From the category archives:

Advice for Consultants

Leadership Lessons from Zombies

by Linda Henman on December 30, 2011

Sometime in the past two years, perhaps while I was distracted by the vampire craze, zombies started presenting a more menacing presence. Scores of television programs, movies, and books have seemingly sprung from nowhere to teach us to survive a zombie attack.  For example, Max Brooks, son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, has dominated [...]

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Business Lessons from Christmas Shoppers

by Linda Henman on December 5, 2011

Last year my friend, Debbie, was dating a man named Bill. As any smart boyfriend would do, he asked Debbie what she wanted for Christmas. She told him she’d like a new sweater and then showed him the kind of thing she had in mind. Bill mentioned that she could use a one-cup coffee maker [...]

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Nice Job in Life

by Linda Henman on October 6, 2011

In 2005, one year after receiving a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs told an audience: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” The most productive chapter in Steve Jobs’s career occurred in the six years after that [...]

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If Your Goal is Comfort, Success Won’t Be Your Results

by Linda Henman on September 6, 2011

Since referrals are the coinage of my realm, I recently asked an executive coaching client, Greg, the CFO of a large company, to refer me to another executive in his organization. Apparently it worked, because a week later one of the vice presidents set up a meeting with me. When I met the vice president, [...]

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Don’t Assume Excellence: Have an Idea

by Linda Henman on August 22, 2011

Esteemed Irish colleague, Patrick Daly, shared this story on a website we both frequent: An economist, a chemist and a physicist are marooned on a desert island. Their only food is a can of beans, but they have no can opener. The physicist says, “Let’s try to focus the tropical sun onto the lid – [...]

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Happy Birthday Davy Crockett

by Linda Henman on August 17, 2011

Davy Crockett, celebrated folk hero, soldier, politician, and” king of the wild frontier” was born 225 years ago today, August 17, 1786. During his fifty years on earth, he served in the militia of Tennessee, represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, served in the Texas Revolution, and gave his life at the Battle [...]

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What’s the Budget Ceiling Got to do With Me?

by Linda Henman on August 5, 2011

Yesterday The St. Louis Business Journal sponsored a program for CFOs to discuss the current decisions in Washington and their impact on individuals and businesses. To make his point, one of the panel members asked audience members to raise their hands if their companies had laid off workers during the recent economy. While those people [...]

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Old Joke: Current Relevance

by Linda Henman on August 1, 2011

As the old joke goes, a reporter asked a business owner, “How many people work here?” “About half,” he responded. Recent research indicates that estimate might have been too ambitious for today’s companies because many leaders reported that only about 29% of their workfoce shows signs of strong engagement. What do the other two thirds do? [...]

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Vacation: Take It or Leave It?

by Linda Henman on July 26, 2011

Recent research indicates that only about 38% of employees use all their allotted vacation time, and it’s not the boss’s fault. Only about 5% of those in the survey said it was. So why don’t people take the time off they’re entitled to? One word—fear. With recent cuts to the labor force, people have developed [...]

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How Do Powerful Women Behave Badly?

by Linda Henman on June 17, 2011

Last week, on the heels of the Anthony Weiner story, the local Fox affiliate asked me to join the anchors to discuss why men in power behave badly. They flashed pictures of John Edwards, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and, as of yesterday, former Congressman Weiner. Initially the questions centered around things like “What were they thinking?” but [...]

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