Blog
The Crossroads Principle: Fairness
When kids get tall enough to sit on your lap behind the steering wheel and still see the car in front of you, they are old enough to begin noticing the “customs of driving.” Not the rules, mind you, the implied agreements drivers have with each other. We were at a...
Mentoring with the Heart of a Host
Being a protégé in a mentoring relationship can feel like having to give a speech before a large group. Now, there are exceptions, obviously. I do a lot of keynotes and I can’t wait to hit that stage. But, there is a lot of research that says people’s greatest fear is...
The Innovation of Creating a Miracle
A Boston family adopted an Asian girl. No sooner had she arrived in the U.S. than the family learned she needed to have major surgery. The nine year old child––who spoke only Chinese and had life experiences limited to a small Chinese village and her trip to the...
How To Foster Innovation
It happened while driving over the Savannah River Bridge between Aiken, SC and Augusta, GA. Our one-year old son was seated in the backseat looking out of the car window. Without warning he pointed at the river and said, “water!” He had been mimicking words…dada,...
Innovative Service is Like Western Boots
I proudly wear Lucchese cowboy boots. These chocolate brown accessories remain affixed to my feet at work and at leisure. They have even become an integral part of my brand. I get a lot of very favorable comments about my boots; no one ever noticed...
Being Really Good
We needed a large bear proof crate that would hold a garbage can at our river home in the North Georgia mountains. Black bears are not particularly dangerous, unless protecting a cub, they are just always hungry. And, in the Spring and Summer they roam the river...
For Innovative Service, Avoid the Buffet
I have a confession…I almost always go for the “off the beaten path” choices. Tried and true is typically trumped by “I’ve never had it before.” So you can imagine my reception when the waiter seated us and handed us the breakfast menu with the announcement: “The...
Twenty Things Today’s Customers Want
1. Make me smarter…it helps me keep up with my ever-changing world. 2. Help me do it myself…I enjoy feeling self-sufficient. 3. Make the response fast … but don't sacrifice quality—quick and rushed are not the same. 4. Help me customize the experience like I want it....
A Prescription for Remarkable Service
Twenty-four hour viruses are mystery bugs. You typically are totally clueless about where they come from or what makes them go away. All you know is that a 102-degree fever is not normal and medical help might be needed if you intend to not be slowed down by the...
The Magic of “I Have Complete Authority”
It was destined to be an awesome surprise dinner for a newly degreed M.D. In addition to her friends, her family was flying all the way from India to celebrate their daughter’s graduation from medical school. The surprise was staged at the fine restaurant at the...
The Mentor’s Role as Champion Grower
What do Clint Eastwood in the movie Million Dollar Baby, Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire, and Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans—have in common? They are all characters who supported and sought the best in others, even in their darkest hours. Growing champions...
Life After Mentoring
Effective mentoring relationships are rich, engaging, and intimate. But all such arrangements must come to an end, and no matter how hard we may try to avoid it, every ending has a bittersweet dimension. As Shakespeare so eloquently reminds us, “Parting is such sweet...
Mentoring is Not About Mastery
The goal of mentoring is not simply learning. The goal of mentoring is to foster betterment . . . better performance, greater productivity, higher effectiveness. Granted there is merit in learning for learning’s sake. But in today’s business world with its razor-thin...
The Gift of Balance
There’s a bluebird house on an oak tree six feet from our bedroom window. The same pair of bluebirds comes each spring to build, populate, and empty a nest in it. This past spring, their parenting process caused me to reflect on how instructive bluebird flying lessons...
The Gift of Focus
Adult learning and child learning are different when it comes to focus. Children are patient with delayed application and the promise that “someday you’ll find this helpful.” Adults question the worth of knowing the ingredients of the pie at the king’s banquet. As...