A college friend told me recently he agreed to “retire early” instead of being laid off. He said the organization was “killing his soul.” The most devastating consequence of downsizing (often called layoffs) is how it destroys the culture. Peter Drucker believed in the power of culture and was famous for saying “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Culture is the …
Living in Portfolio Mode
Living in portfolio mode as defined by David Corbett in his book Portfolio Life involves investing in yourself, but it also means spending time exploring and discovering what interests you right now and what you are going to do about it. This blog post is going to summarize some advice I share in my Sage-ing Workshops about moving onto what’s next. …
Creating and Investing in a Portfolio Life
According to David Corbett, author of Portfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After 50, the portfolio life is a life-planning tool adapted from the financial services. The point is to view life as a mix of elements that take our time and energy. We should be thinking about diversifying, balancing risk and return, and making intentional decisions–rather than …
In the New Reality: We Are All Self-Employed
We are living in a new world of uncertainty. Industries, companies, and positions are disappearing –causing lingering fear and mistrust. As a result, there is a shift in the way people connect with their organizations (employee contract) and expectations. The old reality (old paradigm) was based on employee performance, loyalty, dependence, and commitment. In return, organization had an obligation to …
Becoming a Sage Episode 3
Welcome to the Becoming a Sage podcast, hosted by Dr. Jann. Episode 3 features Dr. Jann’s conversion with Harry “Rick” Moody A graduate of Yale (1967) and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University (1973), Rick taught philosophy at Columbia, Hunter College, New York University, and the University of California at Santa Cruz. From 1999 to 2001 he served as …
Invest in a Portfolio Life
Recently, I participated in a “Transition to Retirement Summit” where I got to listen to several people over the course of three days via webinar interviews. This Summit was organized and facilitated by Marianne Oehser who I plan to interview for my monthly podcast series titled Becoming a Sage. My podcasts are sent out as blog posts on the second Friday …
Leadership Development is Personal Development
One of the statements I often make is: “Organizations only grow and improve when people grow and improve. So to become a better leader, work on becoming a better person.” Since self-awareness is empowering, leadership development starts with understanding the self. And the better we understanding ourselves, the easier it is to understand others. Not easy–but easier. First, it is …
Becoming a Sage by Seeking Wisdom
One of my favorite words is “wisdom” probably because we think of Sages as having wisdom. In fact, I like the phrase “becoming a sage” so much that this is the title of my monthly podcast series (on the second Friday of each month). You may be familiar with Krista Tippett, the public radio host of On Being (and newsletter with the …
Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast!
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It is said that Peter Drucker used this phrase to indicate that corporate culture is more important than company strategy. Yet, many companies are making decisions that are destroying the culture. I often use these metaphors to describe culture: Invisible tapestry. We often can’t see it, but culture weaves people together. Glue. It is the glue …
Why Relationships Matter
In my leadership courses, workshops, and coaching, I require people to read the “Corner Office” by Adam Bryant in the Sunday New York Times. Bryant interviews CEOs and other senior leaders and I always learn something new or it reinforces something I believe and advocate. I also am an avid reader of every word of the New York Times Style Section on Sundays. While …