, act on it…

A framework for having fierce, bold and honest conversations — Susan Scott’s Fierce Conversations has changed how I approach conversations. Her framework is one that I come back to every time I need to have an honest conversation. Let’s face it, everybody has a conversation that they have been dreading. Maybe it’s a raise with the boss. Maybe it’s an…

A three-step method I learned from BJ Fogg for creating and sticking with habits — BJ Fogg is a professor at Stanford University and founded the Behavior Design Lab there. …

Advice to help you grow, inspired by Kevin Kelly’s posts and my life — I recently celebrated my birthday and as a tradition, I like to reflect on the past year and share different things I’ve learned that have helped me in my life. In no particular order: Health Just because you eat junk food (pizza, fried chicken, etc.) doesn’t mean it has to…

Think of it instead as a balance between purposeful activities and enjoyable activities — You get a better appreciation for what work-life balance means when one of those goes out of whack (typically work). I did just that in management consulting where work weeks can go to 60+ hours with weekends and evenings devoted to work when there are imminent deadlines. …

Lessons learned from Keith Ferrazzi’s book Leading without Authority — Co-elevation is a new concept I learned from Keith Ferrazzi’s new book Leading without Authority. Keith is the best-selling author of Never Eat Alone and Whose Got Your Back. His book Never Eat Alone changed the way I thought about managing a network because now I try to take notes…

It’s not a matter of when (because we all get them), but how we get out of it that’s important — I get them. You get them. We all get into ruts. Sometimes the ruts are temporary. Other times you have to work to get out of them. Here are ten things I’ve done to get out of personal ruts. Get 8 hours of sleep There’s nothing more magical than getting a good night’s rest. I…

Books can be your superpower if you know how to use them — After reading hundreds, maybe even thousands of books, I have thought a lot about the practice of reading and how to improve that practice. Herein lies a few lessons I learned in enhancing understanding, having greater recall, and implementing what I have learned from reading. Choose the right book to read With hundreds of books being…

Three steps to follow if you want to disagree in a thoughtful and considerate way — Disagreements are a part of life. Whether it’s with your partner, a friend, a co-worker, a boss, a neighbour, a customer service rep or a customer, how you disagree can improve or destroy your relationship. Herein is a simple methodology I learned from Edward de Bono’s How to have a…