How to Build a Winning Team
An article in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal about a high-school cross-country coach in suburban Syracuse was fascinating. His teams have won nine national titles in
Yearly Archives: 2014
Year: 2014
People Don't Hate Change
Leaders will sometimes tell me that people hate change. But it’s not true. Nearly all of my work involves some amount of organization change. Sometimes
How the best teams work
Many leaders today still subscribe to the idea that everyone reporting to them must conform to the leader’s thoughts and opinions–both before decisions are made,
The Wisdom of Giving Thanks
This is Thanksgiving week in the United States. It’s a time to give thanks to your coworkers, your employees, your customers, and vendors. And especially
Changing the Micromanager
In the news last week were Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, and other former members of the Obama cabinet decrying the micromanagement that has characterized the
Chances are you have only one of these two critical leadership skills
Excellent companies–those who excel for the long-term–are good at both the analytics of costs and efficiencies, and in improving their organization’s ability to learn, innovate,
The Key to Stop Micromanaging
Growing a business is not easy. The challenge is particularly acute for entrepreneurs who successfully launch a business, but soon find that the leadership style
What Leaders Can Learn From Starlings and Fish
Over the weekend I witnessed an enormous flock of starlings in an undulating swarm constantly changing direction and formation but always maintaining their speed and
The most important factor in successful organizational change
Most attempts at organization change fail. Even if the change is eventually successful, the cost is often far higher than necessary. Those costs include complaints
Leveling Mt. Stupid
General Motors continues to have problems–the kinds of problems going through a bankruptcy instead of being bailed-out might well have corrected. GM’s stock has fallen
Can strong management inhibit innovation and change?
Today’s business world requires innovation and change and companies that aren’t good at these can quickly run into difficulty. But often overlooked is the role
6 Ways Your Board Can Help Your Strategy Succeed
An important factor in implementing your strategy is getting your board involved. Yet many of the boards I work with spend way too much time
The problem with improving innovation
For years I’ve helped companies improve innovation in a number of ways, and I continue to find that innovation itself is widely misunderstood. Innovation is
Stop kidding yourself about leadership change
In my work with hundreds of leaders and managers, it’s become clear that a company’s overall leadership won’t become better by improving a single leader.
The Key to Improving Performance
Imagine you’re in the passing lane of highway. There are several cars in a line just ahead of you so you cannot go any faster,
What Apple knows about communications
I attended my high school reunion over the weekend and it reminded me that the most powerful communication between people is a shared experience. It
How to get an organization working as a whole
In the 1991 Gulf War, the U.S. military attempted to “synchronize” all forces–getting them all to work together in order to concentrate forces. While it
How to spot real accountability
One of the most misunderstood, misused, and yet important factors of organizational success is accountability. I find that tough-talking leaders are often the worst at
Four reasons you're not developing leaders
In my experience, many companies are not effective at developing leaders for one or more of these four reasons: Senior management doesn’t talk about leadership
Why many attempts at employee engagement
Why many attempts at employee engagement are really just another form of control. http://boblegge.wordpress.com/
How Strong is Your Leadership Pipeline?
Recently I gave a talk at the New York Bankers Association Senior Management Conference about how to sustain a high-performance organization. One key to sustainable
The best way to improve performance, mot
The best way to improve performance, motivation, and engagement. http://boblegge.wordpress.com/
People have to motivate themselves–mana
People have to motivate themselves–managers cannot do it for them. http://boblegge.wordpress.com/
People have to improve their own perform
People have to improve their own performance–managers can’t do it for them. http://boblegge.wordpress.com/
On performance, motivation and engagement
People improve their own performance. It’s an individual accountability. Leaders can provide the ways and the means for people to do that, but leaders cannot
Why you probably don't know your organization culture
If you ever had a doubt about the impact of culture, just look at the Veteran’s Administration, General Motors, Target, or the many other current
What's your succession plan?
