The #1 Skill to Improve for Better Leadership Results
I recently sent out a survey to over 600 leaders, asking them one question: In thinking about your leadership, what would you most like to change/improve this year? As you can imagine, the responses...
View ArticleHow To Be a Terrible Leader
You’ve probably watched a TED Talk video or two (or ten) at some point over the past several years. But have you ever been to a TED/TEDx event in person? It turns out there’s a huge—and...
View ArticleWhere to Find the Idea That Will Make You Rich
I can’t tell you what your next million-dollar idea will be—but I can tell you, with near 100% certainty, where you’re going to find it. And it probably won’t be where you think. In order to...
View ArticleTED Talk Secrets That Will Make You a Superior Leader
A little over a week ago, I was on a stage in Vancouver, BC, giving a TEDx talk about creativity to 2,700 people. The video will soon be available online, where it could be seen by (fingers crossed!)...
View ArticleHow Bruce Springsteen Can Make You a Better Boss
There’s nothing quite like seeing a world-class team operating at the highest level, is there? For example, let’s take Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The video below shows Bruce (“The Boss”)...
View ArticleHow a Different Perspective Can Make You a Better Leader
I spent several hours yesterday helping a colleague (whom I’ll call Poppy, because it’s fun) rewrite her website. She was concerned—rightly so—that her site was too wordy, didn’t really capture who she...
View ArticleAre You Missing Out On the Most Important Business Tool?
Quick Quiz: What do the following have in common? The iPhone The Tesla Model S Spanx The self-cleaning litter box The Sputnik 1 satellite Answer: They were all the product of a creative idea. As was...
View ArticleBreakthrough Ideas Are Not Created In a Vacuum
Your next great idea will not come to you out of thin air. I can say this with near 100% certainty because that’s not how ideas work. That breakthrough idea—the one that will make you rich and famous...
View ArticleHow to Be a Great Little-Known Leader
John Wooden. Nelson Mandela. Richard Branson. Abraham Lincoln. Great leaders, all of them. Their words and actions inspired and motivated thousands upon thousands of people. But probably not you. At...
View ArticleHow To Make Your Team Hate You In One Easy Step
A friend of mine has a cat that she affectionately refers to as her “barnacle,” because he’s always there. Wherever she goes, there he is. The kitchen, the living room, the office, on the stairs—he is...
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How Dots Will Make You a More Creative Leader
In my new TEDx Talk, I talk a lot about dots. Dots, dots, dots. Why would I waste so much of my precious 18 minutes talking about dots? Because dots are the building blocks of creativity, and...
View ArticleHow To Be Better Than Saturday Night Live
“You guys are better than Saturday Night Live!” I used to hear that all the time. I still do, although now “are” has changed to “were.” For 15 years, I was the Executive Producer of a sketch comedy TV...
View ArticleWhy The Best Leaders Are Out Of Control
I recently read an interview with Marija Ringwelsky, the co-founder and COO of Remedy, a company that helps protect people from medical overcharges and billing errors. In it, Ms. Ringwelsky said:...
View ArticleTo Think Out of the Box, Make the Box Smaller
QUICK QUIZ: Which assignment do you think a creative person would like more: Write a story about anything. Write a story about a duck. If you’re like most people (which, of course, you’re not—you’re...
View ArticleIt’s Not About You And Your Stupid Little Problems
For fifteen years, I was not allowed to get sick on Saturday. Sunday and Monday were fine; I could be sick then. Tuesday through Friday weren’t ideal, although if push came to shove, I could be sick...
View ArticleCuriosity May Kill The Cat, But It Will Make You A Superior Leader
What kills the cat strengthens the leader. If you have any cats in your life, you know that the adage “Curiosity kills the cat” is not just a saying; it’s a fact. Cats have an insatiable curiosity...
View ArticleHow To Be As Good As Jerry Seinfeld
Are you better today than you were yesterday? I don’t mean physically. We all catch colds, we all have occasional aches and pains—particularly as we get older. No, I mean are you better at what you do?...
View ArticleWhy Listening To Your Customers Will Make You Fail
It was during a focus group that I realized my customers were lying to me. I was working at a TV station in Portland, Oregon, and we were developing a new, nightly game show. Part of that development...
View ArticleWhy “Getting Away With It” Is the Danger Zone
I had that dream again last night. Maybe you’ve had it too. It’s the dream where you’ve got a final exam coming up, but you haven’t been to a single class all year. Have you had that one? For me, it’s...
View ArticleAre You Missing Out On Your Team’s Best Thinking?
There’s a very real chance that you’re not hearing your team’s best ideas. I wonder what that’s costing you. Many years ago, I was the president of a local non-profit association. Among my eight or so...
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