Mary Marshall Kim Obbink and I co-wrote a book published in 2018, “How NOT to Be a Leader.” We just finished the 3-book series including, “How NOT to Build a Great Team” and “How NOT to Create a Winning Strategy,” which will be out in late spring … Read more
In the 30+ 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
There has been a lot written about “burnout” recently. Having been an executive and having coached executives for the last 20 years, I can personally attest to its potential to disrupt one’s life. It’s not the occasional dissatisfaction with one’s work situation, frustration with a … Read more
Marketing means so many things to so many different people that it’s hard to pin it down. In many ways, it’s a misunderstood discipline, so when one of my clients kept saying, “we need more marketing,” I finally sat him down and asked, “what does … Read more
We had a perfect example of values in action last week when a lone Senator stood up for his values. In this day and age of hyper-partisanship, it’s very hard to hear over the din, but Senator Mitt Romney made an impassioned speech to a … Read more
Recently, I saw a parent teaching a child how to ride a bike. It made me smile to see both the excitement and fear on the little boy’s face as he said “now don’t let go ‘til I tell you,” and then the joy when … Read more
There was an interesting article in Inc. recently that highlighted what leadership skills were important in our next generation of astronauts. These leadership skills are typically referred to as “soft skills,” but are critical to success in business as well as in space. A note … Read more
I recently reread a great piece about loyalty by David Brooks of the New York Times comparing two philosophers, William James, and Josiah Royce. You may not have heard of Josiah Royce? He believed that to have a functioning society, we need unity, not division, … Read more
Right before the holidays began, Warren Buffet explained one of his deeply held business rules. He only does deals and works with those he likes. Period. This is true values alignment and without it, things usually take a bad turn quickly. As he says, he … Read more
As you look at ways to take your business to the next level in 2020, one of the keys to consider is how it’s designed. When I work with an organization, I look at a lot of things and over the years I’ve come to … Read more