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 […]
I’ve observed a major shift in conversations I have with CEOs. We went from “how to survive the pandemic” in 2020 to “designing the hybrid workspace” (or not, depending on perspective) in early 2021 to “attracting and retaining talent” (at all levels!), which is becoming the biggest challenge for many. There’s no fine line between […]
Because I typically travel to work with the executives I coach, I found myself with extra time during COVID. I work with midmarket CEOs and their teams, but for some reason I was getting calls from small business owners. It wasn’t right to turn them away, so I helped some for free or a very […]
Years ago, I served on a public company board of directors with a prominent investor. Like most successful people I’ve known, a few maxims drove his success. The one I heard repeatedly from him was: “Rule number one in business is never run out of cash! Rule number two is never violate rule number one!” […]
I live in Boulder, Colorado. For a small town (about 100,000 people), Boulder is famous for many things. JonBenét Ramsey died here. The politics are very left of center. We have more marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks. It’s not unusual to see a $10,000 bike on top of a $300 car. The University of Colorado is […]
“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 […]