“If you build it, they will come” is a great movie line. But real life isn't a field of dreams. Real-life customers, investors and channel partners need Courage to invest time going off the beaten path to consider a compelling business case, solid science and engineering. With courage, they'll consider buying, subscribing, investing, adopting - putting their well-being, their livelihood, [...]
Dick Allen's (z"l) passing takes me back to Connie Mack Stadium watching games with my grandfather. When Dick Allen got razzed by Phillies fans, in a style that only Philadelphia fans can dish out, my grandfather was outraged. I couldn't tell what my grandfather was saying when he chose to be an upstander, rather than a bystander, and shook his [...]
If some of your leaders take initiative while others freeze, grumble and wait @ Level 2 for directions, you've got a courage gap to close. Courage gaps are expensive, even if you can't see what they're costing. And the inclusion part of diversityandinclusion can't pay the dividends you want - unless you bring everyone to Levels 5-4-3 with you. That's [...]
Which type of enterprise performs better in turbulent conditions like the ones we've seen in this year of COVID-19? Does the advantage go to a disciplined chain of command, where directions get followed, orders get executed, and where lieutenants wait for decisions from top management or permission from their board before going further than what they were directed to do, [...]
On the eve of Remembrance Day (in Canada) and Veterans Day in the US, when we thank those who served for protecting our security and freedom, there are two competing narratives defining last week's US election. One narrative speaks of principle, inclusion, respect, civility and seeks cooperation in a search for better solutions. It advocates understanding and respect for science, [...]
What kind of courage do you show - when your side faces off against another side, who has a history of pushing back or profiting at your expense? Do you Puff Up, defend your interests and push to work around your antagonists or get the better of them? Or do you PowerUP both your antagonists and your supporters - so [...]
Good Trouble. At age 80, after 60 years, US Civil Rights titan John Lewis (z"l) continued to make that his motto - to stand up for what's right and rally support. He heard his parent's voices, warning him to "not get into trouble" and go along to get along, and consciously chose another path. He said, "Patience is a [...]
Our business leadership book, MAKE COURAGE CONTAGIOUS, is a how-to manual on Powering Up potential - so teammates with diverse conflicting perspectives come together, challenge each other, and take pride in raising the bar on innovation, impact and value-creation. It contains some how-to guides on diversity and inclusion - because, in a global multi-racial multi-cultural multi-functional business world, you can't have [...]
Sure, you've got a great idea for a new product - that can dramatically improve the standard of care. If an investor gives you 5 minutes, it's easy to show how your innovation is an upgrade - or a disruptive breakthrough. But investors want to know more than, "How is your innovation better? What's it fix? How's it work? Does [...]
Each chapter of our new book, MAKE COURAGE CONTAGIOUS, presents a moment of truth when leaders feel the pull of gravity pulling them down - and when it takes courage to defy gravity and lift their fortunes to a higher level of ethics, threat-mitigation, profit and wealth-creation. We ask what would you do, faced with a similar moment of truth? [...]
