Amazon’s Real End Game
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you are at all familiar with the history of business you know Rockefeller’s Standard Oil, Carnegie Steel, Ford, and JP Morgan’s banking empire changed forever the business landscape and created in large measure the world we know today. No doubt Amazon will be included in this commercial pantheon when
A Long Drive With Jim Collins: Keeping the Flywheel in Motion
Reading Time: < 1 minute The pre-eminent business writer still wielding the pen is Jim Collins. But if you’re a better listener than a reader, and if you have a long drive or a plane flight coming up, check out this 2.5-hour audio interview with Jim Collins on the Farnam Street Website. This is an enjoyable and
RIP Clayton Christensen
Reading Time: < 1 minute “In your life, there are going to be constant demands for your time and attention. How are you going to decide which of those demands gets resources? The trap many people fall into is to allocate their time to whoever screams loudest, and their talent to whatever offers them the
As a Leader, Who Do I Manage First?
Reading Time: < 1 minute CEOs are urged to lead by example. There are several ways to do this; perhaps the most important is for CEOs to manage themselves. This article from Forbes offers a checklist to assess if you’re managing yourself well (and offers the example of Dallas Cowboys leadership as an example). Evaluate yourself
Today’s Investments Signal Tomorrow’s Winners and Losers
Reading Time: < 1 minute If you want to know what may happen tomorrow, watch what leaders invest in today. Specifically, careful consideration of the M&A market will shed light on what trends C-Level execs believe will yield the greatest opportunities in the years ahead. “Business deals are both a lagging and a leading indicator
The Silent Generation, Baby Boomers Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z
Reading Time: < 1 minute Many executives who have been focused on managing Millennials would do well to remember that the next generational cohort is already bearing down on them. There are now five generations in the workplace: The Silent (World War II) generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and now Generation Z (born
Business Value:
Reading Time: < 1 minute Many companies are currently engaged in year-end planning and too many plans are not much more than “how can we do more next year?” This can happen when companies are enjoying success and assume, without much reflection or analysis as to why. As we often say at #Vistage meetings, “the
A Gratitude Sampler: Thanksgiving 2019
Reading Time: 3 minutes What follows is an excerpt from Vistage Speaker Mardy Grothe’s “Quotes of the Week.” This is a wonderful, inspiration blog that I look forward to every Sunday. You can subscribe at http://www.drmardy.com/ It is always interesting and enlightening. It’s Thanksgiving week, so here are a few some great thoughts on Gratitude from his
It’s Lonely at the Top; It’s also Lonely at the Bottom
Reading Time: < 1 minute In one of his plays “Henry IV”, Shakespeare observed, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” One of the most common descriptions of the leader’s life is that “It’s Lonely at the Top.” Fred Crawford, former CEO of global consulting firm Alix penned a letter to CEOs in Chief Executive magazine outlining
Strategy, Properly Understood
Reading Time: < 1 minute Every business has a strategy, whether intentionally chosen or not. If you are not sure what your strategy is, it may help to know what “strategy” really means. Strategy is a word that many of us use but perhaps without a clear definition of it. To remedy this, check out a
