You like potato, I like potahto. Who cares? You call it a problem; I say it’s a decision. Who cares? You should! They don’t require the same process. CEOs and other leaders are constantly faced with problems to solve, decisions to make and opportunities to explore. It is critical, however, to know the difference. The […]
The Wall Street Journal recently reported this: “Software giant Microsoft Corp., in a recent survey of more than 20,000 people, found that 87% of employees say they are productive at work, while only 12% of leaders have confidence that their workers are being productive.” I’m protective of the C-suite as those are the people I […]
I was racing to my office from an appointment when the light ahead turned yellow—the universal indication to hit the gas, which I did. The guy ahead of me, however, saw the yellow light with a different mindset and braked. Luckily, no metal was bent. Although I won’t justify my driving habits, it made me […]
An upcoming trip to fly-fish on a tributary on the Amazon caused me to buy some heavier equipment (i.e., rod, reel, fly line, and flies). The fish down there are river monsters. A trip to the park to try out said gear was humbling. My casting is pretty good, but with that heavy gear I […]
When you view life over the long arc of history, the picture is phenomenal. Death, disease, poverty, war, and other nasty things—when viewed with a 100-year lens—have declined and many things have flourished. If you don’t believe me, pick up Steven Pinker’s book, “Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.” When I […]
I frequently speak with people who feel they haven’t achieved exactly what they want. It might be business success, career success, income, skill, or lack of joy. We often work on a plan to get what they want. It’s not my job to tell people what they should want. (Unless they’re family. Then it’s my […]
A view of the owners’ box—with a new ownership group and president—at a Denver Broncos game surprised me (a Minnesota transplant from 30 years ago makes me more Broncos fan than Vikings). Several owners and the team president had their heads buried in their phones. I suspect they weren’t calling plays down to the new […]
Your systems and methods for interacting with customers must be credible. Sample your own product so that you know what you are putting your customers through!
“If you spend 13 minutes a year on economics, you’ve wasted 10 minutes.” —Peter Lynch Lynch was referring to the ability of economics to predict recessions, and he’s mostly right. However, one thing I regret about my formal education is not studying economics more. I had a course or two in graduate school but wasn’t […]
“Would you like fries with that?” has been around as a revenue enhancer since I was very young. Seems like a good question and no doubt enhances revenue (and waistlines) significantly. At some point, however, upcharges are damn annoying! I wrote some years ago about my wife buying a monkey backpack for a 1 year […]