Do you ever wonder what happens to Olympic athletes after they step off the podium? Occasionally, we’ll see them on the other side of the screen in future games – they’re usually the ones telling us that what we perceived as an act of human brilliance actually had flaws that meant a tenth of a point, or a half a second, or whatever the difference is between ending up on the top of the podium versus off in the stands. But, what about the rest of their lives?
Read MoreIf you grew up in the US, you may remember the cartoon with Wile E Coyote and the Roadrunner. If you didn’t, here’s the premise: Wile E Coyote was always trying to catch the Roadrunner. He always failed. But, usually once per episode, there was this moment when Coyote had chased Roadrunner so fast that Coyote ran straight off a cliff. For a moment, he’d be suspended in the air. Then he’d look back, see Roadrunner safely on firm ground, then look down, realize his predicament, then crash to the ground. This is an apt analogy for what it feels like to have made a transition in your life…
Read MoreImagine yourself running along a paved path, going at quite a nice clip. Suddenly, you come to a wooded area, and the ground changes from paved to dirt. On top of that, a massive ole rainstorm has just passed through, so that dirt is pure mud. You slow down. Your clothes get splattered. … You’re all muddy; the structure of the path you came on is gone, but you can sense something else…
Read MoreMy latest for HBR: “Organizations in need of senior leaders, yet seeking flexibility and lower costs, might do well to consider fractional leaders. By reimagining the traditional approach to hiring senior talent, organizations can gain access to seasoned talent and position themselves for sustainable growth.”
Read MoreExperimenting is the act of being hypothesis-driven and curiosity-minded about things you're trying to make happen. Here are three things that make great experiments…
Read MoreI’m going to interrupt my regular weekly broadcast of laying out the steps in The Art of Getting Unstuck, and instead offer an underlying framework… This framework shows the steps that people take for successful change: They start with a Trigger (often prompted by a Decision, a Derivation, or a Desire), then they start Batting Around a few things.
Rarely do those things work.
Read MoreDesign Inspiration isn’t just nostalgia or envy: it’s harnessed wisdom. By peering behind us and around us with a very specific question in mind, we see things we wouldn’t otherwise see. And it's those very things that provide us the clues to our first steps out of the swirl of stuckness.
Read MoreI promise you, all the life hacks and experiments in the world won’t cut it if you’re not super clear on why you’re doing something. Because inevitably, something will break your flow. Here’s what will help…
Read MoreOften when we’re stuck on something big, we’re stuck on lots of things. For instance: Where should I live when I can live anywhere? becomes inextricably linked with What does my career look like? and How am I caring for my family? This is part of what can get us so very stuck. We start to play with one thread and before we know it, we’ve got a knotted mess and can’t even find the end of the string. The way through this is counterintuitive.
Read MoreReader, it did not go well. To give myself credit, I did actually feel the feeling (of which choice was right for me), but then I let my brain override it and pick another city. A city that served up a sinking feeling as I drove in. “This isn’t your place,” I remember my body so clearly telling me (and my mind echoed the sentiment: sure, NOW it was on board). But I was committed. I had a new job and a new apartment. All my stuff was on a ship from Singapore, bound for this city.
Read MoreI've said from the beginning that I help get people out of paralysis and find momentum. I help them get unstuck. But as I evolved my offer, I kept getting hung up on how to clearly and succinctly talk about what I do.
As it turns out, I got stuck myself and didn't even recognize it (oh, the bitter irony!). Let me explain...
Read MoreThe name Collective comes from the belief that change is easier when we’re surrounded by people who desire the same change. So, we center our offers around cohorts. Speaking of cohorts…
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