Author Archives: Ken Carroll

From self-belief to self-direction

 In a sense, leaders are in the empowerment business. If you lead a team, you should spend a great deal of your time doing things that empower them. Why? Because people consistently underestimate their capacity to make things happen. They … Continue reading

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You and your friends and your monkey minds

You have a monkey mind and so does your sister. And your boss. And your neighbor. All of you. Monkey minds. But don’t feel bad. You can’t help it. It’s human nature. Our minds naturally flit from one thing to … Continue reading

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Knowing people

 Leaders and managers have to become better students of people and of human nature. We spend our time understanding processes and things rather than on understanding people. ‘People’ is obviously a big subject, but you can narrow it down and … Continue reading

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Effective leadership requires mental training

Lots of professionals use mental training – athletes, surgeons, military personnel, and so on. The idea is to put you in control of your thoughts and feelings. From there, you manage your behaviors – and eventually your destiny. Mental control requires … Continue reading

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Self-direction versus fate

 Most people believe in fate. But with time, the belief submerges and works on them from below the surface. And so, they suffer the destructive consequences without ever realizing it. You can spot a fatalistic worldview. People give up quickly, or never … Continue reading

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Shakespeare in war

Wherever your mind goes, the rest of you follows. Shakespeare knew this, and so, apparently did Henry 5th. He crushes the French at Agincourt, despite being absurdly outnumbered and ill-prepared. His rousing, “Once more into the breach” passage is one of … Continue reading

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Introducing the Average Manager

 In the old days, marketers thought that information drove behavior. All you had to do was tell people to buy the product and they would. Advertising was about dry fact. No connection or empathy needed. How laughable. How absurd. Where … Continue reading

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Why we fail

 The reason why most people never achieve their greatest ambition is because they don’t know what it is. If you lack focus you will not allocate your mental and emotional resources efficiently. With nothing in particular to aim for, you’ll shift, change, try … Continue reading

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Lead like a novelist

 I once attended a lecture on how to write a novel. They woman said something like, “Your work must introduce the reader to a world of flesh and blood characters, individuals who face daunting obstacles. These characters should grow from … Continue reading

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The nature of leadership

 If you’re struggling to simplify your life, a quick search can uncover a world of insights, links, people, and solutions. This ability to connect into communities with shared needs and interests means that we get to learn about ourselves in hyper efficient ways that were never possible in … Continue reading

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