Failing is hard. But not near as hard as learning from it. Thomas J. Watson, former CEO of IBM, once said, “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.” It sounds good. Yet it’s not wholly true. Sure, risking failure is crucial for success....
In 1997 businessman Ted Turner stunned the audience at a United Nations gala dinner where he was receiving the Global Leadership Award. Without prior notice, he announced that he was donating $1 billion to the UN to help defray the effects of American arrears. It...
Over the last three weeks, I’ve been in Europe enjoying the highlights of Italy, France and hiking up and down the Alps on a 'Tour de Mt Blanc'. I’m not sure if it was brave or foolhardy, but last week we hired a van in Rome to drive up to Tuscany. Thank God for GPS!...
Leanne was recently promoted to head fashion buyer for an international clothing chain. When I rang to wish her congratulations, the first words out of her mouth were, “I’m just waiting for them to realize they made a mistake; that I don’t know near as much as they...
When I sat down to interview Bill Marriott at Marriott’s international headquarters, I hadn’t reckoned on him turning the tables to interview me at the end. As you will see from our exchange, one of the things I shared with him is my belief that failure is never final...
I’m sure that you, like me, are proud of different things in your life. Your children, the goals you’ve achieved, the challenges you’ve overcome or the ways you’ve helped others to overcome their own. As you should be. Yet sometimes we can be too proud for our own...
When I met Teresa while running a leadership program at her company, she was miserable in her job as a risk analyst and had been for over 12 months. A year earlier she had applied for more senior position in her firm. When it was given to a less experienced analyst,...
Last week I had the opportunity to facilitate a 'power panel' of female founders at Business Chicks 'Movers and Breakers' conference. It's easy to look at women like Samantha Wills, Emma Isaacs and Lizzy Abegg - three trailblazing Australian entrepreneurs who have...
Ever been in a conversation where you felt like the person you were talking to wasn’t listening to a word you said because they were too busy trying to convince you of their opinion? Yep, me too. It’s a common phenomenon. So much so that there’s likely been times...
If you study history, you will find that all stories of great success are also stories of great triumph over adversity. But often we overlook the setbacks and only see the end success. We think the person got lucky: “He/she must have been at the right place at the right time.” Or maybe they were just really smart. Or talented. Or well connected. But that’s all bunk. While it may have been a little bit of each, what ultimately led to their success was their refusal to allow their setbacks and failures to define them.
During my recent trip to Washington D.C. I sat down with Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation whose job it is to steward over $1 billion dollars entrusted to the UNF. Kathy and I discussed an issue we are both passionate about - women,...
"It's by embracing change and risking mistakes that you get ahead." ~ Bill Marriott One of the things I most love about my work is the people I get to meet. So it was a huge honor to be invited into Marriott headquarters to interview J.W. "Bill" Marriott, who has...
A few months back a friend shared how she was on the fence about hiring a man for a role as a financial advisor because he was 60 and seemed ‘a bit old’ despite being imminently qualified. I encouraged her not to let his age deter her from taking him on if he was the...
I recall once holding on to a pair shoes that made my feet ache every time I wore them for no other reason than I paid a lot for them. In hindsight, it was pretty stupid. I only remember thinking, “I need to get my money’s worth!” What about you? Ever stayed the...
Albert Einstein once said that our problems cannot be solved at the same level of thinking at which they were created. It’s a powerful quote because, let’s face it, life is one long stream of “problems.” And in our increasingly uncertain and pressure-laden lives,...
We are all creatures of habit. The challenge is to create habits of thought and behavior that fuel our success and happiness, not stifle it. Indulge me for just a moment before reading further. Just cross your arms and once you have, uncross them and re-cross them the...
Sir Richard Branson is a man I’ve admired as long as I remember. His books – jammed with stories of his entrepreneurial exploits and intrepid adventures on earth, sky and space – sit atop my bookshelves, their pages underlined with insights on taking risks, managing...
• Stay or go? • Expand or consolidate? • Rent or buy? • Have a baby or get more sleep? • Wait or act? • Say nothing or speak up? • Android or iPhone? It’s long been said that any decision is better than no decision at all. But decisiveness, like so many admired...
You and I have been born into a time where we have more opportunity and choice than ever before in history. But with the benefits of abundant choice comes with the responsibility to make wise choices – ones that enable us to live deeper and richer lives, not just more...
I’ve made it a focus of my life to teach others how to be braver. Courage and bravery aren’t fixed qualities about yourself that can’t be changed. Much like building muscle, you can learn to have more courage and build your “bravery muscles.” Just imagine in your own...
