Tag Archives: problem solving

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What A Swan Taught Me About Leadership

On a warmer February afternoon, Pamela and I walked through our neighborhood. We walked over a creek, which is a hotbed of activity during the summer. In the winter months, there’s not much going on.

However, on this day, we saw two ducks and two swans. The two ducks and one swan were swimming along fine. They were having a great time in the water.

But then there was the second swan…

A swan on water. There is ice surrounding the swan.

He’s in the middle of an ice patch. All around him is a crunchy layer of ice. What we saw happen next surprised me.

The swan didn’t take flight. He pushed himself forward, again and again, into the ice. He was breaking through the ice so he could get to the portion of the creek that was free of ice.  Read more...

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

A Reel Leadership Article

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book.

In the latest edition of Reel Leadership, we return to the MonsterVerse, a world where giant titans live and thrive. These titans include creatures such as Godzilla, Kong, King Ghidorah, Rodan, Mothra, and other gigantic monsters.

It’s a great throwback to films of old where Godzilla had to battle various threats. Now, we get to see them fighting each other and together.

Godzilla and Kong (two gigantic creatures) charging forward with a pinkish background

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (first off, did you know the X is silent? It really is.) picks up after the 2014 Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs. Kong. The story of Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), and Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), along with the addition of Trapper (Dan Stevens), a former love interest of Ilene. Many of the monsters have been relocated, the most important being that Godzilla has claimed his throne above ground, and Kong has gone underground to Hollow Earth and reigns there.   Read more...

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Pixar’s Up

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book.

The 2009 film Up is a Disney Pixar feature-length animated movie that will warm the hearts of even the most curmudgeon. Up tells the story of 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen (Edward ‘Ed’ Asner) and his grief over losing the love of his life, Ellie (whose name is based on the film’s director Pete Docter’s daughter, Elie Docter). They had big dreams to travel the world, live at Paradise Falls, and have the greatest adventures of all time.

Sadly, things got in the way of their adventures. One thing after the other caused them to break into their travel fund and put that dream on hold. Ellie eventually passes away, and Carl becomes a grumpy old man.

An old man, young boy, dog are holding onto a rope connected to a floating house. The house is floating because of balloons and there's a colorful bird sitting on the house  Read more...

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Quotes And Leadership Lessons From Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie

My latest book, Reel Leadership, is now available on Amazon. If you love movies and leadership, you will love this book.

On July 12, 2002, the USA Network debuted the comedy Monk. The series followed Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder. This led to hilarious moments throughout the series. Monk would solve cases but would also be repulsed by situations he would get into. He’d have to have hand sanitizer, wet wipes, count steps or touches, and more. His obsessiveness was funny.

At the end of the original Monk series, Monk had solved his most pressing case, the murder of Trudy. He’d considered retirement and seemed to be getting better concerning his obsessive-compulsive disorder. 21 years later, Mr. Monk’s Last Case lost the charm the television series had. 

Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) and Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) sitting on a couch

But now Monk’s back to take on his final case. It involves the death of Molly Evan’s (Caitlin McGee) fiance Griffin Briggs (Austin Scott).  Read more...

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3 Ways To Enhance Problem-Solving Skills In Leadership

Every day, you will encounter problems. Some little, some big. All needing an answer. 

So, how do you problem-solve? How do you handle the situations and issues that arise every day?

The greatest mistake we make is teaching our children to memorize things without even understanding,
Instead of teaching them problem solving and critical thinking.”
― Mouloud Benzadi

Some people handle it poorly. They make bad decisions, get angry, frustrated, lash out at others. That’s not how a great leader problem solves. 

They do the following 3 actions to get through the problems of the day.

3 Ways To Enhance Problem-Solving Skills In Leadership

Ask for feedback:

Everyone can improve upon their problem-solving skills. This can be a struggle if you don’t know what you’re looking to improve.  Read more...