by Franklin Wordsmith | Aug 9, 2017 | Leadership
My husband and I play this game.When he’s incensed about something—such as someone cutting him off in traffic—he’ll say, “I’m sorry, but that woman is a terrible driver and shouldn’t be on the road.”Then I’ll reply, “You’re not sorry at all!”“You’re right,” he’ll...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Aug 2, 2017 | Leadership
Last week, I sadly ended a partnership for creating and putting on an event. Why? Because of the Drama Triangle.After I invited a third person to help my partner and me develop this program, friction arose. It soon became clear that as long as one person felt...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Jul 25, 2017 | Leadership
I took my first trip to England in college. A few days in, all the other students began working on their British accents. (They sounded like a nightmarish version of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.) When someone asked me why I wasn’t joining in, I said, “Over here, my...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Jul 11, 2017 | Leadership
What were you doing in 1981?If you were working, you sat at a typewriter—because the first IBM PC was just being invented. You used couriers to share printed documents fast—because faxes weren’t yet around. And if you were out of the office and wanted to make a call,...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Jul 5, 2017 | Leadership
We can say “thank you” so thoughtlessly that people are almost sorry we spoke to them.I did this with my first assistant: writing “thanks” at the bottom of every request I made of her. Then I overheard her saying, “Lynne thanks me for...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Jun 28, 2017 | Leadership
The chiropractor looked at me and said, “I hate to give bad news. But the truth is your back issues mean you’ll be in pain for the rest of your life.”Then she proceeded to explain what the x-rays showed.It didn’t matter. My brain had left the building …As leaders, we...
