What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Pre-Mortems as a Strategic AND Motivational Leadership Tool
On a recent Freakonomics Radio podcast, the authors of that best-selling book—Stephen J. Dubner and Steve Levitt—decided to focus on a key Asset-Based Thinking principle: Failure is Your Friend. Of course, I was intrigued! The topic stems from the authors’ new book, Think Like A Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain,...
ReadPrime Yourself to Lead Positive with the Best Neural Cocktail
One of the key principles of Lead Positive is an asset-based focus on yourself: What do you bring to the party? What is uniquely true about you in terms of your skill sets and the competencies you’ve developed over time? I call that your signature presence. Leaders in particular need to develop strategies for recognizing...
ReadLeaders Soar with Lead Positive: Register for a leadership workshop today!
I am so excited to tell you about the new workshops that we have developed at The Cramer Institute based on the terrific response I have received about my latest book, Lead Positive: What Highly Effective Leader See, Say, and Do. In fact, the response has been so great, we just added new dates for...
ReadWhat is your Moon Shot?
I heard a journalist once refer to the new Google business to tackle health issues and rid the world of cancer as, “Google’s new moon shot.” I thought, Wow what a great phrase. Embedded in the psyche of the world, not just in America’s, is the moment that a human being landed on the moon....
ReadLead Positive in the News!
Since we launched Lead Positive: What Highly Effective Leaders See, Say, and Do in March, I have been working hard to get the message out. In the past month, I have been fortunate enough to have been featured in a number of esteemed outlets, which I’d like to share with you today. Click on the...
ReadLeaders Build Trust and Stronger Relationships with Gratitude
Did you know that gratitude may be the key to happiness? Numerous studies have shown strong links between gratitude and increased positive emotions. For me, gratitude is the most rewarding of all the positive emotions because it acknowledges a major victory with humility. That makes it a key to leadership effectiveness as well. This article...
ReadHow to Leave a Lasting Impact (Tips from Doug Conant)
How can you leave a lasting positive impact on the people in your circle of influence? I have been interviewing highly effective leaders on my Psychology Today blog to find out just that. Today, I published Part 1 of my Lead Positive Profile of Doug Conant, Founder & CEO of ConantLeadership. Doug is also a New...
ReadGoing From Setback to Bounce Back
Failing fast. Sounds good in theory but in practice it can feel very wrong—and be very painful. For most of our lives we’ve been told that failure is not an option. So despite the obvious benefits of experimentation, bouncing back from failure—much less bouncing back “fast”—remains a lofty ideal. And the challenges of failing fast...
ReadEnergetic Pauses: How a Focus on the Present Relieves Stress and Increases Productivity
“He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead, his eyes are closed.” – Albert Einstein Too much to do and not enough time—this is the modern leader’s dilemma. Our daily routines stress us out because it feels like there’s no time to breathe—much less think—in...
ReadYour Lead Positive Hero’s Journey (Part 2 of 2)
(Editor’s Note: For part 1 of this blog post, please go here) Your Hero’s Journey is the leadership story of what lies ahead in the pursuit of your goals. It is the story of the future you seek come true—your leadership vision realized. Last week, I discussed the first three phases of the Hero’s Journey: The Call,...
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