Diana Kander, New York Times Bestselling Author and Renowned Innovation Keynote Speaker
Take a moment to think about it. Was it a big professional challenge? A tough personal decision? Or maybe it was simply showing up every day when things felt overwhelming. Whatever it was, it taught you something valuable. Hard things always do. But here’s the catch: as humans, our natural tendency is to seek comfort. … Read more
That might sound strange, but hear me out. When I took on a big new tennis goal this year—starting as a complete novice—I knew one thing for sure: I was going to lose. A lot. And I did. I lost matches in ways that were embarrassing. There were moments where I felt humiliated and out … Read more
I’m starting a new series to showcase the biggest setbacks experienced by the most successfulpeople I know. Hopefully you’ll see that none of us are immune to life’s whammies and maybewe can use their lessons learned to save ourselves some time and heartache.One of my upcoming interviews (that I can’t wait to share with you) … Read more
Remember what got you started in the world of business? Your first ideas, your drafts, yourdrawing boards? As a novice, you were probably acting on curiosity rather than expertise orexcitement rather than surety. This curiosity mindset is what set you apart and made your ideasworth implementing. It may even have been the driving factor behind … Read more
Forget asking for advice. Here’s a radical approach that could change everything: It’s called a Clearness Committee, and it’s a Quaker practice that dates back to the 1660s. But don’t let its age fool you – it’s a tool that’s more relevant for leaders than ever. Here’s how it works: Gather a group of trusted … Read more
It’s hard to change a company’s mindset once it’s entrenched. Organizations, like livingorganisms, develop their unique DNA over time — a web of beliefs, values, and behaviors.When challenged, we often push back. That’s probably why 70% of change initiatives don’tsucceed. This is often because employees resist the changes, backed up by a lack of support frommanagement. All … Read more
Breaking the Expertise Trap When it comes to work, expertise is the far-off horizon we’re all striving to reach. You want tobecome smarter and wiser. You want to know more and gather more experiences under your belt.You may even strive to receive public acclaim or awards. Yet even if you manage to reach some form of expertise, … Read more
Do you know the story of Ronald Wayne, Apple’s third co-founder? He knew Steve Jobs from their time together at Atari. And when Jobs and Woz started Apple, Ronald became the third co-founder and owned 10% of the company. He owned that stock for all of 12 days before he got cold feet. He thought … Read more
Strategies for Learning From Failure (and How to Navigate Its 6 Stages) No matter who you are, facing failure is hard. When we fail, our gut reaction is to turn aroundand hide. Our survival instincts kick in to avoid embarrassment. Think about it. If you try iceskating and have a bad fall, you can either … Read more