“Many CEOs and leaders you meet from the outside seem to lead exciting lives,” Matt Murray, former editor of the Wall Street Journal, told me recently. “But in real life many of them are not very functional human beings.” —Peter Vanham, Fortune, CEO Daily The idiom “it’s lonely at the top” has been around a long […]
You know those people you always have a great conversation with whenever you talk? My friend Art Petty is one of those. Always upbeat, inquisitive, and creative. (He also publishes great content and creates cool leadership development programs. Look him up and sign up for his blog.) I told Art about an upcoming return fishing […]
I only coach senior executives, mostly CEOs, so you might expect that our time together is spent talking about strategy, growth tactics, increasing profitability, operational challenges, organizational structure, and financial data. And you’d be partially correct. However, the bulk of our time together is spent talking about relationships. Improving relationships, acquiring relationships, and kindly eliminating […]
Twice in my career I quit high-paying jobs (one a CEO slot and one running a 7,000-person division) because I had unethical or wrongheaded people to report to. Although this certainly cost me a great deal of money, I don’t regret either decision. As a CEO coach, I’ve run into many successful leaders who’ve either […]
I ran into one of these rare creatures recently. Rare because they usually don’t last. Kind of like a lazy wildebeest, the one the lion catches. I’m always puzzled (and disgusted!) at how they came to be and how they survive! When you find a lazy CEO, they usually own the company. Maybe Daddy did. […]
There are many business growth axioms and metaphors, mostly about trees, rivers, or children. But does a business really need to grow? Can it just tread water? Can it stay in childhood? Must it keep moving like a shark or die? I’ve run into a few business leaders who aren’t interesting in growing, all in […]
I recently replaced eight porch screens. Several trips to Home Depot and I had supplies and an upgraded nailer and stapler. Between multiple cats and frequent visits from grandkids, I elected to use the “pet resistant” screen material, which isn’t cheap. I’m not usually a do-it-yourself guy, subscribing to comparative advantage (i.e., having a professional […]
AI developers are struggling with a new challenge: Getting AI to “unlearn.” There are myriad circumstances where you might want AI to unlearn: new privacy laws, intellectual property issues, disinformation from right-wing or left-wing nuts, Krap from the Kremlin, etc. I guess once AI internalizes a “belief” or “fact,” it’s difficult to change—just like humans […]
I recently read the book “Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West” by Calder Walton. A good read that covers a broad swath of history, especially if you’re interested in spycraft. The Bay of Pigs disaster was one of many events covered. You may recall that the Kennedy administration sent a handful of […]
I’m working with a few executives who’ve been tagged as possible CEOs. This is fun for them and me. All are highly motivated and self-aware. With these assignments, I typically conduct a 360-degree feedback session with the coachee’s boss, peers, and those who report to them so that we can develop a list of priorities […]