It doesn't take a genius.

Does your pursuit of excellence have a purpose?

The warriors in the Iliad ... Pa in the Little House stories ... and you and me. We all want to improve and excel. But why? There are good ways to answer that question--and some incredibly destructive ones as well. 
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

”The biggest concern for any organization should be when their most passionate people go quiet.”

A sobering question: Have they stopped talking to you? ... Or whining to you? 
"Going quiet" is a symptom of disengaged employees. But there are solutions: A Navy captain points the way.
Mike and Mark cover communication in general and how to run meetings in particular. Click here for videos and downloads on "Crucial Conversations."
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

Can organizations care?

Skyline Chili is legendary (at least to Mark's family). A home-run performance by a Skyline employee begged the question: Can a company actually care? 
Mike and Mark share the simple secret to employee (and customer!) engagement. 
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

AI Update: AI Ouija Boards powered by camouflaged offshore mainframe barges!!!

It might sound like clickbait, but the title is not an exaggeration. Mike and Mark cover
AI's latest novel uses
attempts to regulate it
attempts to avoid regulations
and how human beings can stay human as they harness our new artificial intelligence reality. 
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

Going negative is positive when brainstorming

Most people have heard of brainstorming. But to do it effectively, you need more direction than just "come up with a bunch of ideas." 
Mike and Mark discuss the rules you need for effective brainstorming. And they explain the brainstorming hack that exploits the natural wiring in our brains: Introducing negative brainstorming. 
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

Terrifying tales of leadership fails

In honor of our first Halloween episode, enjoy these TRUE stories of leaders we have seen who made mistakes ... and paid the price. ...
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

Managers, you are not measuring what matters

Most teams and individuals have goals. Tracking progress on those is the easy part. What are you doing to measure and focus on the activities that lead to the goal? 
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

Can you delegate to your busiest team members?

If you are a lone wolf with no direct reports, the last episode revealed how you can "delegate" some of your less important tasks so you can focus on your priorities.
But what if you DO have a team ... and that team is too busy to receive more tasks delegated from you? There is an answer, and it is a four-step method. 
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

Lone Wolf Delegation

Are you a lone wolf with no employees to take over your urgent--but less important--tasks? How do you handle time management when there is no-one to delegate to? 
Mike and Mark have some ideas. 
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark. 

Innovation occurs on the edges

Lego saw it ... Toyota seems to always see it ... GM didn't see it ... and the bigger or older your organization is, you might not see it either. 
Innovation occurs on the edges. There are things you have to do to  leverage it. (Check out this excellent Harvard Business Review article for some related thoughts and a printable worksheet.)
Questions? Comments? Ideas for future episodes ... or interview subjects? Email Mike and Mark.