Tag Archives: communication
A Field Report: Dogs with Backpacks
Recently I had the opportunity to join ten other “alpha dogs” in a hike across the Grand Canyon, from the south rim to the north rim in one day. Known as the “Rim to Rim,” this is a pretty grueling … Continue reading
The Musher Publishes
Fellow Mushers, I’m proud to announce the publication and sale of my first book, 99 Questions to Maximize the Sale of Your Business, available at Amazon.com both in paperback and on Kindle. Getting published was more work than I thought, … Continue reading
People are not Dogs, nor are they Cogs
Recently a colleague turned my attention to a blog post in the Harvard Business Review blogging area, written by Nilofer Merchant. The title of the blog post was “People are Not Cogs” (http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/06/people_are_not_cogs.html). In the blog, Nilofer discussed the resistance … Continue reading
Course Correction
Throughout my blogs I’ve spoken about the need for thoughtful planning. But what should the Musher/Leader do when things just aren’t working out as planned? Mike Tyson has a famous quote that “everyone has a plan ’til they get punched … Continue reading
Inputs from the Field
Mushers run their teams and manage their sled on a complex, real-time and mostly harsh terrain. Information is vital to a successful, safe race. The key to winning (or even surviving) is knowing where and how to source information and … Continue reading
Intentionality
In the past several blog posts, I’ve spoken for the need for timely, accurate, and appropriate communication to the team, not only as a matter of operational necessity, but also as an important means of establishing trust and credentialing the … Continue reading
Vision, Geometry, and Leadership
To follow up on my recent blogs on communication and clarity, I thought I would return to the dogsled metaphor to make a finer point. In the dogsled configuration, the dogs are harnessed to the sled, low to the ground … Continue reading
Clarity
Clarity of communication and communication strategy are critical elements in dog sledding. In the Parable of the Musher, the CEO reaches a point in his dog sledding experience where the team must traverse a steep hill: “What I witnessed on … Continue reading
Communications
So much about leadership is driven by the quality of communications at all levels of a business, especially between the leader and the management team. Ironically, people are seldom taught how to manage the quality of their communications. In certain … Continue reading
