The phrase “I serve at the pleasure of …” annoys me. It’s used most often in the political realm, such as, “I serve at the pleasure of the president” (most often uttered when someone is about to get fired). Any leader who asserts that “you serve at my pleasure” may be factually correct but is […]
Todd Ordal coaches CEOs to higher levels of success. He is a former CEO and has led teams as large as 7,000 people. Todd is the author of, Never Kick a Cow Chip On A Hot Day: Real Lessons for Real CEOs and Those Who Want To Be (Morgan James Publishing). Connect with Todd on LinkedIn, […]
A fascinating and critical question for leaders: do you reward behavior or victories? Consider these situations: You have a well-established business model but are concerned that it’s too old and a startup may soon eat your lunch. you fund a new division to build out some adjacent product lines. it gets three to market; two […]
Todd Ordal coaches CEOs to higher levels of success. He is a former CEO and has led teams as large as 7,000 people. Todd is the author of, Never Kick a Cow Chip On A Hot Day: Real Lessons for Real CEOs and Those Who Want To Be (Morgan James Publishing). Connect with Todd on LinkedIn, […]
Thoughtful, skilled, and caring leaders are the oxygen that keeps businesses alive and breathing. Unfortunately though, there isn’t a formula with which to manufacture great leaders—no mathematical equation or algorithm that assures leadership success. But leadership skills can be learned and improved. Here are seven leadership mantras that form the foundation for business success. MANTRA […]
Todd Ordal coaches CEOs to higher levels of success. He is a former CEO and has led teams as large as 7,000 people. Todd is the author of, Never Kick a Cow Chip On A Hot Day: Real Lessons for Real CEOs and Those Who Want To Be (Morgan James Publishing). Connect with Todd on LinkedIn, […]
Random acts don’t equal strategy.
Organizational challenges often have symptoms that don’t readily illuminate the underlying issue. Here is a model to think about.
I was the CEO for several private equity (PE) owned firms and have coached numerous CEOs who worked in PE-owned firms. I’ve encountered wonderful people from PE, but also too many that behave like boorish know-it-alls — the so called “smartest guys in the room” (yup, mostly guys). I’m writing about the latter group. … […]
Direct Communication Requires Practice At the time I wrote this, my kitchen counter was full of ingredients for Thanksgiving dinner. I like to cook, so it was a pleasure to pull it all together. If only potatoes and dressing were good for you. … My mind—perhaps from too much anticipated tryptophan—went from trussing turkey to […]