It’s an old saying you’ve likely heard before. For anyone who owns a business, this phrase is counsel that may be hard to do. For all the owners out there, all three counts in this simple mantra may be nearly impossible. Lead-Follow-Getoutofway First, to Lead On one hand that seems obvious. You own the business, who […]
As businesses across the globe begin to ponder their choices for reopening in a post-COVID-19 world, people will be faced with choices. While governmental restrictions dictate some of those choices, it appears all other choices will be left up to the owner/manager. Are you ready to take a chance? The choices will involve taking chances. […]
Diverse group of four business partners or entrepreneurs holding their thumbs up in approval or to like something in their office ” data-medium-file=”https://dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/65604777_m-650×434.webp” data-large-file=”https://dougthorpe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/65604777_m-1024×683.webp” /> We’ve all heard various ideas about managing our lives. When you break it all down, things can get lumped into these three categories. And we’ve all heard the saying: “Live […]
In learning how to fly an airplane, one of the first lessons has to do with understanding winds. Winds come in basically three types; Head winds – those hit you right in the face Tail winds – those from behind Cross winds – those at angles from the side I believe the challenges we […]
What Exactly Is Presence? Presence is letting the most powerful version of yourself shine through. I like to cite the renowned leadership expert Sylvia Ann Hewlett, who defines “presence” as a combination of gravitas, communication, and appearance. Together, these elements form an impression of trustworthiness, competence, and authenticity. Gravitas is signaling that you have the […]
Company culture. It’s a buzzword thrown around in boardrooms and plastered across job postings. But what exactly is it, and how do you achieve it? There seems to be a common misconception: culture is something you build, a foundation laid from scratch. But a thriving company culture is more akin to a garden – something […]
A few years ago I wrote a piece contrasting the “cool breeze” and the “fog machine”, whimsically (at least my attempt at whimsy) to illustrate extreme possibilities in the way a leader can show up at work. I think It’s time to delve deeper into that idea (minus the whimsy part). While the “Cool Breeze” […]
People talk about charismatic leaders having “big” personalities. Powerful leaders are often known as “Type A” personalities. We know about introverts and extroverts. But how does personality really impact your effectiveness as a manager or owner of a business? If we take away celebrity status from high paid CEOs and public figures, what else does […]
Many years ago, a business coach and mentor I knew named Gerry Fusco introduced me to a phrase he invented. Return on invested time (ROIT). As business owners and leaders, we know about ROI, ROE, EBITDA, SDE, etc. But have you ever spent any waking hours measuring ROIT? We make plans, build budgets, measure KPIs, […]
The Wizard of Oz may have been pulling levers and projecting smoke and mirrors, but that wouldn’t make him a very effective leader. In today’s dynamic world, the “man behind the curtain” approach simply doesn’t work. True leaders understand that inspiration stems from visibility, trust from approachability, and connection from relatability. Just like Dorothy needed […]
