Sent: August 8th From: CEO To: Extended Management Team Subject: Leadership Retreat To all, I’m very excited to share the agenda for our leadership retreat coming up in two weeks. First of all, our destination is a total score! We were able to schedule this … Read more
Sent: March 5, 6:00 a.m. From: Cindy, CEO To: Karen, Chief Strategy Officer; Steve, Chief Operations Officer Subject: Leveling the Playing Field Steve and Karen, Good morning, you two. Hey, so I have been thinking about next week’s strategic planning session. I know you both … Read more
Team dynamics are complicated and often messy. It takes good leadership to bring out the best in each and every team member and recognize the team effort versus the effort of the leader. However, it’s not about the leader; it’s about the team, and the … Read more
Sent: September 5, 9:05 a.m. From: Ken, VP of Sales To: Barb, Sales Associate Subject: Your Performance Review Hey Barb, Sorry I’m going to be late to our meeting; I’m desperate for a coffee. Back in about ten. Text me if you want one. If … Read more
Sent: September 17, 8:00 a.m. From: Diana, Director of Human Resources To: Joe, Founder & CEO Subject: Sam Joe, I know you think the world of Sam, and he’s been with the company for going on twenty years, but this is literally the fourteenth position … Read more
CEO: Gina, I’m so excited—I’ve found the perfect person for our new PR manager! I want you to meet her as soon as possible because I want to make an offer tomorrow. Can you make some time to meet with her today? HR Manager: Wait … Read more
First Day at Large Technology Company in Redmond, Washington Nancy had just started her new position as a mid-level executive in the marketing division at Large Technology Company after going through a two-month recruiting and interviewing process. She interviewed with over ten different people and … Read more
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