Leading for Results
The most important reason to be an effective leader is to help the group achieves its goals. Not for the status, or the power, but
The most important reason to be an effective leader is to help the group achieves its goals. Not for the status, or the power, but
The departures of key executives from Facebook last week are the latest over the past 18 months. They highlight a number of key lessons in
Computers get bogged-down over time as programs take more and more memory. Similarly, organization structures and processes get bogged-down by the ongoing addition of policies,
One of the ways that meetings can be both frustrating and inefficient is when participants are faced with a situation and are going around and
The word “accountability” can have a lot of negative connotations for people, including managers. In most cases, that’s because they either don’t understand accountability, or
Last week I was in Chicago and visited the world’s largest and most respected maker of fine stringed instruments, William Harris Lee & Company. They
When I see a company year-after-year forecast sizable increases in revenues and profits and regularly miss the forecast I am reminded of Albert Einstein’s admonition
Newly-promoted executives face a number of significant challenges as they adapt to an executive role. One of the most significant is the ability to think
Innovation and continuous improvement keep operating processes efficient and effective, but too often management processes get neglected and they can cause significant problems during growth.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that employees are voluntarily quitting their jobs at the highest rate since the internet boom in 2001, and most
Having the right strategy and structure is good, but you need to make sure that you have the right key players in every important management
I’ve been asked what key changes executives need to make in order to have a quantum leap in their effectiveness. What’s interesting about the question
Most organizations devote a lot more time and money on weak performers than they do on top performers. They think that by investing in the
Here is one of the most common, yet astounding, things that I see in organizations: Direct reports often aren’t clear on what their jobs are.
You need to make sure that the information you receive is not filtered. That can be more difficult than it seems. You have to make
You’re the leader. That means you choose the music that everyone dances to. You need to be out in front and leading, providing direction and
Make sure that non-performers or weak performers throughout your organization know where they stand. I read a Wall Street Journal article this weekend about the
Here are three suggestions to significantly reduce demands on your time: Attract, develop, and retain really good people who report to you. This is very
Build both accountability and managerial skills, especially in newly-promoted managers. Instead of asking a manager for detail on project progress, ask what he or she
A common challenge of leaders is to become a better, more inspiring and energizing communicator. To do that, it helps to change your perspective on
Developing a highly-functioning top team is not easy. It takes the right combination of people, agreement on a clear direction, the ability to interact effectively,
This is a good time of year to recognize exceptional performance of one or a few key individuals. Consider a lump-sum cash award, especially if
When working with clients on implementing strategy, accelerating change, or improving performance, the actual results they achieve can vary greatly. Some clients make good steady
To be successful, managers and leaders need good relationships with their peers, subordinates and bosses. Yet, I usually see less-than-effective relationships when working with a
If you want exponential growth, you need to have a very clear picture of the business you want to have in the future: What will
The long-time Weinstein abuse and harassment was both widespread and known in the entertainment industry and beyond. It was an “open secret” that at least
One of the most important factors in achieving high performance is teamwork. That’s true for two reasons: First, because organizations exist because their overall mission
Corporate culture is in the news due to the likes of Wells Fargo, Uber, and the Harvey Weinstein Company. CEOs, through their own behavior, set
Business strategy is all about having a distinctive position in your market, and making that distinctiveness sustainable. A distinctiveness that can be easily replicated is
To grow your business and improve profits stop thinking of your company as one of many competitors in a broad market, and define a narrower
The CEO has the responsibility to think strategically about the company and its business. This is a two-fold challenge: The first part is to extricate
Exactly 20 years ago, Apple came up with a “Think Different” marketing theme. In part it was a rejoinder to IBM’s “Think,” but it resonated
I’ve seen a lot of companies with fairly generic values posted in conference rooms and other work spaces. You know, values such as “Fairness,” “Teamwork,”
These Have to Change When You Become an Executive Leader When a person is promoted to a leadership position as a CEO, COO, president, or
Over the past 30 years, I’ve worked on strategy and strategy execution with the senior management of Fortune 1000 companies, mid-market companies, and Inc 5000
Professional race car drivers have their eyes well down the track in anticipation and readiness. So do the very best equestrians who immediately upon completing
In 1966, The Beatles decided not to tour or do live concerts anymore. They made the decision primarily because they did not feel they were
The need to continually develop knowledge and skills is important throughout an organization. You’ve got to have people who are capable of handling new and
Back before culture surveys, attitude surveys, and engagement surveys, we used to have climate surveys, which were a way to measure the “climate” in an
Strategic incentives are a good idea at the top. But getting everyone one in a large company on the same page is difficult, and it
Mediocrity is bad for a number of reasons. Workplaces that allow mediocrity also de-motivate high performers. And tolerating mediocrity reduces an organization’s energy and productivity,
When something bad is about to happen, people will get tense. When beginning a competition, people will become focused. When preparing for a happy occasion,
From many years of coaching executives, here are five pointers for becoming a better leader: Hire people who are better than you in their discipline;
It’s February and you’ve got most of the year still ahead. See if you can answer these questions clearly and briefly: What is your strategy?
