Clik here to view.
Learning Leadership from a Bad Boss
Most of us have experienced bad bosses at some time in our lives. Maybe you’ve had one in the past; maybe you have one now. Maybe you were one in the past; maybe you are one now. So, for most of us,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Question You Need to Start Your Day With
Does this scene sound familiar? It’s the end of the day, and you’re sitting at your desk. As you shuffle some papers around for the hundredth time, you think to yourself, “Well, I got pretty much...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Are You Reading?
Quick quiz: What do all of the following people have in common? Bill Gates Warren Buffett Mark Zuckerberg Elon Musk Mark Cuban Oprah Winfrey Here are some possible answers: They’re all financially set...
View ArticleClik here to view.
10 Books to Boost Your Creativity
Last week I posed the question, “What Are You Reading?” In case your answer was, “Nuthin’,” I wanted to — as a public service — both give you some ideas on where to start and spur your creativity at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
An Open Letter to Would-Be Leaders
Leadership doesn’t begin when you get the job. Whether you aspire to lead a department, a sports team, a company, or a country, if you think that leadership begins once you get the job, you’ve got the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Your Workplace Needs to Be a Classroom
I’ve written quite a bit about how and why leaders need to be continuous learners. I believe that, as a leader, if you’re not continuously — and intentionally — learning, then you’re not really a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Will They Be Sorry To See You Leave?
“Some people brighten a room when they enter it; others when they leave.” You’ve probably heard this quotation or some variation of it. I have no idea who said it originally, but it certainly is true....
View ArticleClik here to view.
3 Ways to Practice Intentional Creativity
According to Fast Company, creativity is now the most important leadership quality for success in business. Why is it, then, that so few leaders do little (or nothing) to make creative thinking a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Benefits of Informal Get-Togethers
I just spent a delightful morning with a colleague of mine (Ron, another speaker) who was in from out of town and gave me a call. And yes, I realize I just used the word “delightful,” when the more...
View ArticleWhat Does it REALLY Mean to Be a Producer?
“So, what does a producer really do?” During my 15 years as the Executive Producer of Seattle’s hit comedy TV show Almost Live!, I was asked that question a lot. Many times by members of my own staff....
View ArticleClik here to view.
How Are You Filling Your Idea Pipeline?
I’ve just been reading a terrific new book called High-Profit Prospecting by my friend and colleague Mark Hunter. Mark is a consummate sales professional, and his book is about how to keep your sales...
View ArticleWhat’s Going to Move Your Needle?
Options, options, too many options! Don’t you feel like that sometimes? · Which of these hundred mayonnaises should I buy? · Which of these hundred TV series should I Netflix? · Which of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Profitable Creativity May Be Closer Than You Think!
Would you like to find a creative solution to your current challenge du jour? It may be as close as the morning newspaper. (Note to younger readers: the “morning newspaper” used to be an actual thing....
View ArticleStop Whining About “Change”!
As I look out my office window, I see the leaves on the trees are starting to change color. Believe it or not, I’m not shocked by this. Nor am I wailing about the fact that the temperature is dropping...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Why Coming Up With a Great Idea is Worthless
“I hate coming up with a great sketch idea.” That’s what Bob Nelson told me when he was one of the writers on Almost Live!, the comedy TV show that I executive produced in Seattle for 15 years. (For...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Are You Playing “Monkey See, Monkey Do” Leadership?
“Bill’s been to a seminar!” I was a new leader, barely into my twenties, and the TV station I worked for had sent me to a leadership seminar. I eagerly returned to the office the next day, head and...
View ArticleAre You Ready for the High Winds?
Hurricane level winds. That’s what they’re telling us here in the Pacific Northwest. As I write this, there’s a storm coming, and they’re telling us to prepare for hurricane level winds. So I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Smartest Thing You Can Do as a Leader
As a leader, the smartest thing I ever did was hire people better than me. For 15 years, I was the Executive Producer of a comedy TV show in Seattle. I was also a writer and performer for the show, but...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Are You Solving the Right Problem?
Albert Einstein once said, “If I only had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” And while I don’t necessarily agree...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Stop Treating Creativity as an Option
Turning creativity into money. That’s how I sometimes described my job as the Executive Producer of a hit comedy TV show in Seattle. Turning creativity into money. See, our job, week after week, was...
View Article