In learning how to fly an airplane, one of the first lessons has to do with understanding winds. Winds come in basically three types; Head winds – those hit you right in the face Tail winds – those from behind Cross winds – those at angles from the side I believe the challenges we […]
What Exactly Is Presence? Presence is letting the most powerful version of yourself shine through. I like to cite the renowned leadership expert Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who defines “presence” as a combination of gravitas, communication, and appearance. Together, these elements form an impression of trustworthiness, competence, and authenticity. Gravitas is signaling that you have the […]
People talk about charismatic leaders having “big” personalities. Powerful leaders are often known as “Type A” personalities. We know about introverts and extroverts. But how does personality really impact your effectiveness as a manager or owner of a business? If we take away celebrity status from high paid CEOs and public figures, what else does […]
Many years ago, a business coach and mentor I knew named Gerry Fusco introduced me to a phrase he invented. Return on invested time (ROIT). As business owners and leaders, we know about ROI, ROE, EBITDA, SDE, etc. But have you ever spent any waking hours measuring ROIT? We make plans, build budgets, measure KPIs, […]
In the grand theatre of leadership, there’s a delicate dance playing out on the main stage: the display of expertise. On one hand, we have the confident captains, radiating knowledge like beacons, guiding their teams through uncharted waters. On the other, lurk the know-it-alls, tripping over their own pronouncements, leaving trails of deflated egos and […]
We, the captains of our professional and community ships, spend our days steering, navigating, and occasionally throwing out life preservers. We’re problem solvers, decision-makers, and cheerleaders, fueled by the noble ambition to make things better. But in the pursuit of progress, one crucial truth can get swallowed by the waves: you can’t fix what you […]
Let’s face it, folks. Leading a team isn’t about holding all the answers; it’s about knowing who does. And that, my friends, takes an intricate dance between two key players: trust and belief. They might sound like two sides of the same coin, but their roles in your leadership tango are distinctly different. Trust is […]
Overcoming Challenges as Your Business Scales As any entrepreneur knows, building momentum is exhilarating! But riding that wave of success isn’t without its challenges. Here are some of the biggest hurdles you might face and how to navigate them: 1. Scaling Without Sacrificing Quality: Stumbling block: Expanding too quickly can lead to operational inefficiencies, product/service inconsistencies, […]
<img width="650" height="240" src="https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/chicken-little-03-facebook-cover-timeline-banner-for-fb.jpg?fit=650%2C240&ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Chicken Little courtesy Disney Corp" style="margin-bottom: 10px" data-attachment-id="3432" data-permalink="https://dougthorpe.com/making-things-bigger-than-they-really-are/chicken-little-03-facebook-cover-timeline-banner-for-fb/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/chicken-little-03-facebook-cover-timeline-banner-for-fb.jpg?fit=850%2C314&ssl=1" data-orig-size="850,314" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="chicken-little-03-facebook-cover-timeline-banner-for-fb" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Chicken Little courtesy Disney Corp ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/chicken-little-03-facebook-cover-timeline-banner-for-fb.jpg?fit=650%2C240&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/chicken-little-03-facebook-cover-timeline-banner-for-fb.jpg?fit=800%2C296&ssl=1″ /> Do you sometimes make things bigger than they really are? Managers and leaders need to be on watch for overstating what is going […]
<img width="450" height="300" src="https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/65350454_s.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1" class="attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image" alt="Great Play List" style="margin-bottom: 10px" data-attachment-id="3463" data-permalink="https://dougthorpe.com/leadership-playlist-tapestry/65350454_s/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/65350454_s.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1" data-orig-size="450,300" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"65350454 – the beautiful abstract lighting photo in smart phone with blank notepad and pencil on wooden table , overhead shot or top view","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"pinkomelet/123RF","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="65350454_s" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Great Play List ” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/65350454_s.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/65350454_s.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1″ /> I like a good […]
