I was watching a show about how swords are made and they showed the bladesmith heating up this piece of steel in fire and then pounding on it with a hammer to get it into the shape of a sword. This process was repeated over and over again. Apparently, putting the steel in fire and […]
hardwork, perserverance, sword
In the classic movie “Cool Hand Luke”, Luke, who’s played by Paul Newman, wins a hand at poker with a valuable pot, without cards or combinations of any value in his hand. When he’s confronted with the fact that he basically won with nothing, he said,” Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand.” In decision-making, […]
decision-making, Decisions, Mindfulness
A friend of mine told me she was trying to get up earlier in the morning so she could get more things done and she decided to set her alarm clock 1 hour earlier than she normally gets up. Not surprisingly, this was really difficult. And the reason is, and I think a lot of […]
goal setting, goals, small steps
One of the ways people are reducing social isolation is by connecting on social media… A very effective way that I have found to reduce that isolation is not high-tech, but it is high-touch, and that’s to write personal notes to people. Sometimes it’s just a note telling them that you are thinking about them […]
notes, Writing
The other night I was ordering takeout from one of my favorite restaurants and when they asked for my telephone number, I confidently said,” David Weiman.” I was a little distracted and when the person said,” What?” I realized I wasn’t paying full attention and maybe you’re feeling a little distracted these days yourself, for […]
Distraction, Focus
Everyone in leadership faces the same problem: How do you handle employees who aren’t performing up to par? It can be a real challenge to identify the problem, bring it to the employee’s attention, mutually agree that it’s an issue and develop a plan to correct it. Some leaders take a hands-off approach, believing that […]
Difficult employees, Employees, Poor Performers
I have created a video series on YouTube called “Rise & Whine”. In the beginning of each episode, I hold up a mug. The mug was a Secret Santa gift that I got back in 2005 and I use it every day. And one of the things that I noticed is it’s sort of a […]
big difference, Small things
There are hundreds and hundreds of books available on effective leadership. And the number of books sold seems to be more of a reflection on the size of the market for management help than the number of key principles of effective management. So who am I to tell you what the 5 great rules are? […]
leadership, Leadership Development, leadership skills
There was an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer not too long ago written by the owner of a successful toy manufacturing company. Early in the article, he described the humble beginnings of the company he started in the basement of his parents’ house. I was reminded right away that Apple Computer started in the garage […]
creativity, out of office
A friend posted recently on twitter that she and her husband text from room to room so they don’t wake up their six-month old baby. In some companies, people who work in adjacent offices send texts or e-mail instead of getting up and walking next door or even picking up the phone. While texting and […]
Communication, face to face, leadership communication