Steve Jobs and the “holy wars”
Read moreWhen I read a recent headline in the Financial Times that proclaimed “Steve Jobs promised a ‘holy war’ on Google” it made good sense to me. In fact, part of Steve Jobs’ leadership success over the years stemmed from his remarkable ability to construct and tell a certain type of narrative, one that goes even beyond a story of meaning and purpose for his
Leadership moments in the events of everyday life
Read moreIn my teaching and coaching for the past two decades, I have often emphasized the concept that leadership begins with a willingness to stand for what one believes. And, leadership is not only about the “big” moments we study in history classes and in business schools. In fact, we all have opportunities to take a stand about the things that
Stories make us FEEL: an example…
Read moreOften a group that tells an authentic story that resonates with the people will win the day over opponents who want to persuade us with logic and reason. I would like to share with you the example of an organization called “charity: water”. The group’s purpose is noble, clear and straightforward: As their mission statement declares, “charity: water is a
The power of narrative in politics, as seen in the Swiss referendum
Read moreIn the previous entry, we looked at the recent referendum in Switzerland, where the people voted to require the government to negotiate quotas on immigration with the European Union. The results of this February 9 election were completely unexpected for many people here, Swiss and foreigners alike. Everyone with whom I spoke in the run-up to the vote said that there was
The recent Swiss immigration referendum as a study in storytelling
Read moreThough discussion of political issues has often left me cold and bored in recent times, I watched the latest debate about immigration in Switzerland with considerable interest. As a foreigner and property owner living in this country, it is a matter that could potentially have a direct impact on me and some of the people close to me. Beyond my
Making any experience transformational
Read moreIn March 2013, when I was preparing to speak at EFMD’s annual MBA conference about “creating a positive group dynamic” in an MBA classroom, I first thought of the word culture. As I noted in a previous post, in today’s world we must do something in all our learning environments that goes far beyond the mere transfer of knowledge. Certainly, co-creating