After a recent family picnic, I walked back to my truck and found that someone had keyed the driver’s side. Four panels. Because it was low and looked like the “pictures” my 3-year-old granddaughter draws, I assume it was a child. Several months ago, someone scratched the other side. The body shop, understaffed like everyone […]
“If you spend 13 minutes a year on economics, you’ve wasted 10 minutes.” —Peter Lynch Lynch was referring to the ability of economics to predict recessions, and he’s mostly right. However, one thing I regret about my formal education is not studying economics more. I had a course or two in graduate school but wasn’t […]
The CEOs I work with and talk to have had several difficult issues to deal with in the past few years, none more so than expectations around ESG and its component DEI—two acronyms that have been around for a while but came to the forefront lately. A recent Wall Street Journal column (ESG Feeds Inflation, […]
“Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance!” —Unknown It’s a good idea to understand what happened when you fail. Not to dwell on it, but to learn. As an individual and as a business. It’s also valuable to understand what happened when you succeed. Not to claim the title […]
I recently heard a piece on National Public Radio celebrating the 40th anniversary of “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” In his recap, the reporter highlighted the children’s transition from fear to curiosity in response to meeting the alien. This concept struck me. What a wonderful perspective! Perhaps not if you encounter a ravenous grizzly bear by yourself […]
A client recently said, “The one on ones our managers are doing are turning into counseling sessions! How much is too much?” Great question. As a guy who grew up with a single parent, a mother who was very much a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps!” type of gal, my natural inclinations are skewed […]
I had a good chat on Memorial Day with my son, a retired Marine. I had war on my mind as I read the news that morning with updates on the conflict in Ukraine. He’d been in a particular battle in Fallujah, Iraq, that I knew little about, and I finally asked him more details […]
While preparing to review a CEO, the chairman of a board I worked with said, “He doesn’t lead; he just presides!” It was a brilliant description of a CEO who was loved by his people but ineffective in his role. It’s about balance. Lest I get off on the wrong foot, I passionately believe that […]
I’ve coached folks who probably have an IQ that’s double mine. Some are linear thinkers who are process-oriented, and some are more entrepreneurial and rely heavily on intuition. Both can be great leaders. But process orientation and intuition can, as with most strengths, be disabling. Highly process-oriented leaders can create a bureaucratic mess by […]
We needed to remodel a bathroom and bedroom, and my son had friends from the Marines with a construction business. With his endorsement and their background as Marines, we hired them as soon as they gave us a proposal. We’re glad we did! One of them, Tom, is an avid fly-fisher as am I. (I […]