Early Lessons in Leadership When Empathy Trumps Authority Early lessons in leadership — #1. I’d love to tell you a story about myself as the child prodigy who led a fund drive to acquire new life-saving equipment — that I helped invent — to support the local children’s hospital. But for me, the path to leadership has been less Hollywood and more humbling. […] Written by BPH October 8, 2020October 23, 2020 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Early Lessons in Leadership Beware of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies Early lessons in leadership – #8 If you’ve ever watched toddlers playing in a room full of toys, you may have noticed them trying to pick up a new bauble without putting down the toy they’re already holding. They are curious about the new object, but reluctant to let another child grab what they’ve got. […] Written by BPH January 25, 2019October 23, 2020 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Early Lessons in Leadership You’ve Got Mail (You Don’t Know it) Early lessons in leadership – #7. Early in my career, circa 1990, my work in the nascent tech-media industry forced me to raise my game in computer literacy. It was a humbling experience — but a great learning opportunity. I was hired by Seybold Seminars, and when asked about my computer experience, I felt pretty […] Written by BPH January 11, 2019October 23, 2020 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Early Lessons in Leadership The Power of Being Alone with Yourself Early lessons in leadership – #6 One of the most valuable lessons I learned as a young executive was forced on me by circumstances beyond my control. Left to my own devices, I might never have learned that using quiet time to find clarity requires intent. I’m an extrovert by nature — I always have […] Written by BPH December 14, 2018October 23, 2020 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Early Lessons in Leadership Finding a Cultural Fit Early lessons in leadership – #5. Freeman is noted for its strong culture — 90 years in the making, and a source of pride for all of us. But in recent years, as we’ve acquired new companies and brought in new leaders, I’m reminded that it can take a while to feel like you fit […] Written by BPH November 16, 2018October 23, 2020 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Early Lessons in Leadership When Passion Isn’t Enough Early lessons in leadership – #4 One of the best dividends of my hospitality experience in the Midwest was that it brought me to San Francisco, where I was lucky enough to get in on the leading edge of the high-tech boom. That led to a job for a tech-media start-up in Japan, and several […] Written by BPH October 19, 2018October 23, 2020 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Unexpressed Expectations = Planned Resentment Recovery begins with a realistic recalibration. There’s a psychological phenomenon that I refer to as “unexpressed expectations = planned resentment.” In all walks of life — social, business, family, recreational — people are disappointed, become angry, and are sometimes disillusioned because an outcome falls short of their hopes and dreams. And they don’t connect their resentment with […] Written by BPH July 28, 2021July 28, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
The Next Big Thing Isn’t Hybrid events are a transition to something better. During the deepest days of the pandemic, we learned that the Number One search query on our Freeman website was “hybrid.” This term had become shorthand for the sort of stop-gap live/virtual event format favored by the industry as it regrouped following pandemic-driven event cancellations. In March […] Written by BPH June 30, 2021June 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
This Is My Job Seeing the people who aren’t there. I’m old enough to remember leaders who felt totally justified in dismissing discrimination and other vital social issues as, “not my job.” There was a sense not only of entitlement but actual indignation that these “bleeding-heart” issues should be raised in a business context. The history of American business […] Written by BPH June 7, 2021June 7, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
A Good Problem to Have Ramping back up in the new world order. It seems ages since we started having those tough discussions about furloughing our amazing team members. And now we’re approaching summer again. At long last, our clients are talking about the return to in-person live events. That means our leadership team can make plans to ramp up and […] Written by BPH May 26, 2021May 26, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
