Posts Tagged With ‘ Common Sense ’

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It’s hard to believe you can run into a successful executive who is 180 off the mark on a certain topic. I once had a client company who was struggling with the aftermath of undergoing a rapid campaign of acquisitions. Eighteen months into post-merger activities they were hemorrhaging money. My job was to reassess certain alignment issues and evaluate immediate changes to stop the bleeding. As a result of a SWAT Team-like blitz through the company, I was sensing a disconnect with one of the key executives. He was their CIO. He and I just couldn’t seem to get on the same page. Now I’ve... Continue Reading

Leading a business involves risk. For some of us, just getting out of bed each day seems like a risk. For others, they can’t get enough of it. Being a risk taker is on the high end of the scale for entrepreneurs and visionaries. Our business culture is full of stories about famous risk-takers. Yet how we each look at risk says a lot about where we are as entrepreneurs, business people, and leaders. I come from a banking background. The basic principles of banking involve risk and reward. As your banker, I will lend you X dollars if you agree to pay me Y interest. The interest rate reflects... Continue Reading

Everyone has a story. Life is hard (sometimes). We all experience something in life that makes it hard. In addition, if you look around, you will find stories everywhere of how people overcame a gutwrenching circumstance to emerge victorious, coming out the other side. Health concerns, emotional and physical abuse, poverty, poor education, bankruptcy, and substance abuse are the main categories we usually consider when defining bad circumstances. There are, of course, many more. As a preacher friend was known to say, “There’s a story on every pew.” That is so true. On occasion, people get... Continue Reading

If your desire is to be a better manager at work, at home, or in the community, you may want to develop some actual leadership skills. However, if you are already following certain leadership principles, there is always room for lifting the lid to expand your reach and influence. After many years of working with clients of all kinds, I see one recurring theme, time and again. The biggest difference between managers who are pretenders versus leaders who are contenders is a small six-inch piece of real estate; the distance between your ears. Yes, I am talking about the space inside your head. The... Continue Reading

For those who have ventured into owning a business, good luck! I mean that seriously, not facetiously. It takes a special person to commit to becoming a successful entrepreneur. There are just so many darn details that can overwhelm you. And, once you get past the start-up phase, you turn to a growth phase. Then as you grow, you might really begin to “take off”, meaning your brand has legs and is gaining momentum. Order counts increase, opportunities open up. Expansion looms large. Then you might actually reach the enterprise stage. This is where your little idea now starts to look like a... Continue Reading

Here’s the scenario: life throws you a curve ball. Things don’t go your way. You suffer an embarrassing moment in front of colleagues, your spouse or your kids. You lose the deal, the game, the promotion, or the moment. The other guy wins. You failed. What are your responses? Yes, I believe there is more than one. Of course, you’ll have an immediate response. However, the sting of losing can linger near term, long term and for life. How do you react? I’ve certainly lost out a few times. It’s a natural part of a competitive commerce model. The chance to win or lose is all around us. The... Continue Reading

Author’s NOTE: I wrote the first version of this article in 2018 – a full 2 years BEFORE the whole world locked down and faced the COVID-19 pandemic. Business has not been the same since. At a recent luncheon, I was involved in a discussion that I find becoming more common. The topic was this: Change Management is old news. The argument says the way we once understood change management has been overcome by several new and more complex drivers in business. Here are some of the reasons old-style change management doesn’t work anymore. First, we are now into Phase Three of technology advancements.... Continue Reading