Atkins diet. Sonoma diet. Meeting diet? I’ve been on them all. Several years ago, I went on my first meeting diet. A member of seven organizations, on the board or the emeritus board of three, I spent at least three nights out every week “connecting.” I had enough name tags to rival the number of Imelda Marco’s pairs of shoes but could barely keep track of who I’d talked to, and rarely did any meaningful follow-up. So, I dropped to zero for nearly 18 months. Instead of it hurting my company’s growth, it actually sparked a growth curve, largely because I used that time to refine who our ideal clients really are— and narrowed time previously spent on meeting all sorts of people into learning about the kinds of meetings our ideal clients go to.  Today, my clients often ask me, “Do I have to go to external meetings to network?” And, my answer always

Since the time I was approaching six years old, I’ve always literally stood on my head (these days, with my legs touching the wall) when issues become knotty. I find that change in perspective is a terrific antidote to doom and gloom, and a chance to approach change with new insights. This past weekend, I was at my undergrad alma mater, St. Norbert College, where, in addition to having Bud Selig as the commencement speaker, we awarded six retired Army generals with honorary degrees. In the history of the college there have been 12 SNC graduates who became generals (with eight still living); this gives the college the distinction of having more generals than any other institutions, except, of course, military colleges. Their courage and integrity reminded me of an acronym that I first came across in the 90’s— VUCA. The initials stand for four words, that, when combined together,

There’s a big shift going on in the communications world. Is it possible that we’re so worried about controlling messages or diversifying the channels that we’ve lost sight of what it takes to make communications actually fuel action and produce results? What Matters has always tried to talk “with,” not “at,” to share ideas that focus on BOTH/AND, to drive conversations where questions get at least as much focus, or better yet, more attention, than answers. This weekend, while running the river, I got a new insight— while our efforts are strong, they are not enough. We’re focused on level two— when there are actually five levels. One-way communications techniques inherent in “reputation management” or “key messaging” are designed to attract followers, get buy-in, and/or sell more of something. Dialogue invites participation. In the complex world that we are living in, people aren’t interested in being “followers.”  They expect to

Simple rituals have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Dry hair, then brush teeth. Left shoe on first. Sing back to the birds. Watch Sunday Morning on CBS with Dennis, coffee and scones and the paper, only after I have sorted it into the proper piles.   So it probably comes as no surprise that, as a committed life-long learner, I have a series of blogs I read early in the morning on Mondays and Thursdays. Today, my eyes were opened wider than usual.  Jonathon Fields, the founder of The Good Life Project and the author of Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel for Brilliance, invited Richie Norton, an incredible business developer, to be a guest blogger. I’m not going to spoon feed you the piece— it’s that good, you have to go, read it. NOW. I will share a most profound

In this crazy Minnesota weather, it’s not surprising that all of us (or, at least all the people I’m talking with) are focused on the roads. The mid-April snow traps us into “I don’t want to skid into you” 20 mph behavior. The pot holes trump the slush in terms of annoying surprises, and, the lights that don’t have those second countdowns virtually demand us to stop in anticipation of a way-too-sudden switch to RED. AND still, the intersections that impact our lives— not our autos— at this time of year can be downright delightful (this sentiment brought to you from a passionately committed BOTH/AND woman)! My 3 ½ year old grandson Ruben and I braved the sticky snow, drizzling rain and muddy slides on Saturday, as we played in our neighborhood park. Only one tradition was set aside, with Ruben noting that “we don’t want to get wet butts”

Do you know your IQ (Intelligence Quotient)? In my earlier life, a person’s IQ number was considered relevant, important and valuable (although not to be shared with anyone). I don’t recall if anyone ever said this, but my perception was that the higher the IQ number, the “higher” professional opportunities would come your way. Within the last twenty years, there’s been a heavy emphasis on EI (Emotional Intelligence), with Daniel Goleman’s incredible insights leading the way. His work focuses on the value of self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and interpersonal skills. He suggests that while high IQ might be an indicator of what “rung” in the then hierarchical model of business, EQ would have a profound impact on your ability to work with and manage others.  I’ve been thinking a lot about QI (Question Intelligence) lately, triggered by re-reading Peter Drucker’s, The Changing World of the Executive, first published in 1982, when he noted: “The leader of the past

I learned to love numbers in the third grade, when Mrs. Brockway taught me the value of decoding math problems by understanding formulas. Isn’t it much easier to do math in your head when you realize that 9×2 is the same as (3×3)x 2? Light bulbs flashed on when I got it. In almost every professional services firm (even accounting!), there’s frequently limited discussion about and understanding of firm’s business model formulas. As someone who drove new business for a large global consultancy, I figured if I could get a big picture understanding of math from Mrs. Brockway’s formula lessons,  I certainly should be able to create some formulas for successful growth inside a professional services firm. Mrs. Brockway didn’t let us move on to complex formulas until we nailed the basics, so, I’m not going to either until I share my most important, big picture, got-to-get-this down formula: LP

Do you have friends, adult children, even neighbors or work colleagues who find themselves struggling with the question: “When should my July/August born child go to Kindergarten?” Most of us over 30 probably think it hasn’t always been that way. Allow me, with a January birthday and a sister exactly two years and 10 months older, to disagree. When I was four, my proud parents entered me into kindergarten at Holy Rosary in Duluth. I was— we all thought— “ready.” I knew my alphabet, could tie my shoes, loved to draw, color and sing and regularly counted to 100. I played well with others, knew how to share, and most of all, loved to read. Yet everyday, as we all lined up to exit after our morning kindergarten session, our teacher placed a gold star, a silver star, even a red star on the foreheads of the “good students,” I

Now that spring is here and warm weather will be approaching soon, on comes the outdoor activities. My favorite? Gardening. My garden is filled with tulips and daffodils, but— at the beginning of spring— also contains many dead leaves and dandelions. Hence, my attention generally goes to the weeds first, before the maintenance of the flowers, which makes me wonder: “Is it smart to get rid of the weeds first? Does that give me the motivation and energy to keep going? And, perhaps, most importantly, will that give me the gardens I really want?” The same question could be asked about business strategic growth. How do we know when it’s time to weed, fertilize, even plant anew? What are the resources we’re going to tap first? Where’s the spark that fuels us to move forward? What resources are your typical go-to solutions? Whether it’s cutting back (lay offs have been

Are you a leader, who sometimes is surprised at how closed minded, critical , judgmental, reactive, distracted or even energy depleted you feel? Understanding the amazing difference that comes when we act from character instead of by coping is well worth conversation, reflection and intentionality. And we’ve got a chance for those of you in the Twin Cities to do just that. On Wed. March 27, during the Business Book Breakfast that I lead every month at the Minneapolis Club (non-club members welcomed), this is just one of the many juicy matters we’ll talk about, as we discuss Kevin Cashman’s recent book, The Pause Principle. AND BIG NEWS— Kevin himself is joining us! What an amazing experience. The author makes a case that readers can look at this as reading a book— or having a life-changing leadership experience. He poses deep questions, encourages a slow digestion, and invites a purpose filled journey. After