“Denial is a common tactic that substitutes deliberate ignorance for thoughtful planning.” – Charles Tremper Last week in this space, the topic was leaders operating in fantasyland. Based on the feedback we received, it’s even more common than we thought. In particular, leaders are apparently demonstrating the highest levels of delusion when it comes to … Read more
“If you don’t modify workloads to retain your best people, you’ll be forced to modify workloads when they leave.” – Jeremy Clopton Last week in this space the topic was people, and how no matter what great ideas we have, or what great products and services we offer, we won’t get very far if we … Read more
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” – Theodore Roosevelt I was fortunate enough recently to have the opportunity to assist the leaders of a 120+ year-old business that was … Read more
“It is December, and nobody asked if I was ready.” – Sarah Kay If we were playing a game of hide and seek with the year 2022, this would be the part where 2022 says, “Ready or not, here I come!” The way the past couple of years have gone, there are plenty of people … Read more
“When dealing with complex transportation issues, the best thing to do is pull up with a cold beer and let somebody else figure it out.” – Anthony Bourdain There’s an interesting contradiction that I hear from leaders on a regular basis. When I ask leaders about the strengths of their organization, almost invariably they say … Read more
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” – Abraham Lincoln Virtually every organization in the world has a leader, at least in theory. Somebody is the President, or the Chairwoman, or the CEO, or whatever. That person is officially designated as the leader. Unfortunately, just because you have the title doesn’t … Read more
“Most people prefer the certainty of misery to the misery of uncertainty.” – Virginia Satir We spend a lot of time in the change arena talking about what we need to do as leaders in creating and implementing change. WHERE do we want our business to be? What steps do we have to take? How … Read more
“The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” – Theodore Roosevelt I recently was fortunate to be asked by a client of ours to meet with a prospective new employee. Our client didn’t really have a specific role “open”, and there was some uncertainty about what exactly this … Read more
“Appraisals are where you get together with your team leader and agree what an outstanding member of the team you are, how much your contribution has been valued, what massive potential you have, and in recognition of this, would you mind having your salary halved?” – Theodore Roosevelt One thing I hear from leaders without … Read more
“If your vision is for a year, plant wheat. If your vision is for ten years, plant trees. If your vision is for a lifetime, plant people.” – Chinese Proverb These days in business a fair amount of attention is given to setting a vision for the organization. Not everyone does a good job, not … Read more
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