Crescendos, Christmas, and Crying

It’s Christmas Eve. I’m hosting Christmas dinner for my family tomorrow–all 21 of them. I have three siblings, all married with families, in the area. We rotate who hosts Thanksgiving and Christmas from year to year. The last time I hosted Christmas was several years ago, pinch-hitting for my sister-in-law, whose mother had a stroke…

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Six Senses and Leaders

My colleague, Robert Rasmussen, an expert in using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY, writes in his ezine: "Over eight years, Charles Palus and David Horth, researchers at the Center for Creative Leadership and co-authors of "The Leader’s Edge, Six Creative Competencies for Navigating Complex Challenges", observed several hundred individual leaders. The authors found six interrelated creative competencies…

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Books for a Better Life

Two books that I recommend, both antidotes to Mr. Scrooge’s nightmare of reaching the end of a lifetime with significant regrets: Five Wishes by Gay Hendricks. This is a quick read that you can easily get through in an evening. What will take longer is to implement your insights from reading the book. Hendricks weaves…

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The Bottom Line of Design

A few issues back,Fast Company magazine was focused on design, with a special section titled,  "Masters of Design." A great quote that illustrates how design is a competitive advantage: "A three-year study of more than 40 Fortune 500 companies by the research firm Peer Insight found that companies focused on customer-experience design outperformed the S&P…

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12 Rules to Live By

As I was cleaning my 12-year old son’s room, I noticed a faded piece of paper thumbtacked to the wall above the bed. Here’s what was written in faded pencil: To: Andy From: Dad Date: 11/1/04 Subject: 12 Rules to Live By Always tell the truth. Treat others as you would like to be treated.…

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