The author of “The Laws of Subtraction” says that success often comes from knowing what to leave out of a project or situation.
Via The Strategist Group, David Hain
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Mediocre Me - How Saying No to the Status Quo Will Propel You from Ordinary to Extraordinary! (A Book by John Michel - Copyright 2013)
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Rescooped by John Michel from Business change onto Mediocre Me |
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Via The Strategist Group, David Hain
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From a very early age we are conditioned to believe its okay to go along if it will help us get along. And frequently this works for us. Unfortunately, most of us never break out of this type of thinking.
John Michel's insight:
From a very early age we are conditioned to believe its okay to go along if it will help us get along. And frequently this works for us. Unfortunately, most of us never break out of this type of thinking. Delete the scoop?
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The word character derives from a Greek word that means “to mark,” which originates from the centuries-old practice of engraving the likeness of important figures on metal coins.
John Michel's insight:
The word character derives from a Greek word that means “to mark,” which originates from the centuries-old practice of engraving the likeness of important figures on metal coins. Be it emperors, kings, or heroes, the appearance of a distinctive, difficult-to-forge caricature on silver or some other form of precious metal was designed to build trust and facilitate mutually beneficial transactions between people. Delete the scoop?
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The collective habits of people can be a powerful asset to any organization, or they can be a tremendous liability. That’s why the best leaders care about culture. It should not be left to chance but nurtured, protected, and enhanced.
John Michel's insight:
Anything people do habitually is part of the culture. If people greet each other by name consistently, that is part of the culture. If people show up early and work late routinely, that is part of the culture. If people are in the habit of showing up late for meetings, that too is part of the culture. Culture is not what leaders want people to do; it is what people actually do. Delete the scoop?
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Many people agree turnover is a growing issue, particularly as hiring picks up.
But what are most organizations doing about it, aside from implementing some short-term solutions when they discover it’s a problem? Via F. Thunus, donhornsby
John Michel's insight:
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/41f990f0-b955-11e2-bc57-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2U9CDasFY 
donhornsby's curator insight,
May 23, 7:14 AM
(From the article): Make cultural fit top experience when hiring. Increasing employee retention will mean improving hiring efforts. Employers should focus their efforts on acquiring candidates who are not just skilled for the position, but are also a strong cultural fit for the company. Behavior-based screening and interviewing will help to make best long-term hires. – Nathan Parcells, InternMatch Delete the scoop?
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The range of a leader's influence, when authentic, is determined less by title and more by actions and service... We live by a romantic misnomer that leadership always places us at the pinnacle of...
John Michel's insight:
We are entering a time when the capacity of mid-level leadership will determine the effectiveness of an organization to move forward. We are closing the chapter on the days of the lone leader who can be and do all…if it ever really existed at all. Delete the scoop?
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One of the skills a leader needs is flexibility. Flexibility gives a leader options. It's like a quarterback who audibles at the line of scrimmage. (RT @AMAnet: 6 Keys to #Leadership Flexibility.
John Michel's insight:
Great leaders know how to audible and they know the power of flexibility. Skillful leaders are able to adjust because they are flexible. Delete the scoop?
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An art history professor makes her students sit in front of a painting for three hours. PampG invents the Swiffer. Those events are more alike than... Via Karen Dietz, Wise Leader™
John Michel's insight:
Deep patience. Close attention. These are not virtues often associated with college students (or some tech workers, for that matter). But as Harvard art history professor Jennifer L. Roberts recently explained, the skills for finding the "details, relationships, and orders that take time to see" can be introduced. 
Karen Dietz's curator insight,
May 22, 12:35 AM
When I work with clients and their biz stories, and their organizational culture, I often talk about the need to develop patience. I also discuss with them the principle of deceleration resulting in acceleration. This article, written by Drake Baer, explains both the need for patience and the principle of deceleration in order to accelerate. I know, it sounds so counter-intuitive! But it works. What does this have to do with storytelling? Because way too often we rush to craft our stories without giving ourselves time to patiently sit with them, think about them, recraft them, learn more about ourselves from them, etc. Spending the time to reflect on your story will get you to a more powerful piece more quickly. And your story creativity will definitely kick in by bringing more patience into the process. This notion is rarely talked about in articles, but acknowledged as part of the story process among some top performance tellers. So take a breath, relax, reflect, and give your creativity a chance to emerge. This review was written by Karen Dietz for her curated content on business storytelling atwww.scoop.it/t/just-story-it Delete the scoop?
