Man, what a year … again! If you’re a leader, you’ve probably had a challenging, fascinating, maddening, out-of-the-box, over-the-top year — probably two in a row. Pandemic or not, December is the right time to block out a day and look back to learn and forward to jump-start 2022. You can certainly do this alone, […]
I had a three-hour drive from a client meting to the airport recently through mountainous terrain. Luckily, my rental car had satellite radio. I was listening to the news on NPR when a feature piece on reducing traffic accidents came on. If the two-lane road were not full of curves (or if I were driving […]
There’s a crazy, one-day, annual bike race in France called Paris–Roubaix, which starts in Paris and ends in … oh, you guess! It’s 160 or so miles of hell. Although relatively flat, much of it is on a narrow, muddy cobblestone path. It’s like trying to ride on marbles on ice. The announcers constantly yell […]
Will interest rates keep rising? Will my supply chain ever get fixed!? Should I require vaccinations for my workers? Are customers’ behavioral changes permanent? Should I require my team to return to the office? I need employees; where will they come from? How will upcoming government action (or inaction) affect my business? Will my business […]
Some recent interaction with a large medical provider left me with appreciation for great care, but also questions around their operating practices (e.g., scheduling and follow up calls). Questions like, “Why don’t they fix this?” (You and I know the answer; it’s not a priority!) If I had several glitches in service, imagine how many […]
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 […]
It’s August as I write this and over 90 degrees. I’m trading emails to set up a February ski trip with some fellas I’ve skied with for 30 years—minus a couple of years for injuries. I don’t know about you, but one of the worst things about the COVID pandemic was having zero anticipatory excitement […]
As companies struggle to figure out their optimal work environment, I’ve observed numerous “workplace pundits” (funny how many have never run an organization!) suggest that if one person is unwilling or unable to attend a face-to-face work event, then everyone should adopt a less-desirable option (e.g., Zoom or phone). What?! This is not only dumb […]
I have a growing sense of alarm that the workplace solutions being established in many companies, perhaps yours, lack complete thoughts around the unintended consequences. (See Exhibit 1, Exhibit 2, Exhibit 3, Exhibit 4 and Exhibit 5 for starters.) My greatest concern for burdened CEOs — who’ve had to improvise a lot over the past […]
I frequently watch family members whom I love avoid conflict and, paradoxically, increase their stress level. Unresolved conflict is like an unpaid bill. It doesn’t go away; it gets bigger the longer you ignore it and eventually causes immense pain. I coach senior executives, who you might assume are assertive and enjoy — or are […]