“I need to restructure my business — I’m thinking of eliminating my acquisitions team,” said the CEO of a large professional services firm. Like many of the CEOs whom I coach, he was anxious in this pandemic and had a hard time thinking of any other question other than, “How
Suit-able Leadership Your wife says your wardrobe is handicapping you professionally. You respond by finding a wardrobe consultant. He eyes your wide-lapel suit and room-for-two pleated pants and says, “Listen, Italian would be perfect!” What does that mean? It means he loves Italian. But do you–or could you? If
“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.” – Theodore Roosevelt Going into business is a high-risk game. It is not for the faint of heart. The success rate of surviving more than five years is remarkably low, and
Progress leadership examines the ways leaders use and diffuse tension to get coworkers to progress from their current position to their goals. David Emerald uses a rubber band as a metaphor to explain the tension created between one’s expected goal and the current position. The gap created is the metaphorical tension from
“Like Achilles, the hero who forgot his heel, or like Icarus who, flying close to the sun, forgot that his wings were made of wax, we should be wary when triumphant ideas seem unassailable, for then there is all the more reason to predict their downfall.” ― Dwight Longenecker, The
According to myth, Ariadne provided Theseus with a sword and a golden string. He attached the string to the labyrinth’s door, slayed the Minotaur with the sword, and used the string to retrace his steps. The focus of today’s post is on how you can head into the labyrinth of
As an entrepreneur, you can involve yourself in just about any decision when the company is in its early stage. As the company grows, however, it it becomes harder stay on top of every issue. You do your best to prioritize and manage your involvement, but at a certain point
Finding Purpose in Life Our days are filled with raising families and building relationships, growing a business or pursuing a career, serving others and our communities, and trying to stay mentally and physically fit. How much time is there really to give consideration to the human purpose–the big Why? The
Finding Purpose in Life Our days are filled with raising families and building relationships, growing a business or pursuing a career, serving others and our communities, and trying to stay mentally and physically fit. How much time is there really to give consideration to the human purpose–the big Why? The
Educational Rubrics Educational institutions have long struggled with performance evaluation of employees. They have succeeded, however, with developing some useful rubrics to evaluate the performance of students. Rubrics provide a vertical set of performance criteria against horizontal measures of effectiveness. They tend to work best when the evaluation is complex
Educational Rubrics Educational institutions have long struggled with performance evaluation of employees. They have succeeded, however, with developing some useful rubrics to evaluate the performance of students. Rubrics provide a vertical set of performance criteria against horizontal measures of effectiveness. They tend to work best when the evaluation is complex
Types of Meetings breakdown into four major categories: Decision Making meetings; Creative meetings; Informational meetingsand; Planning meetings.
If you want to break a dollar without giving change, you will have to rip it in pieces. If you do that, you will need to find someone willing to accept your new form of currency. And if they accept it, they will have to persuade someone else to accept
Brain Dominance You are shaped by conclusions based on your past experience and learned behaviors. Think of how many of those are not explicit but implicit learnings. Many of the things you have learned were drawn from turning your head for a moment and suddenly you had a new belief
Focus on the Goal, Not the Problem When I first meet with clients, they tend to want to focus on their current state (or the organization’s) and specific challenges. They want to vent. Sometimes venting helps them decompress, but too much venting can result in defeatism and paradigm paralysis. They
Focus on the Goal, Not the Problem When I first meet with clients, they tend to want to focus on their current state (or the organization’s) and specific challenges. They want to vent. Sometimes venting helps them decompress, but too much venting can result in defeatism and paradigm paralysis. They
Difficult Conversations How do you approach difficult conversations? Do you avoid them for as long as you can? Do you have an intermediary broach the topic for you? Do you use questions to gain entry? Do you come right out and say what you’re thinking? If you’re uncertain how to
Today I met with a wonderfully interesting and experienced consultant, Tom Siders from L. Harris Partners, who was part of the management team that grew McGladrey from sub $400 million to over $1.3 billion in revenues. According to Tom, clients want the three A’s: Availability Affability Ability Availability Availability is
In order to help clients understand what a mission statement is and how to create one, CO2 Partners has put together this Mission Statement Video. The mission statement is our statement of purpose. It describes why we exist as an organization. It tells us what we exist to do and
The CDC today reported a national outbreak of Busyness Syndrome across the United States. Leaders in all walks of life are asked to stay home, stay attuned to familiar needs, play with the kids, and walk the dog. The underlying cause of the disease is said to be lack of
A dear friend of mine came over a few months ago for a glass of wine and asked me, “What’s the half-life of a strategic plan?” She’d just completed one with her team. Everyone voted to implement it immediately, and yet one executive began to stray from it within
Tilting at Windmills Many of our “enemies” are illusions–specters of past traumas or the product of misguided beliefs. We allow old narratives to play out again and again, unquestioned. We simply draw our swords and start swinging, just as Don Quixote does in Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. That’s where the
Tilting at Windmills Many of our “enemies” are illusions–specters of past traumas or the product of misguided beliefs. We allow old narratives to play out again and again, unquestioned. We simply draw our swords and start swinging, just as Don Quixote does in Miguel de Cervantes’ novel. That’s where the
Your leadership and management skills can be dramatically improved by taking a page out of the motorcycling playbook. This past weekend I took a training course in how to drive a motorcycle from Rider Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota. To say I stretched myself would be an understatement. I was left fatigued at the end
Animation has given us more than great entertainment; it has given us remarkable leadership lessons. In Toy Story we are given a surprising leadership lesson by Slinky Dog. Slinky Dog is the head, feet, and tail end of a dog with the body made of Slinky. Imagine for a moment
