Culture is everything. Keynotes, training, and coaching are essential tools for transforming a culture. But they’re not silver bullets. You build success on the bedrock of ethical leadership, ethical communication, and ethical intelligence. A prospect asked me to implement an ambitious plan to revive his company. I quickly discovered that …

Bread and circuses. Ironically, the tech trend that may prove most disruptive — in the classic sense of the word — is a reboot from the Roman Empire. Just as the nobility of Rome kept their citizens anesthetized by creating the entertainment industry and the entitlement culture, an increasingly absorptive …

Believing you have to choose between being good and being successful. This is the biggest mistake a leader can make. How many times have we thought, said, or heard, “I can’t afford to do the right thing” or “I don’t have time to show appreciation” or “After I’m successful, then …

Think three steps ahead. While I was teaching, opportunities came my way that could have better positioned me for the future. But I wasn’t forward-thinking enough, and I let those opportunities slip through my fingers. When I retired from the classroom to become an entrepreneur, the windows I might have …

I spend a lot of time on LinkedIn. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, the exchanges there often display considerable depth, thoughtful engagement, civil discourse, and a genuine sense of community. Those interactions leave me hopeful that the future of business is one characterized by curiosity, collaboration, and intellectual integrity, that more …

“Soft Skills.” From this insidious expression arises perhaps the most dangerous misconception in business. Empathy, civility, communication, curiosity, and integrity are non-negotiable. They allow us to earn credibility, loyalty, and trust, forming the bedrock that supports an ethical culture and successful relationships. Cutting corners, exploiting loopholes, and ruthless opportunism may …