Category: Leadership

5 Books I’m Glad I Read in 2019

“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain Each year I read approximately 30 books for the pure pleasure of creating in my imagination the sights and sounds and smells of the world that the author has created in…
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Camp, Hike, and SQL

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down to talk with Thom Coats of The Unstuck Business Academy for their “Stories from the C|Suite” podcast. Thom is a wonderful host and we had a lot of fun talking about everything from camping and hiking, to professional development, to effectively managing SQL Server infrastructures. Here’s a…
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The 9 Best Books of 2018

It’s what you learn after you know it all that really counts. – John Wooden As an avid reader and life-long learner, this quote by Coach John Wooden really speaks to me. I don’t want to wax too philosophical here, but life is a journey and we owe it to ourselves and those we influence…
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What Does Your IT Team Really Want?

“If you could change one thing about working here, what would it be?”  Have you ever been asked that question? If you’ve worked for a large organization, I bet you’ve seen that question on a formal Employee Satisfaction Survey. In smaller companies, the question may come from a manager who has Googled “Good questions to…
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How Can I Get the Experience I Want When My Current Job Won’t Let Me?

“I’m stuck. How can I get the experience I want when my current role doesn’t provide the opportunity I need?”  That question haunted me some twenty years ago while I was in the early stages of building The SERO Group. I wanted more experience to better serve my clients and to better understand how to…
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5 Books Every Leader Should Read

I was asked recently by a long time friend about the five best books on leadership that I’ve read. This friend, Sherry, donates a considerable amount of her time investing in the lives of young people. She’s mentoring people who will one day help shape their communities, who will someday govern our state and nation,…
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Three New Books on the Recommended Reading List

I like to read. In a typical year, I’ll consume between 50 and 70 books or audiobooks. Some of those are purely for entertainment purposes. I love authors who weave an engaging story with their words and who let my imagination do the rest. I also like to read books about non-work-related areas of my life. Topics such…
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AT Lesson #6: Dreaming Big is Contagious

Tray Mountain stood before me, its massive presence reaching toward the heavenly expanse and eclipsing the final efforts of the sun. Sitting on a log beside the trail, I took off my pack and reached for my water bottle. I estimated that I had an hour before the final remnants of the day gave way to darkness.…
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AT Lesson #5: Beware of Moving Goals

  “We’re almost there,” my hiking buddy panted as he continued his slow gait in front of me. For the past couple of hours, the rhythmic clicking of his trekking poles had set the pace of our ascent like a metronome meters a slow, melodic song. We had already climbed well over a thousand feet as we sought…
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Book Review: That’s Not How We Do It Here by John Kotter

“That’s not how we do it here.” Those words, when said by an authority figure such as a boss or team lead, can stifle innovative thinking and cap the creative juices that are necessary for an organization to adapt to a changing environment. I recently listened to John Kotter’s book by that title, That’s Not How…
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