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Times are changing.If you are reading this, you probab… (RT @TitusMathew It's Business… And It Better Be Personal @michpoko http://t.co/D6LsGEoy4r #Leadership)...
John Michel's insight:
Organizations and leaders must become better equipped to communicate with, motivate, reward and recognize these diverse, valuable employees more effectively. Delete the scoop?
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John Michel's insight:
A wonderful reminder how true health and wellness is foremost an inside job... 
AlGonzalezinfo's curator insight,
May 20, 10:45 PM
Karen, you and your family are truly inspirational. Prayers are with you, Neil and Tristan!
From her post:
See, real health and wellness cannot be defined by our physical abilities.
If that were the case, people like my son would be considered unhealthy, because he, like many people, do not have full use of their bodies. That’s why I also teach about creating inner health, because having a strong spirit is just as important as having strong muscles. That’s what I’ve learned from Tristan.
AlGonzalezinfo's curator insight,
May 20, 10:50 PM
I scooped this one on my fitness topic, but it fits on this one as well. Karen is a truly inpirational leader, in the gym and life in general. Delete the scoop?
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Practical Tips for Productive Living
John Michel's insight:
Outstanding insights that will challange you to think differently. Delete the scoop?
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An international consulting company that focuses on Leadership/Culture Development, Personal/Professional Development, and Employee Engagement. (Is Your Leadership Engaging?
John Michel's insight:
How successful are you at creating an environment that motivates those around you to engage? Delete the scoop?
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There is a strong chance you will wind up miserable with no sense of purpose if you don't figure out one very important thing. (RT @DrMichaelMol: Wouldn't it be great if all schools were a breeding ground for brilliance and not mediocrity?
John Michel's insight:
Helping people find what they’re good at and love to do is the surest way to increase their engagement at work and promote a deeper sense of well-being and fulfillment in their lives. Delete the scoop?
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The IRS scandal, Benghazi incidents, and the disappointment of dishonorable leadership.
John Michel's insight:
he recent scandals swirling inside the beltway seem to have come one after another—Benghazi, the AP records seizure, the IRS audits. While investigations continue about the details of each, the incidents have been enough to raise bigger, broader questions of responsibility, moral integrity, and creditability of those in power. Delete the scoop?
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Choose to be an encourager, not an intimidator and see how things in your sphere of influence can blossom and grow.
John Michel's insight:
Remember, people often reap the greatest harvest in their lives when they are allowed to address their fears in a space void of insult, criticism or ridicule. Choose to be an encourager, not an intimidator and see how things in your sphere of influence can blossom and grow. Delete the scoop?
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Reaching your full positive potential as a leader isn’t easy. And it’s made all the more daunting when you are thrust into positions requiring you to venture outside your comfort zone.
John Michel's insight:
Reaching your full positive potential as a leader isn’t easy. And it’s made all the more daunting when you are thrust into positions requiring you to venture outside your comfort zone. But let me be clear. Decisiveness is the key to achieving results, especially in the face of complexity or uncertainty. Weigh the information available and then use your best judgment to choose among the possibilities, recognizing that by your willingness to make a decision you’re fulfilling your fundamental responsibilities as a leader. Delete the scoop?
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Virtues serve as the cornerstone of our ability to consistently bring out the best in ourselves as well as those around us.
John Michel's insight:
Virtues serve as the cornerstone of our ability to consistently bring out the best in ourselves as well as those around us. In fact, the great philosopher Aristotle’s first rule for being good is that there are no rules. Excelling as a leader, in his view, is about doing the best thing you can in each situation you face. Delete the scoop?