From over 30 years of working with organizations of all sizes and in many industries on improving business outcomes especially growth and profits: The most
Many people tell me that they like my On the Same Page emails because they are brief, to-the-point, and practical. I try to do the
I’ve been immersed in different cultures for the past couple weeks in Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Yangon, Myanmar. Some observations germane to leaders: These cultures
Oops! In last Monday’s email, I wrote that a 1000-foot runway (implementation plan) would be insufficient for a beautiful jet (corporate strategy) that requires a runway
My client called me to help improve company performance. The strategy they had developed was beautiful, like a new 747, capable of taking them where
This one is simple: If strategy and culture go head-to-head, bet on the culture. Here’s why: Too many leaders, especially those who are out to
The foundation of accountability is commitment. When one is committed to accomplishing something, the hesitation and fear are replaced by resolve and energy. When one
There are very, very few companies that have been great over a long time. It’s as if they were able to assemble an organization, a
Most strategies fail to achieve their objectives, not because the strategies are faulty, but because the implementation is weak. It’s like building a beautiful jet
When planning any sort of culture change, be aware that culture change often has an impact on customers and vendors. This is particularly true when
There isn’t a strategy. The strategy is distributed in 3-ring binders, everyone celebrates getting that done and thinks the strategy will implement itself. The strategy
Here’s what works: Divide your workforce into three groups based on their performance: The top 20%, the middle 70%, and the bottom 10%. On which
David Ogilve, the advertising guru, once noted that half the money spent on advertising is wasted; the problem being that no one knows which half.
When analyzing a performance problem, I’ve found it often pays to look at the supervisor or manager and how they manage their people. Examples: Micromanaging
Someone (I think it was Woody Allen) said that the role of the leader is to demonstrate how to act to his/her people. It’s sound
Your company has a culture. It’s the values and beliefs that cause certain behaviors. For example, if people are routinely late for meetings or if
If you want to build a high-performance team at the top, you’ve got to have managers who are professionally close. The big mistake many companies
Managers become quite adept at problem solving which involves taking action to bring performance back up to where it once was. You know the drill:
Of the things high performers hate most, bureaucratic organizations are in second place (weak supervisors are first.) The key difference between bureaucracies and high-performance organizations
Executives, and most of all, Chief Executives, need to be concerned about the information they are NOT hearing. There are many reasons why the information
A strategic vision is, by far, the least appreciated element of strategy, yet it has the power to focus the strategy, energize innovation, and mobilize
I watched a Charlie Rose interview with Joni Ives last week. Ives is the now legendary head of design for Apple — the guy who
Successful organization change requires a number of factors. Perhaps the most important is sponsorship — the clear and continual reinforcement of the change message by
An executive I began coaching shared a concern that people did not participate in meetings. When I sat in to observe, the problem was readily
The ability to envision your company’s future is important to formulating business strategy. Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end
Here is a list of what my best clients do: Understand that your commitment to the strategy is on the line everyday. Lead strategy formulation
In my consulting and coaching, I usually see clear distinctions between upper and lower levels of management on a number of factors including how time
I’ve met, observed, and worked with hundreds of leaders — only a couple dozen or so who I’ve considered to be extraordinary. While they’ve differed
During the many years I’ve been working with companies, the characteristics of high-performing and ineffective organizations is stark. In high-performing companies, people talk about the
This newsletter is entitled “On the Same Page.” It can refer to many things including an orchestra whose members are following the score, or the
If you want to establish strong leadership power and influence, learn what it means to establish “referent” power. It is far more effective than power
To dramatically grow your business, you’ve got to execute. Even it you’ve got a great strategy, how it is executed makes all the difference. I’ve
Over my career I’ve worked with at least a thousand executives, including hundreds of CEOs and presidents. The best ones aren’t so concerned with making
Benchmarking is a tried-and-true approach for operational processes, but it should not be used to determine how best to structure or lead an organization. Yeah,
When people are micro-managed, they become self-conscious, intimidated, mistake avoiding, and fearful. They wait for orders, subdue their creativity, and rarely make suggestions. That’s not
There’s a lot of talk about innovation these days. Much of it is academic and lacks practical application. Here are three important tactics from my
Last week I attended M.I.T’s graduation to see my son receive his Ph.D. in Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering. The guest speaker was Megan Smith, Chief
From my observations over 30 years of consulting, coaching, and executive work: The best leaders know that people respond to excellent managers, challenging and stimulating
90% of managers believe they are good or excellent communicators, while the people they’re leading put that number at about 20%. That is pretty much
My most successful clients are very good at aligning individual goals with strategic intent so that everybody is actively working to achieve the company’s strategy
My wife has a large garden which produces an abundance of vegetables we eat throughout the year — we still have garlic, beans, hot peppers,
I don’t know where this came from, but I hear way too many people talking about deliverables. Maybe it’s because a deliverable is better than
What obstacles are in your growth path? Most of my clients are pushing hard for growth right now. If that’s you too, I have one
One of the highest concerns of presidents I talk with these days is how to create an organization that is more proactive in sensing external
Getting consensus is good — but commitment is essential. I have seen leaders who spend all their time getting their team to reach consensus, but
It’s the fallacy that if someone understands the theory, or the practice, or simply what to do, that he or she will do it. We
Instilling accountability is very important. It is the fast track to commitment, performance, and people development. Unfortunately, way too many leaders, managers, and supervisors see
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,
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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