End of Year Leadership Exercise
This is a very good week for reflection—looking both backward and forward. We spend most of the year caught-up in activities and plans and the
Yearly Archives: 2013
Year: 2013
Best practice in leadership development and management succession
Like most leaders, you are probably concerned about attracting, cultivating, and retaining good talent. You want to be confident that the right capabilities are on
Before communicating a new strategy or change, do this
When launching a new strategy or change, the last thing you want to do is announce it to the full organization. That’s why major capital
Never Give Up
Yesterday the Green Bay Packers, down 26-3 at halftime, came back to stun the Dallas Cowboys 37-36. It wasn’t a fluke—the New England Patriots have
Navigating Corporate Strategy — Introduction
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxYnDKLv0eg&w=560&h=315]
Having Your Head in the Game
With three minutes to go in the game, and his team leading by 30 points, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is studying and discussing game
Goal-Setting for Growth
When I was a kid we would play ‘horse’ with a basketball. One strategy was to take shots we knew we could make (“lay-ups”)and to
5 Ways To Accelerate One's Career and Be Promoted
5 Ways To Accelerate One’s Career and Be Promoted This week’s Forbes blog post with Dorie Clark.
How Management Ideas Get Bastardized
Microsoft jettisoned its version of “rank and yank” last week; a practice of forced rankings that resulted in internal power struggles and unhealthy competition. Leave
Why Your Team Building Didn't Work
Organizations try lots of ways to increase teamwork among their top group, from team-building exercises and ropes courses, to training and outings. In most cases,
Why Your Performance Reviews REDUCE Performance
One doesn’t drive a car by looking in the rearview mirror, so why do that with performance reviews? When a manager emphasizes mistakes, shortfall, weaknesses,
If You Want More Employee Engagement
If you want more employee engagement, here are key points: It is relatively easy to get acceptable performance through fear or incentives. But you won’t
Why Employee Engagement Fads Don't Work–And What Does Work
Here’s what we know from decades of research: You cannot motivate anyone; they must motivate themselves. Extrinsic motivation (commands and incentives) is weak and fickle;
Why Leaders Can't Be Honest and Candid
Candid, honest feedback about performance is all too rare in most organizations. The reluctance to talk to a subordinate about poor performance, the ‘grade inflation’
How to Ensure the Success of Your Strategy
Whether you are politically for or against Obamacare, there can be no dispute about the implementation failure surrounding the $400 million website portal that was
Here's How to Change Your Performance Reviews So They Improve Performance
As the fourth quarter begins, many companies are preparing for another round of performance reviews. You know, the administrative exercise that nobody likes. The problem
Cut the Time You Spend in Meetings
How much of your time do you spend in meetings? Probably too much. Many organizations can cut their meetings 75-90% without missing a beat. Here
Keep your strategy on track
When the smell of melted cheese in Starbuck’s new breakfast sandwiches began to overwhelm the aroma of fresh coffee in his stores, Howard Schultz made
Can't do/Can do
The world is full of people who will tell you that you cannot do something. It’s a trait of bureaucracy. But can also be a
What to do about disengaged employees
In the fourth century BC, the Stoics lived in a tightly-controlled society. They weren’t able to change the conditions they lived in, so they changed
The Coming Flood of Employee Turnover
We are likely to see a lot of job changing when the economy finally recovers. All the signs are there including a high percentage of
Stay focused on the person you are speaking with
Several years ago I participated in a panel discussion with Hillary Clinton and afterwards I had a few moments to talk with her. What impressed
Plans vs. Planning
We had intended to sail across Lake Ontario into Canada last week, but the weather and waves were not good, so we changed course for
Your strategy is worthless…unless it's implemented
Here’s how it often goes: The strategy session is done. The new strategy is compiled in binders and distributed to senior management. The binders make
Reinvesting in your best people
The manager was frustrated. “I’m losing my skills,” he said, “I’m not growing here. The challenges are routine and they’re not willing to invest in
6 Keys for Leading Successful Change
Let’s say you need to change your strategy, make an acquisition, introduce a new IT system, or any other important change. How can you set
Improvisation: In Music and in Business
Many of the famous classical composers were excellent at improvisation. Mozart for example, would ask an audience for a few musical notes, then sit at
Why Your Strategy Depends on Talent
The success of your strategy depends heavily on the quality of your talent, particularly in key positions. Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, says the best
When you know what to do, but just aren't doing it.
