If I waved a magic wand and and proclaimed, “You are now Chief Basket Weaver,” would you suddenly know how to make baskets? Of course not! If I said you’re a leader or Chief Thingamajig Officer, does that mean you now know how to manage, lead, or design “thingamajigs”? No! Yet almost weekly, I run […]
My knowledge of Buddhism could fit in a thimble, but I’ve gleaned that it contains lessons for leaders. “The Six Perfections,” which I recently discovered, are an interesting take on success in the C-suite. 1. Generosity: Imagine you’re the Buddha of the office, bestowing the gift of snacks upon your team. Generosity isn’t just about […]
When automobiles were first developed, some cities banned them. Thoroughbreds and quarter horses went on strike nationwide, looking for protective legislation. Many people nowadays will feel like a thoroughbred soon. Writers in the broadcast industry already do. I drove past a picket line at Fox Studio in L.A. last week. The thing is, complaining won’t […]
It’s only one rung up the ladder, but it’s a large one. You can see it, but you can’t completely understand it until you get there. Becoming a CEO is the culmination of hard work; a healthy, but in-check, ego; some luck; and much skill. But will that skill help you or hold you back? […]
I asked my clients several months ago: “How will AI impact your business?” Several began using it almost immediately for personal productivity (e.g., writing press releases for product announcements and crafting emails about delicate issues), but they also have grander, more strategic thoughts. Why do some ignore AI and show frustration with the conversation, and […]
Data poisoning causes artificial intelligence (e.g., ChatGPT) to create bad assertions. Because AI learns from the open Internet (or sometimes closed systems), and the Internet is full of lots of bad information, the result is predictable. “Garbage in, garbage out” is what we used to say in the before times. “Consider the source” is also […]
I’ve previously written about the value of “optimizing” conflict in an organization rather than naively trying to minimize it. (Here is the link if you are interested.) Conflict and risk both have bad raps, but eliminating either would be a disaster! The historical bank runs (e.g., Silicon Valley Bank in 2023) and the resulting “bail […]
I heard an interview with a local chef on NPR the other day. He was lucky in his early days to study under Daniel Boulud, a world-famous chef and restaurateur. The local chef shared a few things he learned, notably to not rush to the top of the mountain but to enjoy the journey. In […]
I’ve been thinking about risk management lately. Some risk I welcome and some I don’t. Skiing a no-fall zone chute is still pretty fun and a trip to a remote area of the Amazon was outstanding! Replacing two furnaces, a humidifier, and a water heater all in one year at my house, not so much. […]
Do you feel lucky? If you’re old enough, you might remember Clint Eastwood asking this in a Dirty Harry movie as he points a gun at a perp. That’s not quite the frame of mind I want to put you in. Rather, try this: Think about something that recently caused you to feel happy and […]