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Why Control Freaks Struggle to Succeed

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The late George M. Steinbrenner III ruled the New York Yankees as managing partner for a club-record 37 years, during which his team won 11 American League pennants and seven World Series titles. Ultra hands-on, Steinbrenner’s most printable nickname was “The Boss.” He meddled in everything, which kept all his employees on yo-yos of nervous […]

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Why the NBA’s Attempt to Manage Conflict Failed

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Stressful times spawn stressed-out people, and stressed-out people tend to lash out. Often the drama is played out in private. Sometimes it’s not; sometimes that conflict is played out for the entire world to see. Such is the case with today’s collapse of the National Basketball Association’s labor negotiation. It is hard to debate that […]

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Why Courage Matters

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Two trees named Joe fell in the forest last week and hundred of millions were there to hear them. The first was Joe Frazier, former heavyweight champion of the world. Two days later fell the second, a football coach, Joe Paterno, who moonlighted for half a century as King of Pennsylvania. I met Joe Frazier […]

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Why First Impressions are Hard to Change

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Relationships strengthen and weaken based on interactions the brain catalogs into three buckets: non-verbal evaluations, voice and tone, and selected words. Therefore a strong first impression goes a heck of a long way toward launching a solid relationship. A weak first impression is very difficult to overcome Researchers at NYU, Stanford, Tufts, and NYU have […]

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Even the Strong Are Broken In Places

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The sudden, tragic death of Baltimore Orioles icon Mike Flanagan cuts deep for those who watched him mature from a young ballplayer into a distinguished middle-aged man. As his adulthood unfolded, Flanny’s chapters seemed to be the stuff of dreams: handsome and popular pitching ace, World Series hero, front office executive, and popular broadcaster. Externally […]

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Why It’s Important to Push On

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When you’ve pounded a few million keys and the life you love dictates that millions more lie ahead, every once in a while it’s necessary to take pause and immerse in distractions that re-frame what’s good and right and important. I recently lost my writing partner. With her passing evaporated the urge to write. The […]

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How Introverts Can Become Good Networkers

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Workforces are comprised of introverts, extroverts, and personalities in-between. The mix varies from place to place because the nature of a company’s work often shapes its culture. For example, an aggressive sales organization tends to hire competitive extroverts. Methodical, detailed-oriented industries (such as engineering and accounting firms) often skew heavily toward quiet, skilled introverts. It […]

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