My definition of organizational effectiveness? Great results with optimal resources over the long haul. There are three components in my definition. Change one of them, and you’re not successful in my book. You can get great results in the short term, and you can even get those results with the wrong number or quality of […]
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” —Peter Drucker Organizational effectiveness requires that people are doing the right things well. Doing the right things poorly is probably an opportunity for coaching. Doing the wrong things well is, as Drucker points out, useless. A colleague and I […]
Temperament in the corner office is something that deserves consideration when thinking about effective leadership. Unfortunately, volatility is sometimes correlated with success, but correlation is not causation. One of my best clients asked my thoughts on Elon Musk. “Brilliant carnival barker,” was my response. His was more articulate, but we were on the same page. […]
Executive coaching is about setting objectives, questioning, listening, prodding, a little bit of ass kicking, rewarding and supporting. Any other questions? OK, for those who want more detail, let’s explore this for a minute. You can’t throw a rock in a crowd without hitting a few executive coaches. Some are wise old business veterans, and […]
What is strategic planning? Well … for one thing, it’s perhaps the most misused phrase in business! Let’s start with what strategy is. On second thought, let’s start with what strategy is NOT! It’s not a budget. It’s not a fat document. It’s not that thing you do every November. It’s not a mystical chant. […]
I’m not Catholic, but my wife is. So I’ve been an “observer” of the religion and leadership in the church for decades. In fact, my wife was in St. Peter’s Square and saw the white smoke go up when John Paul II was selected. Pretty cool experience for her! I work with CEOs and marvel […]
“How can we miss you when you won’t go away?” Papa John’s leadership and shareholders might be saying. If you’ve been following the pizza leadership drama in the news, you’ll note that a bad case of “founder’s syndrome” settled in Papa John’s ovens recently. It became a struggle of overinflated ego versus what’s right for […]
Donald Trump’s recent debacle* — lauding Putin, ignoring his own intelligence agencies and blaming America for the poor United States/Russian relationship, and then reversing course after a tsunami of outrage — is instructive for leaders. Here’s the directive: Leadership is not polling! Leadership has obligations, and making tough decisions and sticking with them is one […]
I’ve been thinking about tariffs as of late. Mostly thinking about them as a blunt instrument. Economics, politics and history would tell us that they are not a very effective way to deal with “inequities”, though certainly they are implemented to try to correct a wrong or even the playing field. If free trade is […]
It turns out that erasing $100 billion in market value takes less time and energy than bolting together parts to achieve it initially. It doesn’t take the brightest bulb in the chandelier to see that keeping the trains on the tracks, the coal-fired turbines spinning or the airplanes flying all at the same time is […]