Sent: July 25, 11:30 p.m. From: CEO To: Executive Team Subject: Jim’s Interview Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to interview Jim McDonald this afternoon. He comes highly recommended by our board for the VP of Sales position. I know he’s the first and … Read more

Sent: August 25, 3:00 p.m. From: Karen, Founder To: John, CEO Subject: My Brother-in-Law John, I realize we don’t have any open positions in the warehouse right now and that I’ve been asked pretty specifically not to get involved in hiring or staff decisions, but … Read more

Notes for an upcoming book on leadership from the desk of the tone-deaf leader: When hiring, way too much value is placed on values. (Ohh, that’s a great title! Man, I’m so clever!) This seems to be the new buzzword, but frankly, it’s completely overrated. … Read more

From the desk of the snarky, inexperienced recruiter: As a leader, it’s always tough to find great talent. Because of this, one of the most important things to consider is whether or not the person is actually available when you need them. What this means … Read more

Interviewing candidates—you either love it or  you hate it. Well guess what, if you hate it, you’d better start loving it because it’s one of the most important things you can do to build a great team. And to build great teams within your organization, … Read more

Last year my co-author Kim Obbink and I published, “How (NOT) To Build A Great Team.” It’s the second in our series of “how-not-to guides for leaders and managers,” and like our first book, “How (NOT) To Be A Leader,” it’s a quick-read collection of … Read more

For most small to mid-size businesses that made it through the first phase of the new normal pandemic world, the question now is, “how do I plan for next year and beyond?” A recent New York Times article discussed the “fail fast” aspect of reinvention … Read more

As we start to close out 2020, it’s impossible to reflect without at least some shock and awe on the year that is coming to a close. Unprecedented fires worldwide, political and social justice upheaval, and a once-in-a-lifetime worldwide pandemic that is still raging on. … Read more

When Kim Obbink and I first had the kernel of an idea to write a book, we were just riffing on all the bad leaders we had encountered in our careers. The stories were funny, tragic, and in some cases predictable. Then we started to … Read more