I had lunch with a retired Marine the other day. We got to talking about minimum standards. He said during his service he never really knew what the minimum was—he only knew the top numbers and shot for those. An interesting perspective on life and work, isn’t it? I’ve never coached a senior executive who set their sights on […]
I recently heard David Brooks use this phrase. He was talking about a politician—you can take your pick—but the phrase applies to far too many leaders in both politics and business. Take the CEO I knew who lasted exactly one year in the chair. His motivation? Ego. Not customers. Not employees. Not even shareholder value. He […]
Another day, another poll telling us that managers are miserable and their teams are just as cranky. Shocking, right? I’ve been coaching executives and blogging about leadership for over 20 years. So have thousands of others—some with podcasts, TED Talks, and Instagram-worthy hair. And yet… nothing changes. Companies still hire managers based on résumés, vibes, […]
I’ve worked with young executives—yes, even CEOs—who are undeniably smart but utterly unmoored in how they lead and manage. What’s missing? A personal operating system. Not some productivity app with a quirky name, but a real internal framework that guides their decisions and behavior. This is where bright, energetic founders—with little or no management seasoning—start […]
As our current administration continues its whiplash-inducing habit of making knee-jerk decisions, many businesses are being upended—or made irrelevant. Some probably deserve it. Many don’t. If you’re leading a company caught in the crossfire of regulatory, financial, or political chaos, it’s time to ask a hard question: Is your business model still the best way to […]
Being a CEO has always been hard—but never harder than the stretch that started with COVID, slogged through the “WFH or not” chaos (still unresolved), and got sucker-punched by the 17-times-rebooted tariff debacle. It’s been a perfect storm of instability—like a tornado in a trailer park. As one seasoned (and successful) CEO told me, “The […]
Dogs are loyal. Painfully loyal. If you want to test just how loyal, try this (hypothetically!): lock your spouse and your dog in your trunk for an hour and see who licks your face when you let them out. (To be clear: I do not condone locking up spouses, dogs, or even cats—despite my personal reservations about […]
Organizations get stuck. Not in-the-weeds, minor-speed-bump stuck, but full-body-in-quicksand stuck. Over time, layer upon layer of rational processes are put in place to support strategy and reduce risk. But let’s be honest: many of those “rational” processes also build moats around fiefdoms, create the illusion of certainty where chaos should thrive, and keep management happy […]
I’ve been thinking about anecdotal evidence lately—mostly because it’s fueling some baffling policy decisions at the federal level. You know, those moments when someone confidently ignores actual data and declares, “Well, my cousin tried it and it worked great!” Unfortunately, this kind of logic isn’t limited to politics. It’s alive and well in the business […]
Have you ever used the phrase “it’s complicated” with your spouse or a close friend when you couldn’t—or didn’t want to—explain something? It’s a total conversation killer. Unsatisfying for the listener. Evasive at best, lazy at worst. CEOs and other leaders are constantly told to simplify messages and use storytelling to unify and inspire their teams. I’ve […]