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
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
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.
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
I enjoy the background stories of individual Olympians – how they got to where they are. At some point, each of them had a vision
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.
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
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
Advertising legend David Ogilvy said half the money spent on advertising is wasted – the problem is which half. The same is true of training.
The leader who is attempting to shift strategic direction faces three sources of resistance within their organization — the broad employee base, middle managers, and
“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
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
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,
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
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
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.
My message last week was that consensus decision making is a mask for weak leadership – either because the leader is afraid to make a
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,” was in the news last week. Whether you call it “lean finely textured beef” or “salvage” as one scientist called it, you won’t
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.
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
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.
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
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,”
“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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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,
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
The World Series reminds me that teams can take many forms. Baseball teams operate differently from football, basketball and hockey teams, but in every case,
Think about it. Google, the iPhone, Facebook, the microwave oven, the CD player…. None of these were a result of continuous improvement. I’m all for
We have chickens on our farm and, up until a week ago, we had a rooster. The rooster had to go. He was bossy with
In some leadership groups, opinions appear to be more important than facts. I’ve seen senior management groups where an executive’s in-depth knowledge and experience is
Many companies have these problems, and they all damage the ability to grow. Weak internal communication Inability to react quickly to opportunities (or threats) A
Most organizations set aside time each year for the senior team to discuss strategy and develop a strategic plan. Yet, in my experience, few companies end
If you want to go from ‘good to great’ or create a high performance organization, you’ll probably need to address the culture. Here’s what you
Many of the strategic plans I see these days aren’t strategic at all — they don’t address business strategy. Instead, they focus almost exclusively on
Strategic plans are worthless unless they are successfully executed. Period. Similarly, high intelligence is worthless if it’s not put to good use. Three things that
Pay increases this year will again be small or nonexistent – below 3%. Even top performers will get planned increases less than 3%. So, what
Most managers don’t know what they’re accountable for, and are unable to hold their people accountable.
“Make people accountable.” “Lay down the law.” “Hold peoples’ feet to the fire.” “Increase the heat.” If there’s one big idea we learned from Alvin
A happy worker is not necessarily a productive worker. Here’s why.
Accountability and responsibility — both are important, but they are NOT the same thing. Accountability An accountability is an end result. Being accountable is being answerable
On October 21, 1805, Lord Admiral Nelson’s English fleet defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain at the Battle of Trafalgar. For decades afterward,
If you don’t come out of this recession with a much more valuable workforce, you’ve missed an exceptional opportunity.
A-Rod’s biggest mistake may have been trusting that the study was confidential and anonymous. What is the lesson for employers seeking “confidential” employee input?
Merit increases does not improve individual or organizational performance.
I did quite a lot of work for an urban school district some years ago. One day I was talking with the superintendent about how
Downsizing may reduce costs, but it won’t increase your return on people. In fact, layoffs usually have a negative impact on productivity, morale, employee satisfaction, external reputation, and even the quality of your workforce. It doesn’t have to be that way. Follow these tips to overcome the negatives and get a greater return.
Succession planning offers a number of benefits, including these major ones: Management Continuity — When a management vacancy occurs, it’s good to know that you
Endless meetings and approvals, certain personalities, trivial requests, lack of direction from above, mindless policies, wasteful practices, uncooperative people, rumors, gossip…. What things have the
What turns you ON at work? What policies, procedures, practices, values, management styles, etc. actually help energize you and help you be your best and
There’s a lot of stress going around these days. And leaders need to know how to handle it. But first, they need to understand it.
People want to believe. They want to know what their leaders see for the future. They want to be a part of something bigger than
A Forbes reporter called me, having found an article I wrote online about managing in a recession. If there’s one thing we know for sure
“So much of what we call management consists of making it difficult for people to work.” — Peter Drucker
The theme of this new blog is “return on people”. Every management needs to increase the value of people faster than the rising costs of