The chief financial officer and I were discussing our objectives and moving ahead with coaching when she stopped, leaned forward, and said, “I know what
How leaders handle setbacks
How a leader handles setbacks has an enormous impact on the people and culture of an organization. It is, of course, upsetting when expected performance
How the best executives listen
For thirty years I’ve observed executives in interviews and meetings, during presentations, at social events, and so on. From the beginning I’ve been impressed with
Accountability in the News
I’ve been writing, consulting, and coaching on accountability for a long time, and it’s difficult to ignore examples in the news to compare and contrast
Accountability for results and behaviors
Over the past two weeks I’ve had four different company presidents tell me that their managers are good at following action plans, but not so
10 Ways to Demotivate People
1. Give them a jerk for a boss 2. Announce a layoff 3. Focus them on routine tasks instead of business results 4. Don’t tell
What is Strategy Implementation: A Quick Overview
Most strategies fail to achieve their objectives. The problem is rarely the strategy and usually a weak implementation. Successful implementation requires far more than an
Decision Paralysis
During détente back in the days of Gorbachev, a group of Russian diplomats was taken to an American supermarket. Contrary to the expectations of the
The Secrets to Effective Succession Plans
These are proven techniques to make succession planning effective, based on my 30+ years of advising scores of companies. The leader needs to be the
Forbes blog on accountability
My Forbes.net blog post with Harvard Business Review and Forbes.com writer Dorie Clark last week addressed the two core elements of successfully implementing a strategy
The Importance of Reducing Drag
I’m catching up on all the sailing magazines that have piled up since Fall, and preparing for another sailing season. My boat is ready to
Strategies Get Implemented by People
Formulating a new strategy can be hard work, but it’s not nearly as difficult as implementing a strategy. That’s because implementing the strategy requires mobilizing
Preparing to launch
Boatyards are busy places in the Spring. Every year I see people all having the same goal, to launch their boats, but with different styles:
The Bright Side of Last Week's Tragedy
What a week. The Boston marathon, the Texas explosion, letters sent to government officials with ricin. The bright side was the willingness of people to
The Pope On Change Leadership
Here’s one to watch: The new pope has launched a major change initiative to revise the Roman Curia’s constitution. So far Pope Francis has made
Not Lovin' It So Much
McDonalds told franchisees last month that “service is broken.” Rude employees, slow service, and a chaotic environment don’t lead to a good customer experience. No
How to Create a Compelling Vision
How to Create a Compelling Vision Vision statements should be compelling. They should paint a clear, vivid description of the organization in the future —
Vision and Accountability
Vision and Accountability The qualities of outstanding leaders, those respected by the people they lead, have been detailed by thought-leaders over and over through the
Season-ending defeats
In every major sport, the best teams enter a playoff to determine the overall winner. In the case of NCAA Men’s Basketball, that’s 64 teams,
Halftime and Strategic Change
It’s amazing how halftime can completely change a game. How many times have we seen Bill Belichik’s team, after a mediocre first half, come out
A Day in the Life
In Philadelphia over the weekend I saw a Beatles tribute band backed up by the Philadelphia Pops. The concert was great, but what really struck
Repetitive People Problems
It doesn’t matter if you’re in a small firm or large company, you cannot tolerate repetitive mistakes or having to regularly redo a subordinate’s work.
About Those PowerPoint Slides
We all spend far too much time in presentations that are unfocused and too heavy in detail. Implement these principles for presentations in your organization
The Sequestration and Leadership (or not)
The sequestration issue is the latest in a series of economic/governmental crises that have marked the current administration’s tenure. This blog is about strategy implementation,
How Great Leaders Make Strategy Work
One of the key elements to making a strategy work is effective leadership to maintain focus throughout the implementation. We’ve all heard that strategy is
How to Improve Employee Accountability
Setting different cultures and leadership styles aside, here are fundamentals that work in any situation to improve employee accountability:1. First, design jobs for results, not
Leadership Succession
Having worked on CEO succession plans and processes for a number of organizations, I was intrigued this week when Pope Benedict announced that he was
Storms
Having spent most of last week in Rhode Island and Boston last week, I cut short my planned activities Friday morning to avoid the storm.
Strategy and the Customer
The doctor appointment was for 3:30. I was still waiting at 5:00. They said the truck would be ready in an hour. An hour later
Samsung and Apple's Resiliency
Samsung is testing Apple’s ability to respond post-Steve Jobs. It is a reminder that every strategy must adapt to change and that a company’s resiliency
Back-in-the-Day Management Techniques
Henry Ford said, “Why is it, that when I ask for a pair of hands, a brain comes attached?” Management tools developed in Ford’s day
Dissent in the Internet Age
Last week in Vietnam, 14 activists and bloggers were sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for attending courses in nonviolent resistance and use
Is Your Team On the Same Page?
Don’t assume that a team shares a common direction. Yes, they may agree that the strategy sounds good, but they’re not going to effectively implement