Jim was a new Athletic Director at a university that was building a new stadium. Jim lined-up an appointment with a past donor to the school, known to be a crusty oil and gas executive. Jim charged in with an aggressive pitch and boldly pronounced, “We need you to give us $1 million!” This executive said, “Who in the world […]

Years ago, when my wife, Kathy, and I purchased furniture for the office, Kathy typically started to assemble it using her instincts. My role usually came when we discovered leftover pieces. That’s when I would show Kathy the instructions and we would make the necessary adjustments. The manufacturer knew best when they designed the instructions. Barna Research discovered that 87% […]

A recent study of more than 500,000 sales conversations, conducted by a tech company called Gong.io, uncovered that the highest performing sales people asked many more questions of their prospects. Their sales conversion rates were highest when they asked between 11 and 14 questions. According to the Harvard Business Review, the study also discovered that top performing salespeople scattered the […]

Years ago, I had an employee who had been very effective and engaged in her job. Then she became jealous of another employee. Her attitude changed, and the quality of her work declined dramatically. Although I addressed the underlying issues, it soon became evident that she was never going to reengage. We mutually agreed that she needed to leave. One […]

A Chief Financial Officer of a well-known organization in his community called to seek my counsel. He had recently discovered that a past employee had embezzled a significant sum of money. When the facts were presented to the board, the board was divided on whether to prosecute. The most “influential group” was leaning towards keeping the theft secret to protect […]

When I’m the person in authority, slowing down and being thorough is my job. It’s not optional. This means stepping back, listening, observing, taking plenty of notes, studying, doing research, and getting advice from wise people. Proverbs 20:8 teaches, “When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good.” Many decisions can be biased […]

Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering,” shared in a Wall Street Journal article four tips on conducting effective meetings. The fourth tip is to “Cause Good Controversy.” Ms Parker once facilitated a meeting for an architect firm that needed to decide their new strategic direction. Because the firm had a polite culture she arranged for them to have […]

Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering,” shared in a Wall Street Journal article four tips on conducting effective meetings. The third tip is “Issue Pop-Up rules.” Ms. Parker recommends that using creative or amusing rules can force compliance while allowing the group to have fun. Ms. Parker was leading a meeting that kept being disrupted by executives returning […]

Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering,” shared in a Wall Street Journal article four tips on conducting effective meetings. The second tip is “Let everyone see and be seen.” As an introvert, it’s easy for me to avoid sharing my thoughts in a meeting. By creating an opportunity for everyone to be identified and to share briefly, you […]

Priya Parker, author of “The Art of Gathering,” shared in a Wall Street Journal article four tips on conducting effective meetings. Let’s explore these tips this week. The first tip is to “Set the Stage.” Ms Parker recommends that giving forethought to a meeting can change the culture of your gatherings. Sometimes it can be as simple as jazzing up […]