One of the most prevalent traits that I have observed in successful leaders is their ability to communicate. Specifically, their ability to tell stories and to simplify complex messages. It’s a skill work developing! Metaphors, analogies, and proverbs are useful communication tools as they are often a good short-cut to understanding. I’ve used many of […]
Many years ago, I went to dinner in New York City with five colleagues. We found a small Italian restaurant on a quiet street. After we sat down, they poured us water but offered no menus. A few minutes later, the owner came out and said, “What would you like for dinner?” (He served mostly […]
What do Tesla, Peloton, WeWork and Uber have in common? At least four things: high customer demand, significant revenue, billions in market cap (OK, Tesla is a trillion …), and tremendous cumulative losses as I write this. I hope all above-mentioned companies turn the corner and generate lots of profit in the long run because […]
Man, what a year … again! If you’re a leader, you’ve probably had a challenging, fascinating, maddening, out-of-the-box, over-the-top year — probably two in a row. Pandemic or not, December is the right time to block out a day and look back to learn and forward to jump-start 2022. You can certainly do this alone, […]
Will interest rates keep rising? Will my supply chain ever get fixed!? Should I require vaccinations for my workers? Are customers’ behavioral changes permanent? Should I require my team to return to the office? I need employees; where will they come from? How will upcoming government action (or inaction) affect my business? Will my business […]
A recent LinkedIn post from The World Economic Forum extols the cities where the “best” work-life balance exists (Helsinki, Oslo and Zurich). I love the topic but detest the phrase “work-life balance.” Isn’t work a subset of life? I discuss the topic of happiness with every executive I coach. Sometimes they bring it up, and […]
As companies struggle to figure out their optimal work environment, I’ve observed numerous “workplace pundits” (funny how many have never run an organization!) suggest that if one person is unwilling or unable to attend a face-to-face work event, then everyone should adopt a less-desirable option (e.g., Zoom or phone). What?! This is not only dumb […]
I hated math word problems as a kid, so I’ll make this a pain-free version with an easy question! I recently wrote about CEOs’ need for a high understanding of their financial situation and wanted to follow up with an illustrative story. I specifically mentioned that, as a CEO, you should understand your cash conversion […]
I mentioned in a recent video (“Why Do CEOs Fail”) that I had worked with several first time CEOs in the last year. Most of them had come through the ranks and learned the critical elements of business (or at least some of them!) and were looking for refinement. A few, however, had very little […]
I have a growing sense of alarm that the workplace solutions being established in many companies, perhaps yours, lack complete thoughts around the unintended consequences. (See Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2, Exhibit 3, Exhibit 4 and Exhibit 5 for starters.) My greatest concern for burdened CEOs — who’ve had to improvise a lot over the past […]