Author Archives: Rich Rothman

The Trouble With “Is”

Breakthrough, Leadership | By Rich Rothman| June 7, 2011, 9:32 am

In the world of breakthrough and going for things you don’t know how to produce, the word “is” can be quite troublesome. This also applies to the word “are.” Whenever something “is” the way that it is or someone “is” the way that they are, it doesn’t leave room for other possibilities. (This applies to yourself as well). It’s especially tricky when we have evidence based on our own experience, experts, or through those we trust and rely on for … Read more…

The Next 25 Minutes…

Breakthrough, Growth | By Rich Rothman| June 2, 2011, 9:38 am

I was at spin class this morning and we were engaged in a particularly hard workout of interval training. With just 25 minutes to go, already feeling fatigued and drenched in sweat, the instructor turned down the music to talk to us. Through the huffing and puffing, she said, “OK people…. We have 25 minutes left. Only you can decide how you are going to approach these next 25 minutes. Once they are gone, you can never get them back. … Read more…

Every Experience Counts

Leadership, Transformation | By Rich Rothman| May 6, 2011, 1:04 pm

Recently, I was at a conference centered on creating amazing customer experiences. With 300+ people in the room, one attendee shared the following story which was striking in terms of the profound impact that both positive and negative customer experiences can have. This individual was from Australia, and being in London for this conference, wanted to get shoes at Selfridges & Co., which is a high-end department store in London. In short, his experience with the store associate in the … Read more…

Five Critical Steps to Saying Something Uncomfortable

Breakthrough, Leadership | By Rich Rothman| May 4, 2011, 9:09 am

SmartMoney did a recent post on the 10 Things Co-Workers Won’t Tell You.  Most of them are ill-spirited and fall into the gossip mill, but the topic raises a good point – sometimes there is great value in articulating something uncomfortable in order to reach a breakthrough or an unexpected outcome. Quite often, we wind up working around a person or an issue, resigned to the “fact” that it’s forever and won’t change. Maybe you even went for resolving it … Read more…