The Muppets were the most high-performing team in the history of pop-culture. The blend of characters created the kind of team we all dream of being part of. So what made them so magical and enduring? We often presume success is predicated on the leader of a team or the culture of the organization. Those are strong elements. But ultimately, it all comes down to the people on the team.

Aaron slumped in his airline seat with a long sigh, resigned to a dismal future. He couldn’t help but reflect on the difference in how he currently felt compared to walking into the negotiations just a couple of hours ago. He was so confident! What went wrong? He had a long flight home to think about it — and how to explain to his boss how it all went sideways.

All too often, people rely on typical negotiation approaches, like going in high or using ultimatums, that work well in one set of circumstances but fall short in others. …

Jenny

The first thing Jenny remembers coming out of the fog is being wracked with excruciating abdominal pain, so intense she cannot catch her breath. Anxious faces are hovering, but all she can focus on is trying to breathe. The sharp, burning pain is wrapping and rippling across her upper abdomen and causes her to attempt to curl into a fetal position, but she is being held back. She’s aware of people and noise; she can hear loud voices, but the pain blocks her comprehension of the words. On her left, she sees hands with a syringe coming near an IV…

Rachel is a founder, a bringer of ideas, a bias-toward-action, err on the side of collaboration kind of gal. She’s started communities of practices, meditation groups, mentoring circles, and book clubs. She serves on conference boards. She speaks at conferences. She mentors others. Her philosophy is that opportunity drives opportunity.

But now, she’s tired. The kind of fatigue that sucks the energy out of the (virtual) room, that shows up in destructive self-talk, and that leads to long hours of escapism through novels or binge-watching Netflix. Despite her accomplishments, this was not the life she dreamed of.

Rachel is a…

Find your common purpose in an uncommon career

Lora Soderquist lives outside Bozeman, Montana. Driven to provide community and environmental impact, she is grounded in her connection to the land and people around her. Her choices revolve around the best life she can provide for her son, Jack.

When Lora became a single parent, she stood at a crossroads with which many of us are familiar. Her life had just taken an unexpected turn. She had one critical mission: How could she provide financially for her son and still spend quality time with him?

Lora had a choice — take…

And Why You Should Start on December 9th

“I used to believe that timing was everything. Now I believe that everything is timing.” Daniel Pink, “When” (2018)

It’s that time of year again, with the New Year lurking. Are you someone who loves New Years Resolutions, prefers to soften the approach with an annual theme, or hates the whole concept? Regardless of your stance, here are some tips from Daniel Pink’s book “When,” combined with good business planning techniques that will set you up for success in the upcoming year.

Imagine Failure in Advance

Fast forward 12 months. There are no masks in view, and you are milling among other humans. Suddenly…

First, we felt energized and productive through the state of emergency. Then, we experienced depression, infighting, and fatigue that appear in a regression state. Now, we are moving into a recovery phase (and in some regions, back into regression.) Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg’s article in Harvard Business Review, “If You Feel Like You’re Regressing, You’re Not Alone,” eloquently chronicles my experience living through the COVID-19 pandemic. I imagine it may describe yours, too. This is the story of how applying a simple coaching technique changed my pandemic, my depression, and my relationships.

Emergency

For the first three months of the Great Pause, I…

Two organizations in two diverse domains, material sciences, and life sciences, are investing in maturing their business agility using Scrum. Recently, both asked about introducing Six Sigma practices into their organizations. They pose the question — can Scrum and Six Sigma co-exist?

My short answer: Of course, they can, and they should — if the problem requires it. Please read on and share your opinion at the end of this blog.

What is Six Sigma? Motorola developed Six Sigma in 1986. Six Sigma is a structured methodology for process improvement and problem-solving. The tools, techniques, and roadmaps aim to reduce…