A successful entrepreneur whom I advised sold his company to another firm. He focused on running and growing his business for many years and then had a brief, intense period of working through the sales process. Because he’s a bright guy, the new firm wants him around in a senior role. He wants it to […]
If you don’t put anything in your gut, should you trust it? Our personality, which is mostly innate, largely dictates the way we lead and manage. If you were born more of a thinker versus a feeler, an extrovert versus an introvert, someone who eats alphabet soup A through Z versus more of a creative […]
“I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today!” —J. Wellington Wimpy from “Popeye” One day many years ago, my father-in-law, then in his early 70s, was helping me build a fence in the backyard to keep our kids from wreaking havoc on the neighborhood. The man could work a team of mules into the […]
There’s a time to benchmark and a time to innovate “Shoot Low, Boys—They’re Ridin’ Shetland Ponies” —book by Lewis Grizzard If I can be self-absorbed for just a minute. … I have a new book coming out: “Never Kick a Cow Chip on a Hot Day—Real Lessons for Real CEOs and Those Who Want To […]
I admit to having an affinity for the “awe shucks” people in the world. I’ve met combat veterans who are not fond of attention and will tell you that they were just “doing their job”—of getting shot at to protect you and me! My father-in-law was of this variety (and as a WWII vet, the […]
Whoever said you can have it all either had a small wish list or a small capacity for reason. Oh, I’m a big fan of shooting for the stars and fearless behavior. I also believe you should do what makes your heart sing — as long as it doesn’t make someone else’s quit! However, too […]
Let’s not assume that great leaders are necessary for success! Success in business requires a number of ingredients and if you get some of them right, you can make progress. I like to cook and occasionally I produce something that is pretty good, maybe even darn good, just not as good as it could be. […]
There’s a huge difference Todd Ordal Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Is it Superman? No, it’s just another heroic CEO. Resembling Jimmy Olsen in his early career, our hero is somehow transformed by his newly refurbished office on mahogany row into […]
One of the dumbest things I ever did was sell my two shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock many years ago. “Warren Buffett is getting old,” I said to myself, “and he certainly can’t continue this kind of record!” Well, he has! The overall return (based upon market value) of Berkshire Hathaway stock for the past […]
No. 1: Don’t take it lying down Todd Ordal “Toddy-boy, you’re just going to have to deal with the ambiguity!” Paul Orfalea, founder of Kinko’s, said that to me after significantly changing our growth targets. I’d just spent weeks working with my team on capital plans, new store locations, staffing plans, etc., for the coming […]