by Larry Dressler | May 15, 2019 | On My Mind
re*treat. (verb) withdraw to a quiet or secluded place. (noun) a designated time of seclusion from routine activities to gain clarity and/or renewal. Just as building designers follow universal principles and work with dimensions like angles, color, and shape, so must...
by Larry Dressler | May 7, 2019 | On My Mind
re*treat. (verb) withdraw to a quiet or secluded place. (noun) a designated time of seclusion from routine activities to gain clarity and/or renewal. Retreats do two important things. First, they take us “away”—far from the demands of the office and shielded from...
by Larry Dressler | Apr 16, 2019 | From My Bookshelf
When I first met Michelle Hogan over 25 years ago the first thing I noticed about her was her Australian accent. The second thing I noticed was that she talked about brand like nobody else I’d ever met. She said to me, “Larry, forget about your company’s name, logo,...
by Larry Dressler | Apr 9, 2019 | On My Mind
“Core values are the timeless ideals that require no external justification.” -Jim Collins For leaders and organizations, core values define what it means to operate with integrity. In my book, Standing in the Fire, I define “knowing what you stand for” as having...
by Larry Dressler | Apr 3, 2019 | On My Mind
You won’t be surprised to know that I’m my harshest critic. Often, when I return from a high-stakes client meeting a family member or colleague will ask: “How did it go?” Usually, my answer is something like: “The client was blown away by how well it went…I give...
by Larry Dressler | Mar 19, 2019 | In My Tool Bag
Most high performing teams run fast and furious. Moving at that kind of pace we often walk into our meetings and jump right into the agenda. While hitting the ground running may feel productive, something gets lost: We fail to look up from our devices and to-do lists,...
by Larry Dressler | Mar 13, 2019 | On My Mind
In my free time, I carve wooden spoons. The process of carving a spoon is quite simple: Draw a spoon on a piece of wood and then carve away the extraneous material. Unlike art forms that are additive, spoon carving involves incremental subtraction — gradually...
by Larry Dressler | Mar 6, 2019 | From My Bookshelf
Conformity – going with the established ways of doing things — is a reasonable strategy when it comes to navigating your career. It’s the path of least resistance. But according to author Adam Grant, if you want to change the world, you must pursue the path of...
by Larry Dressler | Feb 20, 2019 | On My Mind
There are many versions of “really awful” at work. Your boss is absent or worse – an unappreciative, narcissistic bully. Or maybe you’ve realized that the philosophy or direction of your organization just doesn’t fit your values and you feel out of integrity. Perhaps...
by Larry Dressler | Feb 12, 2019 | In My Tool Bag
Recently at a senior executive team retreat, one member of the team questioned the necessity of the two-day off-site gathering. The executive rationalized that: “We are a group of department heads paid to run our own shows. If I’m honest I’m not sure why I need to be...
