From the Brink of Extinction to Winner: Are there Lessons for Your Company?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWe celebrate comebacks, like so many other events, because they are rare. These stories are valuable because, as John Henry Newman observed over 100 years ago, “history offers lessons, not rules.” A turnaround for the times is a company that came back from the brink of oblivion to a level
5 Habits of Highly Annoying Leaders
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMany executives are constantly asking “how can I be better?” and “‘what can I do differently?” As important as that question is, an equally important question is what should I stop doing? Maybe a good place to start would be this article: Five Habits of Highly Annoying Leaders . After reading this article, ask yourself,
Are You a Member of the 8% Club?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEvery year, I have good (no I mean great) intentions of achieving my goals for the ensuing year. I even print out my wheel of life (you can find this here) and take an inventory of where I am and where I need to invest some effort to improve my
When Great Processes Create Bad PR
Reading Time: < 1 minuteRalph Waldo Emerson warned us that “Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds.” To which most CEOs would say “But good processes create great results.” But what happens when an unanticipated situation presents itself to an unprepared employee? . You train employees in your processes…..do you train them to recognize when the
Leadership, Leverage and Legacy
Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhen reflecting on my life and how grateful I am with all our blessings, I can’t stop thinking about leadership and what it means to each of us. Leadership, the ability to inspire others by eliciting their support and aid towards achieving a goal is a contact sport. We can not sit
Scrooge on Leadership : Why “A Christmas Carol” Should be Required Reading in Business Schools
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIf asked what work of fiction is most identified with the Holiday Season, most would immediately say Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. To the casual reader, Ebenezer Scrooge is portrayed as a despicable miser who does not well represent the private sector. But it may be that a more thoughtful reading
Steve Jobs – What Else He Got Wrong
Reading Time: < 1 minuteForbes featured an article about the unfortunate health care choices that Apple founder Steve Job had made that many feel led to his untimely death. (see What Steve Jobs’ Death Teaches Us All About Our Own Health Care ). Despite his legendary success and contributions, it may also be fairly asked if at times he succeeded
The Most Difficult Sentence When We Fail To Deliver
Reading Time: < 1 minuteEffective customer service is not just about getting it right but knowing what to do when we fail to deliver. This is especially important for front line customer service employees who may fear losing their jobs when customers are unhappy. Marketing Guru Seth Godin suggests a simple statement every customer
Do You Have an Open Office Trap?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteNearly 70% of all offices feature an “open floor” plan without private offices. Earlier this year, a New Yorker magazine article asserted that the open office may be a contributor to a sense of shared mission, but recent studies show that there may be a real cost in terms of health (both
Poison Pills and Obstacle Courses
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA poison pill is a tactic used by a publicly held company threatened with an unwelcome takeover bid to make itself unattractive to the bidder. Beach obstacles are intended to slow down an invading force. Nationally known IT Security Expert and speaker Mike Foster thinks you should be presenting a wide variety of both to those who