I’ve worked with young executives—yes, even CEOs—who are undeniably smart but utterly unmoored in how they lead and manage. What’s missing? A personal operating system. Not some productivity app with a quirky name, but a real internal framework that guides their decisions and behavior. This is where bright, energetic founders—with little or no management seasoning—start […]
As our current administration continues its whiplash-inducing habit of making knee-jerk decisions, many businesses are being upended—or made irrelevant. Some probably deserve it. Many don’t. If you’re leading a company caught in the crossfire of regulatory, financial, or political chaos, it’s time to ask a hard question: Is your business model still the best way to […]
Being a CEO has always been hard—but never harder than the stretch that started with COVID, slogged through the “WFH or not” chaos (still unresolved), and got sucker-punched by the 17-times-rebooted tariff debacle. It’s been a perfect storm of instability—like a tornado in a trailer park. As one seasoned (and successful) CEO told me, “The […]
Dogs are loyal. Painfully loyal. If you want to test just how loyal, try this (hypothetically!): lock your spouse and your dog in your trunk for an hour and see who licks your face when you let them out. (To be clear: I do not condone locking up spouses, dogs, or even cats—despite my personal reservations about […]
Organizations get stuck. Not in-the-weeds, minor-speed-bump stuck, but full-body-in-quicksand stuck. Over time, layer upon layer of rational processes are put in place to support strategy and reduce risk. But let’s be honest: many of those “rational” processes also build moats around fiefdoms, create the illusion of certainty where chaos should thrive, and keep management happy […]
Have you ever used the phrase “it’s complicated” with your spouse or a close friend when you couldn’t—or didn’t want to—explain something? It’s a total conversation killer. Unsatisfying for the listener. Evasive at best, lazy at worst. CEOs and other leaders are constantly told to simplify messages and use storytelling to unify and inspire their teams. I’ve […]
I read Warren Buffett’s final Chairman’s Letter to shareholders the morning I wrote this. I’ve written about Buffett and his letters before, but this one hit me differently. For a guy who may be the most successful investor in modern history, Buffett is remarkably thoughtful—and humble. His annual letters are sprinkled with mea culpas about […]
Successful teams—whether on the court or in the boardroom—are great at collaboration. Even the stars pass the ball. Just look at the assist numbers for Caitlin Clark or LeBron James. In basketball, racking up assists is almost as valued as scoring. Almost. It’s easy to spot the ball hogs too—those players who want the glory […]
Lessons from Xcalak Years ago, an orthopedic surgeon (with whom I had the misfortune of spending far too much time) told me not to do something. Naturally, I did it anyway: hunt bonefish in saltwater with a fly rod. As he warned, it only takes one good hit to get hooked for life. I just […]
I caught an interview on NPR the other day, and the host asked her guest to name something in his life that was predetermined. He squirmed around the question, like it was a live grenade. But it stuck with me. Some folks argue that a lot of life is predetermined. I don’t know any of them who are […]