I recently needed to have an online meeting while I was at the Oklahoma City airport. While I wouldn’t normally schedule this type of presentation with the knowledge that I would be in a public space, circumstances aligned that this could not be avoided. I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare […]
Category Archives: Career
Innovation Needed – Marriott Are You Listening?
It seems I have a never-ending supply of stories from mainline companies who just can’t get their customer service act together. Here’s my reasoning for sharing them: since I try to highlight the good and innovative things companies do, it’s only appropriate that when there is a customer service failure, I call that out, as […]
What True Leadership Looks Like
On a hot and humid Saturday in Houston, Texas, I was honored to facilitate offsite strategic planning for Cy Fair Federal Credit Union. Cy Fair is a former education-based credit union, transformed into a community CU charter, but the board substantively consists of current and former educators and administrators. The CEO is Cameron Dickey, and […]
The Importance of Speaking Well
As the emcee of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia Annual Conference, I get to introduce speakers and listen to their presentations. One of the highlights of this year’s conference was a talk by the newly minted ICBA CEO Rebecca Romero Rainey. Rebecca comes from a line of community bankers and was previously CEO of […]
Do What You Can Do
After two long, but rewarding weeks teaching technology and innovation at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Colorado, I was at the Denver airport waiting on my flight back to Houston. I had parked at a charging station and was working on my computer when out of the corner of my eye, […]
Making a List, Checking it Twice
As a speaking coach, I consistently remind my students that their performance from the platform is only a small part of what it takes to be a great professional speaker. One of the elements I stress is a checklist of details they must carefully address right before their talk. These include checking in with the […]
To React is Human, To Respond Divine
Our natural human instinct is to react to external stimuli—what would it take for you to convert your reactions into responses? There is a huge difference between a reaction and a response. Suppose someone walks up and punches you in the arm; your reaction is to punch them back. But if you pause, even for […]
Can you overcome the Einstellung Effect?
Can your brain come up with truly creative ideas that overpower your built-in confirmation bias? Or does your experience with “good” solutions in the past negate your ability to come up with “great” ideas? Scientific American released a special edition magazine this year focused on “Mysteries of the Mind.” Beginning on page 29, there was […]
Millennials and Y=X Thinking
One of the presentations at #TheDestinationExperience was fromMichael Lee-Chin, Chairman of Jamaica’s Economic Growth Council, who had us from the start with his use of a white board and a math equation to illustrate a concern about young professionals: Y = X Chin’s theory is that most millennials think that their careers will progress along […]
2 Johns, 2 Bobs and a Don
Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.” One of the greatest pleasures for me at this juncture in my professional career, is playing the part of a mentor. At this moment, […]