Posts Tagged With ‘ Running a Business ’

  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 face in life and in business model these three types of wind as well. If we consider all the forms of challenge we face, we can boil it down into these three categories. However, it might be interesting to compare the pilot’s concern with each of these winds as we think about our daily responses to life’s... Continue Reading

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 confidence and credibility to get your point across and create buy-in. In a study of almost 300 senior executives, Hewlett found that 67 percent believe that gravitas is what matters most in leadership. Communication... Continue Reading

In today’s complex business world, change is hard. Companies venturing through major culture shifts, mergers or other forms of change often struggle to make it to the end. The idea that people hate change is a phenomenon that is taught, coached and wrestled with in many ways, shapes, and forms. Regardless of your mindset about CHANGE, there is one vital aspect you should explore. PROGRESS is what you should be focused on. Change for the sake of change is meaningless. However, progress toward a new goal or achievement is more vital and more valuable to your organization. Dean Lindsay, America’s... Continue Reading

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 nurtured and encouraged to grow organically. This post dives into the difference between building and growing a company culture, exploring the benefits of the latter and offering tips for cultivating a positive and thriving work environment. Building vs. Growing: A Tale of Two... Continue Reading

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” and “Fog Machine” personalities capture a fundamental aspect of workplace dynamics, the reality presents a more nuanced spectrum. Let’s dive deeper and explore the shades in between: The Gentle Breeze: Similar to the “Cool Breeze,” these individuals are positive and solution-oriented.... Continue Reading

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, and do many other quantitative things to assess business performance yet we seldom ask about the time we spend and the return on THAT! However, time is the one thing that can be the most valuable commodity you manage. Or does time manage you? There are so many related questions to ask... Continue Reading

Leaders at all levels share some common responsibilities. It doesn’t matter whether you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 or the owner of a small shop in the local town. You have some common threads that weave the fabric of who and what you need to be as a leader. In a recent post I introduced the three circles of leadership. This model describes and contrasts the leader you want to be vs the leader the company needs you to be vs the leader your team expects. Seldom do those three circles fully overlap. There is always movement within the model. Leveraging these three principles, I want to present... Continue Reading

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 to see the Wizard face-to-face to gain courage, your team needs to experience you as a real, accessible human to truly follow and be motivated. So, how do you shed the illusion and step out from the shadows? Here are 5 ways... Continue Reading

We often imagine leadership as a grand production. Spotlight moments, heroic decisions, and sweeping pronouncements come to mind. But what if the key to building a truly impactful reputation isn’t found in these blockbuster scenes? What if it lies in the quiet, seemingly insignificant interactions that fill our daily lives? The truth is, leadership isn’t a one-time performance; it’s an ongoing narrative woven from countless threads. Each conversation, each decision, each gesture contributes to the tapestry of how you’re perceived by those around you. These small moments, not the big events,... Continue Reading

In a world obsessed with hustle culture and #winning, the pressure to achieve perfection is omnipresent. We push ourselves to the limit, fueled by the belief that anything less than perfect is failure. But what if this relentless pursuit of flawlessness is actually holding us back? What if, in our quest for the unattainable 100%, we’re sacrificing the perfectly good 80% that could be more than enough? Consider the Cost The truth is, striving for perfection comes at a steep price. It leads to: Burnout and exhaustion: The constant pressure to be perfect takes a toll on our mental and physical... Continue Reading