“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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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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“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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“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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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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Not long ago, I saw something that I’ll never forget, something that truly underscored the importance of corporate culture in any organization. I was camping with 36 teenage boys and 3 other adults leaders at the 2013 BSA National Jamboree. Prior to our 14-day trip to West Virginia, most of us had only met a…
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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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Machine Learning. Artificial Intelligence. Data Science. Deep Learning. Big Data Analytics. These terms, and many like them, have been in the news a lot recently. And with good reason. Many organizations are taking their first tentative steps toward sifting through the vast amounts of data collected in disparate systems in search of hidden nuggets of insight to…
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I scaled the four-foot dirt bank and followed the trail as it turned sharply left and paralleled the meandering stream that I had just crossed. It was almost noon and I was hungry. I considered every small clearing as a potential spot for lunch, hoping to find a site near the water. The sound of water…
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“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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