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Is happiness something that can be achieved or is it far more elusive? Most people cannot separate the idea of being happy from how satisfied they are at work. Via Romi Royé
John Michel's insight:
A happy and engaged workforce brings a positive return on investment for organisations and individuals. Shawn Achor, author of the Happiness Advantage, pulls together decades of research to show the positive impact of happiness on organisations. He notes that happiness at work increases sales, productivity and accuracy. Research also demonstrates that happiness has a positive effect on the health of employees, career success and perceptions about quality of life. Delete the scoop?
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By Shayne Hughes “That’s just the way he is.” How many times have you heard or uttered that phrase? John is a risk-averse CFO, unwilling to make a decision without all facts.
John Michel's insight:
If you know your limiting behaviors as a leader, you’re one step ahead of most people. Perhaps you’ve noticed, however, that knowing you should behave differently is insufficient. Making dramatic adjustments to your default leadership style requires unwiring the original driver. What set this system into motion in the first place? The clues lie in your childhood. Delete the scoop?
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Selflessness won’t be perceived as genuine unless you have the fundamental belief that you really are in a leadership role to serve and not be served.
John Michel's insight:
Selflessness won’t be perceived as genuine unless you have the fundamental belief that you really are in a leadership role to serve and not be served. This promotes an attitude of humility. There’s a country song by Mac Davis you might remember with lyrics “Lord it’s hard to be humble, when you’re perfect in every way.” I find just the opposite to be true; how about you? Delete the scoop?
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The best advice I could give any graduate is to spend your time working on whatever you are passionate about in life. If your degree was focused upon one particular area, don't let that stop you Via David Ednie
John Michel's insight:
If you spot an opportunity early on and are really excited by it, throw yourself into it with everything you have got. Be ambitious. 
David Ednie's curator insight,
May 22, 10:49 AM
"Virgin's expansion into so many different areas is borne out of my insatiable curiosity to enjoy new experiences and pursue fresh challenges."- Richard Branson Delete the scoop?
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Leadership is all about connecting and relationships. When you connect with people they will buy in to your vision and plan.
John Michel's insight:
Connecting with people is a key element to influence. Leadership is relational not positional. You can compare yourself to other leaders and their results, or, you can connect and collaborate with them. Delete the scoop?
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ETHICAL LEADERSHIP By Arun Gandhi: There are few among the 20th century leaders who can measure up to the standards set by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the practice of ethical leadership. Via Wise Leader™
John Michel's insight:
Clearly for Gandhi the word nonviolence meant much more than the absence of war or the absence of violence. He proved that the true practice of nonviolence is also about people’s attitudes, behavior and relationships not only with each other but with nature and earth as well. Delete the scoop?
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We have to abandon the assembly line mindset and adopt new models of organizing employees; one that is organized around the customer. Specialization is needed to an extent, but what we need more of are experts on individual customers and markets.
John Michel's insight:
Companies today accept an abhorrent level of dysfunction as the status quo. Studies show that knowledge-workers spend half their day in meetings and employee engagement is at an all-time low. More people than ever hate their jobs and many feel they are drowning in bureaucracy and politics. Delete the scoop?
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Leadership Training and Consultation (Two Ways To Stunt Leadership Development | Anderson Leadership Solutions http://t.co/ZxAGR8tJKL via @daveanderson88)...
John Michel's insight:
Many people are not prepared for leadership because their leader has not prepared them. Some leaders fail to develop the people around them because they don’t allow them to make decisions. Delete the scoop?
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Image source Top tier leaders develop their leadership; bottom tier leaders don’t. Lousy leaders don't develop their leadership. Those who need it most - want it least. Those who need it least - wa...
John Michel's insight:
Top tier leaders develop their leadership; bottom tier leaders don’t. Lousy leaders don’t develop their leadership. Those who need it most – want it least. Those who need it least – want it most. Delete the scoop?
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Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once shared that “To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day." He continues, adding how "Profit comes from what is there, usefulness from what is not there.” His point? Often, less is more.
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John Michel, experienced leader, humanitarian, visioneer, and renown status quo buster, is the author of the ground breaking book, Mediocre Me: How Saying No to the Status Quo will Propel you from Ordinary to Extraordinary. Check out his blog at www.MediocreMe.com or drop him a note at johnmichel@MediocreMe.com