Brevity has its limitations Simplifying messages is a talent that’s extremely valuable in an executive. Framing issues quickly and getting to the essence is a skill that comes more naturally to some than others. But it’s valuable and learnable, whether you’re an executive or on your first job. Brevity, however, has its limitations. “Go, team, […]
A common and vexing issue that I’ve seen boards and management teams struggle with is balancing the company’s short-term results achievement with its future environment. Too often this devolves into a polarized debate about the efficacy of looking out five, 10 or 15 years. The current P&L-focused group members thumb their nose at the long-term […]
There’s always something wrong. Perfection doesn’t exist in business. Perhaps it doesn’t exist anywhere, but there are some spots on the planet that might be close: Glacier National Park, the Tetons, chairlift KT-22 at Squaw Valley or a 20-inch cutthroat trout on the first cast. Business, however, is a system, and what’s most important is […]
I’ve read with some interest, amazement and amusement about “new” organizational structures in the past few years. And I believe that if everyone followed all the rules, we’d still have a feudal society. There are some interesting experiments regarding how democratic a work environment should be, but one thing I know for sure: If the […]
For many years, Avis’ advertising slogan was “We’re No. 2. We try harder.” Similarly, Pepsi had a mission statement that simply said “Beat Coke,” and Nike vowed to “Crush Reebok.” One of my favorites was the giant industrial company Komatsu, which focused on beating Caterpillar with the battle cry “Eat the Cat.” Alternatively, there are […]
A recent annual ski trip with guys I worked with years ago produced many interesting conversations. But the one right before we boarded airplanes to head off to homes in three states was particularly interesting. We were all still engaged in business in some capacity. We talked, however, about how a couple of talented people […]
What do your customers hate about you? If you answer that and find a solution, you’ll likely grow. Some time ago a story about Elon Musk caught my eye. He saw that there was a complaint on social media about people leaving their Tesla cars at the charging stations longer than required, causing new arrivals […]
Judge a Man by His Questions “It is easier to judge the mind of a man by his questions rather than his answers.” —Pierre-Marc-Gaston de Lévis Think about your day yesterday. What questions did you face? If you’re like many busy executives, they were probably along the lines of: -Did the Western division get its […]
Insidious as termites, as hard to destroy as a nuclear-hardened bomb shelter, disguised as health food but as nasty as deep-fried butter, bureaucracy is killing you. Tolerating organizational bureaucracy is like breathing secondhand smoke for decades. You can see it, it’s annoying and it’ll eventually kill you, but it won’t kill you today, so you […]
Are you prepared to lead with just your own skills? Three days after Christmas the temperature was slightly above freezing. After spending the bulk of the previous three days in the house, I went for a bike ride. On my previous ride, my bike computer showed a low-battery symbol. Sure enough, it was dead by […]