Confidence

Don’t just write goals… achieve them!

Posted ago by Matthew

I was chatting with a friend at lunch the other day and he asked me my thoughts on traditional goal setting.  The situation is that there’s so much focus on writing the right kind of goals.  You’ve probably heard of …

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Six Steps to a Win-Win Result

Posted ago by Matthew

If your work or personal life is anything like mine there will be conflicts.  I remember one time as young boy in Australia watching my parents in a heated argument.  I started crying and ran off to my bedroom.  A …

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A Timely Pep Talk

Posted ago by Matthew

Pep talk – n. Informal A speech of exhortation, as to a team or staff, meant to instill enthusiasm or bolster morale. I’m pretty sure we all know what a pep talk is.  We would typically see it as something …

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Commitment

Posted ago by Matthew

Sometimes it takes a long time to learn the value of commitment.  This one took me more than five years. About eight years ago, my wife and I committed to volunteering with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary.  It’s …

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A Different Perspective

Posted ago by Matthew

Ever since I was about six or seven years old I wanted to be able to solve the Rubik’s cube. One of my friend’s older brother knew how to do it and loved to show me how quickly he could …

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What My Grandfather Taught Me – Lesson #1

Posted ago by Matthew

One hour a day, three days a week, pretty well every week for ten years my grandfather (Opa) would teach me either Lithuanian or German language. At the time it was gruelling.  I called it “the dungeon”, even though we sat …

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Rewards and Motivation

Posted ago by Matthew

Are we motivated by rewards?  Conventional practice would say “yes”, but science would say otherwise. In the laboratory, rats are rewarded with food.  In the classroom the top students are rewarded with A grades, and in the workplace, the best …

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Goldcorp Case Study

Posted ago by Matthew

A fascinating story about turning conventional wisdom on its head and how a business profited from utlising the brain-trust of the whole world. In January 1848, a work crew at John Sutter’s mill, near Sacramento, California, came across a few …

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James Dyson – Biography of an Entrepreneur

Posted ago by Matthew

James Dyson was born in England, one of three children.  His father, Alec, died when he was nine.  “Not having a father, particularly at that time, was very unusual.  I felt different.  I was on my own.  I can’t quite …

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More on Goals…

Posted ago by Matthew

When you’re setting goals it’s also important to focus on lead indicators.  With any goal you have lead indicators and lag indicators.  Lead indicators are predictive of the desired results.  Lag indicators are often the desired results but by the …

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