Food for Thought
Welcome to the HardTalk Biz Coaching Blog.
When you nurture your intellectual curiosity through reading, when you seriously entertain someone else’s perspective, and when you seek out professional opinions, thought-provoking articles, and contrarian views, I believe it leaves you enriched and wiser. I wish you inspired reading and reflecting and I welcome your comments on my posts.
Additional Reading: Some of My Many Favorite Books
A good book for me is one that provides me with multiple perspectives, one that confronts me with thought-provoking questions, and one that offers contrarian narratives so I can reflect in new ways and multiply my options. Let me offer you ten of the many books I think are excellent vehicles to expand your mind:
- The Business of Belief, Tom Asacker
- Moments of Impact, Chris Ertel and Lisa Kay Solomon
- Transparency – How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor, Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, and James O’Toole
- The Leadership Challenge and The Truth about Leadership, James Kouzes and Barry Posner
- Managing Transitions, William Bridges
- How to Keep People from Pushing Your Buttons, Albert Ellis and Arthur Lange
- The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle
- Humble Inquiry, Edgar H. Schein
- Beyond Blame – Learning from Failure and Success, Dave Zwieback
- Just Culture – Restoring Trust and Accountability in Your Organization, Sidney Dekker
The Courage to Doubt
If you could take a ‘Courage and Doubt Test’ just like you can take an intelligent test like the WISC-IV or a personality test like the Myers Briggs, how would you score on this Courage and Doubt test? How would you score on items such as: The courage to take risks...
read moreAn Ordinary Day in a Leader’s Life
You will be frustrated And so you should Because that’s what happens When you consult contrarians. You will be impatient And so you should Because you’ll have to listen more Than you’re inclined or deem necessary. You will be surprised And so you should Because...
read moreWhat You Think. How You Think.
Why would I reinvent and rewrite what others have already produced? Below you find some of the many thoughts of Philip E. Tetlock as discussed in his book “Expert Political Judgment – How good is it? How can we know?” (2005, Princeton University Press) Tetlock is a...
read moreReflections on Accountability
In my 28-year career in leadership and team coaching I have enjoyed and struggled with supporting organizations in implementing accountability practices. The struggle is partly rooted in the power of fears for consequences, in the power of mistaken beliefs, and in the...
read moreEasy, Quick Exercises to Increase Awareness & Focus
Buddhist monks and the like excluded, we all have difficulty being fully aware and present in the moment. Many of us suck at focusing on what’s going on here and now whenever it requires us longer than 60 seconds. We have a hard time fully staying with all our focus...
read moreWant to Get Better at Handling Tough Conversations?
Early January I had the honor and pleasure to be back at the webcast studio of Minnesota Continuing Legal Education in downtown Minneapolis. This time I was asked to speak about "The How of Tough Conversations". I will share seven elements of this presentation that...
read moreBook Review “The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership”
Book Review “The Ten Golden Rules of Leadership” Classical wisdom for modern leaders by Michael A. Soupios Michael Soupios applies thoughts and practices from Greek philosophers to the field of leadership. I want to share eight of his ten rules - they are easy to...
read moreTackling Change Management Negativity
Change can be hard on people for many different reasons. To mention only a few: many people dislike the uncertainty that comes with change, they do not wish to let go off what they had and know, and they fear loss of status and competency. When preparing for and...
read moreLeaders, You Don’t Just …
You don’t just need to know who you are and what you stand for, You need to know how your values and actions are perceived by others. You don’t just need to know the ‘why’ behind any organizational change, You need to know what (in) tangibles people are gaining and...
read moreRecognition and Engagement
Studies. Articles. Programs. We have plenty of it all on the topic, including very complicated ones. But recognition and engagement can be simple and easy. I’ll spare you the research and instead provide you with ideas to start or improve your recognition program....
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