I spoke last week at the New York Bankers Association Senior Management Conference on strengthening leadership pipelines. Succession plans and leadership development are critically important
What leaders can learn from a champion equestrian
I find it fascinating to watch excellent coaches and I saw a master at work over the weekend. It was a horse eventing clinic run
Remove governors for a faster company. h
Remove governors for a faster company. http://ow.ly/xwxx0
Organizations no longer need or want gov
Organizations no longer need or want governors. http://ow.ly/xwxlZ
How organizations make it difficult for
How organizations make it difficult for people to work. http://ow.ly/xwx1P
Governors don't belong in fast organiza
Governors don’t belong in fast organizations. http://ow.ly/xwwgn
How leaders speed-up their organizations
Golf carts are equipped with governors to keep the cart from going too fast. I think many organizations have governors too, designed to keep employees
How to avoid major problems in your organization
One day a lily pad appeared on the surface of a pond. The next day there were two lily pads. On the third day there
Strategy and The Final Mile
In the cable industry, the final mile is connecting the cable system to customers’ homes. It is the most costly part of the entire system,
What Duke Ellington can teach business about innovation
Every year, for the past 14 years, I have read a biography of a famous musician or composer. As I read each book, I listen
How successful leaders implement strategy
Last month I wrote about the three key factors of successful strategy implementation: A distinctive strategy, effective leadership, and a sharply-focused organization. Of the three,
How leaders balance strategies and tactics
The Vail condo I’ve been to a few times has a large hand-lettered sign in the garage that reads, “Wait for me, for I am
Jumping to Conclusions
One of the first mistakes a new manager makes is to use just one data point or one input to come to a conclusion. It
Why innovation is the answer to growth p
Why innovation is the answer to growth plateaus http://bit.ly/1i2urja
How smart companies handle a growth plat
How smart companies handle a growth plateau http://bit.ly/1i2urja
What to do when growth hits a plateau ht
What to do when growth hits a plateau http://bit.ly/1i2urja
How weak companies react to a growth pla
How weak companies react to a growth plateau http://bit.ly/1i2urja
What to do when growth hits a plateau
Companies of all sizes go through growth curves: Times of healthy growth followed by a leveling-off and a growth plateau. It has happened, for example,
New fad: CEO incentives for succession planning
A hot corporate fad, the Wall Street Journal reports, is paying CEOs incentives to do succession planning. The reason is that new CEOs fail at
How to Create a Compelling Strategic Vision
An important leadership task is to create a strategic vision that is compelling and engaging. This is enormously important to building accountability and a culture
The insulated CEO: It's not just a large company problem
The Wall Street Journal ran an article last week about GM’s faulty ignition switch and how bad news doesn’t get to top leaders quickly, or
How to Create a Distinctive Business Strategy
A key to market leadership, strategic planning, and strategic management is to have a distinctive strategy. Organizations with the same strategy are forever competing on
How to develop objective leadership in a subjective world
We live in a world that is populated by factions and special interests. By focusing on one side, Fox News has become highly successful, so
Get Your Senior Team on the Same Page
You must have all your senior on-the-same-page or your strategy implementation will be weak. Here’s how to make that happen. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5IKwKhXXCA&w=560&h=315] See all my videos
Need a faster organization? Think internet, not machine.
The internet and the speed of business is changing how companies manage functions and people. the idea that an organization is like a machine where
What is Strategy Implementation?
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
Are you too busy for strategy?
I’m finding that executives in most companies are running flat-out these days. Many of the companies who contact me say their executives simply don’t have
Leading Change & Keeping Everyone On-Board — Navigating Corporate Change
In business strategy, navigating change is of paramount importance. Every strategic plan requires changes in how the organization must perform, and no strategy is implemented
Strategy and the overly-stressed staff
Just in the past week: A director in a nationwide software implementation company told me how her people were deeply stressed by overly-demanding work and
Leadership Skills For Strategy — Navigating Corporate Strategy
Business strategy is dependent on leadership skills to guide development and successfully implement. These leadership skills focus the organization on the strategy, continually energize people,
The fragile facade of trust
The Olympics were successful with a gracious host, a welcoming city, and the torch burning brightly signifying harmony, goodwill, peace, friendship and hope. Then, less
Strategic Position — Knowing Where You Are When Navigating Corporate Strategy
A key to business strategy implementation is navigation. Knowing where you are, how far you have traveled, and how much further you must go. On
Why have performance reviews?
Recently, there’s been a lot written about how bad performance reviews are. I agree. In fact, the traditional performance review is perfectly designed to deflate
When to Change Your Strategy — Navigating Corporate Strategy
When implementing a strategy, it is imperative to adapt to conditions. In most cases, this means not following the plan, but improvising to adjust to
Why managers need to get beyond criticism
I believe that criticism is one of the lowest level skills–because anyone can do it. And criticism has little value for a supervisor or manager
Determining Your Strategy — Navigating Corporate Strategy
In business strategy, determining your strategy is setting the course to achieve the vision and strategic objectives. After setting your mission and vision, you need
For a Better Organization, Replace Your "Check Engine" Light
In healthy organizations, there is openness, trust, and a focus on achieving shared outcomes. There is no need for anonymity in 360-degree feedback or employee
Navigating Corporate Strategy: Start Your Strategy at the End
Business strategy begins with mission and vision–the destination. The strategy, and how you implement it, depend on knowing where you are going and what you
*How to Fix a Negative Mentality at Work
*How to Fix a Negative Mentality at Work* #boblegge Rochester, NY carries a negative mentality—“that won’t work,” “we’ve tried that before,” “nothing is going to
Navigating Corporate Strategy: Get Your Terms Right
In leading strategy, it’s important to have working definitions of the terms. Different people have different definitions for words such as “goal” and “objective,” and
How to Be Twice as Good: The 1% Solution
My mentor, consultant and author Alan Weiss, has a 1% principle. It goes like this: If you (or your organization) improve by just 1% each
Navigating Corporate Strategy Videos
Here is the first of my new 8-part video series highlighting key elements of corporate strategy and tactics, and comparing them to sailing strategy and
The Greatest Danger of Success
It’s inertia – it’s the belief that it will continue forever, or at least a long time. Success makes one feel cocky and self-important. And
The Final Mile in Strategy Implementation
In the cable industry, the final mile is connecting the cable system to customers’ homes. It is the most costly part of the entire system,
Why Strategies Fail
Some corporate strategies fail because the strategy itself is flawed or non-existent. For example, former Kodak CEO Kay Whitmore told me in 2000 that no