I don’t play well with everyone. In fact, I’m a bit particular about whom I work with. After working as an advisor and coach for many years, I’ve developed a profile of the clients who are most successful after our work together. These descriptors, you’ll note, are more psychographic than job-related — not related to […]
“Expenditure of physical or mental effort especially when difficult or compulsory” — “Labor” definition, Merriam-Webster I’m not a fan of the term “labor” to describe some of the workers in the economy. It comes from the Latin word labor which means to toil or trouble. I never viewed the people that worked in the organizations […]
I recently created a vlog on “When to Change Strategy” and wanted to share some interesting observations (at least to me!) of changing business because of the pandemic. There’s little joy in Mudville from the pandemic, but there are always lessons! The grocery industry has had to pivot (heavens I’m tired of that word!) dramatically […]
A friend recently sent me a great Far Side cartoon. A group of sheep is standing in a living room with cocktails, and a dog is at the doorway. One sheep says to another: “Henry! Our party’s total chaos! No one knows when to eat, where to stand, what to …. Oh, thank God! Here […]
I’m a big fan of Ken Burns documentaries. Years ago, I took time off at Christmas and watched the Civil War series with one of my kids. I’ve since seen Burns’ films on national parks and country music. Brilliant! I’d known of Burns’ 1994 baseball series but only recently watched it; it was as good […]
Many newer CEOs have contacted me during the pandemic, seeking answers about how to succeed in the role. They’re a bit lonely and frightened. Their questions and statements, however, are often phrased like, “How do I keep my job?” or “I want to avoid making big mistakes right out of the gate” or “I don’t […]
I used to fly aerobatics and was pretty confident (though not terribly skilled!) that I’d make it back to the runway with the airplane in one piece. I did, however, always wear a parachute! Regulation required it, but I also figured it cut my risk significantly. A key trait for successful CEOs is their ability […]
“No matter how great the talent or efforts, some things just take time. You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant!” —Warren Buffett I’m a fan of fast. I talk fast, eat fast and drive fast (says my wife). I like to complete undesirable projects quickly. Heck, we all have […]
A recent Wall Street Journal article (“How Higher Wages Can Increase Profits”) indicates that higher wages can not only reduce turnover and increase recruiting of talented people (no real surprise there) but also increase productivity in existing staff. So higher wages in this example (expense for the business) can achieve higher profit—pretty cool! Mysterious altruism […]
A new CEO asked me which important leadership skills he needed to succeed—the building blocks of success. I suspect he thought my answer would include things like industry knowledge, technical brilliance, negotiating prowess and capital structure analysis. Those are all interesting, but they aren’t success factors I’ve observed in my many years of coaching successful […]