Year: 2012

A New Year Exercise

Take ten minutes right now to do this exercise. First, imagine something has happened and you won’t be in your office for the next six

Manipulation Instead of Commitment

Commitment is a hugely important part of implementing strategy. It cannot be achieved through manipulation. I had a client who prided himself as leading by

A Simple Habit

One of the best lessons I learned as a boy scout was to leave a campsite in better condition than it was when we found

Investing in Weakness vs. Strength

Just as you cannot make an organization perform well by focusing on weaknesses, the same is true of individuals. The best sports coaches focus on

Motivation, Collaboration & Simplicity

In his biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson quoted Jobs talking about how the idea for the iPhone began: ““We would sit around talking about

Giving Thanks

I caught myself reflecting gratefully last week as I overlooked San Francisco from our hotel. The view ranged from the Bay Bridge all the way

Be More Weird

I was in Austin last week working with an international group on strategy. One of the key discussion topics was the need for change and

No blame, just performance focused

We were in Toronto this weekend for a Blue Jays-Yankees game. The Yankees lost a must-win game they easily could have won having many opportunities.

When technical skills are insufficient

A Wall Street Journal article last week caught my attention. It cited both surveys and industry discussion groups that have identified “soft skills” as a

The Skills Needed to Survive Change

Kodak is a prime example of a dinosaur that thrived as long as the environment stayed the same, but did not have the skills to

Diagnosing Conflict

Conflict in the workplace has three primary sources. The first two are most common: Disagreement over objectives and differences over alternatives. For example, Democrats and

Appraisal vs. Coaching

There’s a significant difference between appraising performance and coaching performance. Appraisal is judging the past while coaching has to do with the future. While both

Listen Up!

During a heated election season, all the signs of weak communication and miscommunication are on full display. One clear sign of a poor communicator is

Your Under-employment Problem

Unemployment is a societal problem; under-employment is an organizational problem. I am referring to employees who are prevented from excelling because of restrictive jobs, bureaucratic

The Energized Workplace

The Olympics remind me of upbeat and energized workplaces where there’s talent, focus, energy and enthusiasm. I talk a lot about the need for focus

… must be an excellent communicator.

I am amused by the qualifications stated in job descriptions and want ads. “Must be an excellent communicator,” is the most abused. How many people

Olympic Preparation

I enjoy the background stories of individual Olympians – how they got to where they are. At some point, each of them had a vision

Leadership – Pure and Simple

Whether you lead a billion dollar company or a small department, your primary accountability is to leverage the talent of your people to get results.

Shifting responsibility from skipper to crew

The new America’s Cup boats are high-tech catamarans that can exceed 40mph. The action is so fast and the crew needs to be so responsive

First, empty your cup

A university professor visited a Zen master to ask about Zen. The master served tea. He poured tea into the professor’s cup until it was

Improve Your Yield on Training

Advertising legend David Ogilvy said half the money spent on advertising is wasted – the problem is which half. The same is true of training.

Resistance at the Top

The leader who is attempting to shift strategic direction faces three sources of resistance within their organization — the broad employee base, middle managers, and

What the Doctor Said

“Are you exercising?” he asked. “Yes, sure, I’m going on walks around the farm,” I said. “By exercising, I mean 30-40 minutes, 4 times each

Changing Tires at 65 mph

Much of my work is either helping executives successfully implement strategy or lead major change. In either case, success often hinges on preparing an organization

The Perfect Program to Turn-Off Employees

Most performance appraisal programs are perfectly designed to de-motivate managers and subordinates alike. Managers detest them and employees dread them. If you don’t believe me,

Poison in the Well

During a college summer I worked for a manufacturing company as a machine operator. It was boring work. During the first night, I figured out a

How to Get the Best Ideas from Your Team

You have a decision to make and you want the input of your people. This is not about reaching consensus, where the focus is on

Fear of Communication

There is fear deep in the heart of many organizations. It has become worse over recent years due to the economy, but it’s not new.

The Myth of Consensus — Part 2

My message last week was that consensus decision making is a mask for weak leadership – either because the leader is afraid to make a

The Myth of Consensus

Fresh from business school with my MBA, I went to work for a global consulting firm in Chicago. The office was run by a brilliant

Pink Slime in Your Organization

“Pink slime,” was in the news last week. Whether you call it “lean finely textured beef” or “salvage” as one scientist called it, you won’t

Strategy and communication problems

Many leaders are simply not good at communicating their business strategy to the people who will execute it. That can be fixed with good coaching.

When pay for performance goes wrong

Pay for performance took on new meaning with revelations about the New Orlean Saints and their bounty program for intentionally injuring opposing players. Greg Smith

Fuzzy vision problem

Early in my consulting career, I worked extensively with Wilson Sporting Goods. One day I interviewed an elderly gentleman who was the wood head designer.

Bees in a bottle

The experiment was simple. The scientists put a few bees and a few flies in a glass jar, and placed the jar against a window

A Simple Communication Problem

The management team was unable to have a productive discussion. They kept going in circles because they were using words such as “strategy” and “tactic,”

What Do You Mean?

“We want to go from good to great,” a prospective client recently told me. “That’s wonderful.” I remarked, “Can you tell me what in particular

Actions and Emotions

The reaction of Afgans to the treatment of religious materials is alarming but it clearly illustrates two points affecting organizational behavior: Emotion is at least

A Fresh Take

CEO turnover is high. Every week the Wall Street Journal reports on more turnover and that’s just at large companies. In most cases, the new

Why Not Use a Horoscope?

Assessment tools (Myers Briggs, DISC, etc.) are being touted as useful ways to improve teamwork and productivity. But they’re really nothing more than a way

How to quickly assess a leader

Leadership effectiveness at all levels is an important component of successful strategy implementation. I’ve worked with hundreds of corporate leaders and I’ve seen all kinds.

Kodak and strategic change

One of the lessons of Kodak is that getting really good at what you do can have a severe drawback, especially in our age of

Why Apple is so Profitable

Steve Jobs leapfrogged the competition in computers, music, animated film, cell phones and tablets by developing a distinctive strategy, not by focusing on improving operational

Is Your Team on the Same Page?

It’s a new year and a good time to assess your team’s engagement. A periodic check to make sure that your people are focused, challenged,

The Crab Pot

It’s been interesting to watch the rise and fall of various candidates in Iowa this Fall. One candidate will soar in the polls only to