Mary Marshall This week we continue the serialization of, How (Not) to Be a Leader Volume 1, in preparation for the next two books, How NOT to Build a Great Team and How NOT to Create a Winning Strategy. We hope you will enjoy Chapter 2 – One-to-Ones: You + … Read more
In the spring of 2017, Kim Obbink and I co-authored a book called, How (Not) to Be a Leader Volume 1, the first in a series of hilarious “how–not–to guides” for new leaders looking to avoid common pitfalls of leadership. This book will help leaders … Read more
Yes, it’s that time of year again to dust off the old strategic plan, or goals and see how you are doing. If you’ve been doing this monthly or quarterly, or even better bi-weekly, good for you, but you are in the minority. It was … Read more
One of my clients has been struggling with the dashboard question for a while. What to track? What makes a difference? In addition, he had a couple of partners whose interest in the “numbers” was less than enthusiastic and they simply wanted to get the work done. The … Read more
Recently, I’ve had several conversations with leaders dealing with performance and behaviors that are out of alignment with the company’s culture and performance standards. The conversation usually starts with “I’m going to go ahead and make an exception this one time.” There are always valid reasons … Read more
A recent New York Times article discussed the various ways companies can grow. The list included: Get New Customers Do Business Faster Sell More Things Hire a Team Do you see what’s missing from this plan? Aside from the last item of “hiring a team,” … Read more
In the 25+ years or so that I’ve been working with small to mid-sized businesses, I’ve seen just about every type of “end.” Some good, some not so good. Let’s start with “the ugly.” One entrepreneur grew his business to about $15M and wanted to leave … Read more
A recent article in Forbes asked several experts what they did when faced with difficult business problems. Hands down, they all agreed that asking for help was a good thing. The three agreed with the following: Cultivate Relationships Don’t Face It Alone Reframe the Problem … Read more
In the 25+ years or so that I’ve been working with small to mid-sized businesses, I’ve seen just about every type of “end.” Some good, some not so good. Let’s start with “the ugly.” One entrepreneur grew his business to about $15M and wanted to leave … Read more
Which is more important for a leader, EQ or IQ? According to Daniel Goleman’s “What Makes a Leader – Why EQ Matters,” they are both equally important but in very different ways. A leader needs to be smart and have reasoned approaches to the direction … Read more