The Barzel Group Blog
The Dangers of Intuitive Leadership
“There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis.” That’s from Malcom Gladwell, author of Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. History backs up his assertion with countless examples of inexplicable snap decisions that turned out to be pivotal: The skinny race horse has knobby…
Four Questions for Leaders to Ask Themselves
I’m pretty sure Socrates would’ve liked my friend Jason Hodges. As you may recall, the Socratic method is named after the Greek philosopher who trained his followers to become critical thinkers—not by lecturing, but by asking questions. His queries exposed weaknesses in a person’s thought process and guided them into a more solid assessment of…
Urgency vs. Importance: The Eisenhower Matrix
Did you know that 40% of business owners feels that their own, personal time management gets in the way of productivity ? When there are too many things to do and not enough time to do them, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Too often, business leaders feel paralyzed by the busyness of their business, always…
What Are the Five Capitals? An Interview with Josh Leatherman
What would you say if I told you that we all have significant valuable assets? What if I told you that you possessed abundant capital that you could invest wherever you chose? Some of you would probably laugh in my face. Terms like “investment,” “capital,” and “assets” can often seem reserved for only the wealthiest…
Effectively Implementing a Strategic Plan: 5 Necessary Structural Elements
For many teams, developing a strategic plan can be a massive achievement. However, the creation of the plan is simply the first step of the process. After you plan the work, you actually have to work the plan—and this is where many plans simply fall apart. Perhaps that’s why Thomas Edison said, “Vision without execution…
Access vs. Excellence: Which Is More Important for Leaders?
You’re the leader. You want your team to succeed, but you’re unsure which leadership style will serve you best for developing people in the workplace. Does your team need to be challenged toward excellence in order to grow and succeed? Or do they need a leader they can access, one they can trust who will…