Beat fear; Be uncommon!

I’m currently typing these words as I sit on an Cathay Pacific airplane headed to Hong Kong, 30,000 feet above the earth’s surface. This will be my first visit to China. If I’m blessed to live another decade it won’t be my last. By the end of this adventure, I will have explored over 30 Read More

10 Characteristics That Lead To Success

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from a number of men and women, who have made some outstanding achievements and over the past month, I decided to take some time to review my old notes and reflect on the many lessons I’ve learned from them. The list I’ve shared below are a brief compilation of Read More

Believing You Can vs. Believing You Can’t

A month or two ago, I had the opportunity to be part of an intimate panel interview with Martin “Marty” Nesbitt. Mr. Nesbitt is a well-known, successful businessman in Chicago, and also the best friend of President Barack Obama. During the panel discussion, Mr. Nesbitt shared an interesting exchange he and the President had about Read More

5 Life Lessons From Dr. Maya Angelou

  A few weeks ago, I shared a blog post titled, “5 Virtual Mentors That Changed My Life”. I had originally planned to add two more virtual mentors, but the post started getting long. If I had added the two additional mentors, Maya Angelou would have made the list along with Frederick Douglass. Thus, this week’s blog Read More

SIRENS!

Growing up and living in a large metropolitan city, can make anyone take the sound of a siren for granted. In a big city… It’s a common occurrence to hear police sirens. It’s a common occurrence to hear fire truck sirens. It’s a common occurrence to hear ambulance sirens. These sirens interrupt our sleep. These Read More

A Terrible Mistake Leaders Often Make

As a leader, I find it alarming and disheartening how many leaders make one common mistake. Often this mistake is overlooked by these leaders and repeated by the people they intend to lead. According to research, only 11% of leaders in North America are effective. I would attribute this mistake to that discouraging figure, but Read More

7 Reasons We Avoid New Opportunities

Over this past weekend, a group of colleagues and I volunteered our time to provide coaching conversations to a group of men at the Pacific Garden Mission (homeless shelter) in Chicago. I was one of the first coaches to arrive at the location, so I took on the responsibility of gathering twenty men from a lounge Read More

7 Skills A 21st Century Leader Will Need To Succeed!

Recently, I provided the keynote speech at a large leadership conference and shared a talk about what makes a leader effective, along with the new competencies of leadership in the 21st century. To start my talk I shared my twitter handle (@linalharris) with the audience to provide them a way to ask questions, since there Read More

Why Live? We’re All Going To Die Anyway!

  Stuff happens! The uncertainty of when and how stuff happens is a complex and necessary part of life. Most of the stuff that happens can be categorized as good or bad, however the interpretation and categorization of this stuff, is completely up to us. Or is it? There are a number of things and/or happenings Read More

5 Ways To Make Great First Impressions

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. It is the first impression that often closes or opens doors to additional contacts and networking opportunities. Unfortunately, we live in a world laced with bias and stereotypes, so if you truly want to design your own life and open unseen doors of opportunity, Read More