Insights: CEO Coaching
The Power of Matching
In his book To Sell Is Human, Dan Pink writes about the importance of attunement as part of selling, whether the selling is formal (actual sales) or less formal (influence and persuasion). One approach to attunement is matching. By subtly matching body language, tone of voice and choice of words, you can create greater attunement and more […]
The #1 Leadership Communication Mistake
I have come to the conclusion that there is one pretty universal communication mistake that is the most damaging and causes the most mischief for leaders. Are you ready? The mistake is: not preparing well. Yes, I know this is not very sexy, but it is incredibly ubiquitous. People just don’t think about preparing in advance for […]
Get Your Reading Done 2-3 Times Faster
A few weeks ago I wrote about using the audio version of The Economist and other audio resources to keep up with the latest news and information. I’ve learned a few new things since then on the same topic: (1) Audible.com has a great Android app that allows you to increase the narrator speed up […]
The Reality Distortion Field
In Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs, he talks about the “reality distortion field” that Jobs was able to create around him. This was a phenomenon that colleagues of Jobs talked about, where he was able to convince both himself and those around him of almost anything, through a combination of charisma, the ability to […]
A Nose for Talent
Clearly, I have talent on the brain. Partly this was spurred by my own search for talent for some branding and marketing activities within my own business. But it was further spurred by Marissa Mayer, the new CEO of Yahoo. Word on the street is that she has adopted the long-standing tradition of the co-founders […]
Leadership Lessons from Kung Fu
In my martial arts class recently, it occurred to me that being uncomfortable can be a good thing. Somewhere between push-ups, jumping jacks and my own exhaustion-induced nausea the thought crept into my mind: “This is really hard. This feels really bad. I don’t actually want to be doing this anymore. I’m not having fun. […]
How to Speak Like a CEO, by Suzanne Bates
Review of How to Speak Like a CEO, by Suzanne Bates This is a good overview of leadership communication skills. It emphasizes authenticity, and it covers a broad range of communication topics such as speech / presentation preparation, question and answer sessions, leading meetings, working with the media, and having 1-1 conversations. It doesn’t go […]
Exercise for More Brain Power
I’m currently reading Brain Rules by John Medina. It’s one of a number of popular books on brain science that have striking relevance to leadership, and to modern life. Here are a few ideas that really struck me: Research shows that people perform better cognitively when they exercise on a regular basis. There is a […]