Perhaps your dad or mom was a successful entrepreneur. Or perhaps you’ve been a hardworking, loyal part of the machinery that helped build a company. Now, however, you’ve been promoted to CEO and are wondering: “Do I deserve this? Will people respect me? How do I change course without upsetting Dad or Mom or the […]
Some of the most rewarding work I’ve done is work with new CEOs. The gap from senior executive to Chief Executive Officer may not seem that large but every CEO I’ve worked with would tell you that it is much larger than it appears. An MBA doesn’t prepare you to be a CEO though it […]
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 […]
I don’t play well with everyone. In fact, I’m a bit particular about whom I work with. After working as an advisor and coach for many years, I’ve developed a profile of the clients who are most successful after our work together. These descriptors, you’ll note, are more psychographic than job-related — not related to […]
A friend recently sent me a great Far Side cartoon. A group of sheep is standing in a living room with cocktails, and a dog is at the doorway. One sheep says to another: “Henry! Our party’s total chaos! No one knows when to eat, where to stand, what to …. Oh, thank God! Here […]
I used to fly aerobatics and was pretty confident (though not terribly skilled!) that I’d make it back to the runway with the airplane in one piece. I did, however, always wear a parachute! Regulation required it, but I also figured it cut my risk significantly. A key trait for successful CEOs is their ability […]
A new CEO asked me which important leadership skills he needed to succeed—the building blocks of success. I suspect he thought my answer would include things like industry knowledge, technical brilliance, negotiating prowess and capital structure analysis. Those are all interesting, but they aren’t success factors I’ve observed in my many years of coaching successful […]
“Gentlemen, this is a football.” —Vince Lombardi Although I can’t imagine his accomplished players — back in 1961 — were excited to hear this, I appreciate that when you’re seeking improvement, you start with the basics. It’s difficult to get onto a professional football team while lacking basic skills. But I’ve seen numerous senior managers, […]
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “Damn, I wish I had his natural ability!” Not so fast, buckaroo! Peyton Manning couldn’t throw a perfect spiral when he came out of the womb, and Albert Einstein couldn’t do math. Pat Conroy couldn’t write, and Charles Lindbergh couldn’t land an airplane! (OK, Nat King Cole might’ve been […]
Let’s talk about leadership rather than politics. There are very serious lessons for senior leaders to learn from our 45th president, particularly CEOs. From the perspective of many people, and yours may be different, Donald Trump seems more than willing to sacrifice democracy to assuage his ego. Of course, you say, I’d never do that. […]