Blog - Page 22 of 39 - Evergreen Leadership

Is Faster/Better/Cheaper Always Best?

We seem, in our personal and professional lives, to want to speed things up, maximize value, and do it with fewer and fewer resources and less money. And I’m not immune to that thinking. I challenge students in my Entrepreneurship class to find new ways to solve problems people have, to imagine ways to create a business that can do something faster or better, although I warn against competing on price alone (the cheaper). My change management practice aims to help clients implement change faster and better – and with less drama and resistance. Yet I wonder if faster/better/cheaper should really be our north star for all things and for all situations.

Change

The New Normal: Unrelenting Change

As some level, I think every one of us knows that the old notions of stability are fiction. That the pace of change is breakneck, coming so fast and furious that we can’t assimilate and accommodate or make sense of it all. That the longevity of our position, our career, our company, our product, or our gadgets are measured at best in years, more likely in months and very seldom in decades. Love it or hate it – we need to reconcile that unrelenting change is the new normal.

Evergreen Leadership

Evergreen Circle: Shape the Future

If you are someone who:

Wants to make a positive change in their professional life
Is starting or growing a business
Is making a career change
Are wanting to have a meaningful retirement and/or second career
Wants to realize their full professional potential – in their current job or a new on

You will want to read more.

Dynamics

Do Emotions Have a Place at Work?

I had a recent conversation with a leader in a large company who made the statement, “It would all be better if only people would just come to work and do their work, and leave their emotions at the door.”

It’s not the first time I’ve heard that sentiment – but this time it really caused me to pause and wonder. Would it really be a better place? Here’s what I think about emotions and work.

Just Ask

This week I was reminded of the power in asking for something you need or want. On Monday, Abby, a summer intern, started to work with me. And it’s a great example of taking a risk to ask.

To hear Abby’s story and to explore why we hesitate to ask bold questions, read on.

Challenges

The Hard Truth about Transformation

On April 19, 2011, our home was stuck by a tornado. It toppled six of the lovely and enormous 100 year oak trees that surrounded our house. It demolished our garage, blew the roof of our barn and totally destroyed the deep woods behind our house. In general, it was a gargantuan mess of debris and fallen trees and branches. Three years later, I am reminded of a hard, cold truth about transformation – that it takes time.

Goals

The Fastest Route Might Not be a Straight Line

I think we can learn something about reaching our goals by throwing out the geometry lesson of shortest distances and using the metaphor of sailing.

Change

What College Students and Beer Can Teach Us about Leading Change

I had to chuckle when I heard the news story about the legislators who, with good intentions, prohibited the sale of kegs of beer in their college town and, as a result, made the problem they were trying to solve even worse. This is a story of unintended consequences, a peril each of us faces as we implement changes in the organizations we lead.

Challenges

When to Quit, Hang it Up, or Throw in the Towel

How do you determine if you should spend more energy, time and effort to salvage something? And when is it time to shed it, to move on, to eliminate it from your life?

Leadership

Four Actions

Can bystanders add value to a team? Can you detract from a team even though you are leading? Can taking an oppositional stance benefit your team? In today’s post we explore the four different actions you can take on a team – and how they way in which they are expressed makes all the difference in the results you achieve.

Evergreen Leadership Blog