People Energy Principle #9 – People do things for reasons, not always the reasons they give you. You’ve been there:A key project is running late. You finally corner the responsible person and ask why. They look you in the eye and give you a perfectly reasonable explanation—unexpected delays, busy schedule, competing priorities. Sounds legit. You […]
The Story They Tell You Isn’t Always the Whole Story. Read More »
People Energy Principle #7 – Change Change People by Assuming They Can’t Change You’ve probably heard it before: “People can change if they really want to!” Cute. Inspiring. Totally unreliable as a leadership strategy. The Hard Truth Most people don’t dramatically change who they are just because you gave them a pep talk or a
Change People by Assuming They Can’t Change Read More »
People Energy Principle #6 – Notice what people say and believe what people do. People say a lot of things: And yet… deadlines slip, priorities shift, and actions don’t match the script. Is their motivation misaligned? Are they unaware of their true motives? Yes. Why the Disconnect Happens Humans are wired to present themselves well.
Words Are Free. Behavior Costs. Read More »
People Energy Principle #5 – Human nature isn’t what we wish it were. We often fall into a trap: That’s nuts. That’s not how human nature works. Reality Check on Human Nature Humans have free will. We have our own goals, values, and life purposes. We each bring unique superpowers to the table—and also quirks,
Stop Trying to Engineer Perfect People (It Doesn’t Work) Read More »
People Energy Principle #4 – Unleash & Harness People Energy for Love & Truth You’ve seen it before: a team buzzing with energy, people collaborating effortlessly, creativity sparking like wildfire. That’s people energy—and it’s the most powerful resource any business has. But here’s the thing: people energy is neutral until directed. The same techniques that
Power Moves with People Energy Read More »
People Energy Principle #3 – Generally speaking, people want to do good work. Too many leaders build systems as if their people will slack off at every chance. Swipe cards. Monitoring software. Meetings to check if work is getting done. The assumption? People are lazy by default. But here’s the truth: most people want to
Your Employees Aren’t Lazy (But Your Systems Might Be) Read More »
People Energy Principle #2 – First and Always, Stay in the Game. It’s tempting to swing for the fences in business—bet it all on that one deal, that one investor, that one moonshot idea. But here’s the truth: you can’t win if you’re knocked out of the game. Lindy Lessons for Leaders Nassim Taleb’s Lindy
Stay in the Game – Always Read More »
People Energy Principle #1: A Business is the Conversion of People Energy into Economic Value We often talk about business in terms of products, revenue streams, and market share. But what if we flip the script? What if, at its core, a business is nothing more—and nothing less—than the conversion of people energy into economic
Rethinking What a Business Really Is Read More »
We have a personality. I have a personality. Is that all we are? Of course not. When we talk about personality conflicts, it implies that it’s the personality causing the conflict. But that’s not true. People conflicts are rarely just about personalities. They’re signals—emergency alert flares indicating deeper misalignments in structure, clarity, or expectations. When
How to Use the Trust Algorithm™ as a Diagnostic Read More »
A while back, a highly strategic business owner was trying to get his store managers to collaborate and share operational and team performance insights. But, instead, they’d claim that their store is somehow uniquely unique in ways that the other managers couldn’t possibly understand. Which is, of course, nonsense. The President just knew that if
Strategy Levels: What Are They and Why They Matter Read More »