One of my favorite scene’s in Lewis Carroll’s classic book, Alice in Wonderland, is when Alice asks the Cheshire Cat, ‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’ The cat replies, ‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.’ ‘I don’t much care where—’ says Alice. [read more]

I’m doing something a little different this week. Usually the stories in this podcast teach a specific leadership lesson. But this week, the lesson addressed in the story is about storytelling itself as a leadership tool. And it’ll be especially important if you work with people from many different countries and cultures, in particular, between [read more]

MEXICO CITY IS A world away from the East African country of Tanzania, where John Stephen Akhwari lived. But that’s exactly where he found himself in October 1968, representing his country in the Summer Olympic Games as a marathon runner. The Race Unfortunately, Akhwari suffered a fall during the race. And it wasn’t a gentle [read more]

Getting your employees to be more creative might be one of the toughest jobs a leader ever faces. It’s hard enough to figure out how to be more creative yourself, much less find a way to get other people to up their creative game. But sometimes getting your employees to be more creative isn’t the [read more]

Part of the job of leadership is keeping the team motivated and instilling a sense of urgency. Left to our own devices, it’s easy to become complacent and slow. Is there a story that can inspire your team to face each opportunity as if it were the last, and not accept failures as temporary inevitabilities? [read more]

This week I got to chat with J.P. Kuehlwein, marketing expert and author of the new book, Rethinking Prestige Branding: Secrets of the Ueber-Brands. He shared an unexpectedly touching experience he had with a brand of soap in the middle of a muddy paddy field in Taiwan. To him, that experience exemplifies much of what [read more]

Most companies have a policy against moonlighting, even if it doesn’t directly interfere with your main job. Most of them argue that holding down a second job drains you of energy and creativity that you’d otherwise invest in your main job. I suppose that’s one way to look at it. The secret Here’s [read more]

My interview with consultant and author Victor Prince. . . PAUL: Every four years since 1801, Washington D.C. has had the privilege of hosting a presidential inauguration. And it’s more than just a big celebration for those on the winning side of an election. It’s a peaceful transition of power from one commander [read more]

While LA detective Mark Fuhrman was pleading the Fifth in the OJ Simpson trial, Dr. Mark Goulston was sequestered in the back room, waiting to get grilled by “Dream Team” attorney F. Lee Bailey. Dr. Goulston had been a consultant for the prosecution and Bailey was concerned the doctor had unfairly prepared Fuhrman [read more]

Most of the stories I share here are both true and original stories I’ve written based on the interviews I conduct with leaders all around the world. But today’s story is neither true, nor original. But I think you’ll find just as much wisdom in it anyway. It contains one of my favorite [read more]