“Settling for a pale version of the possible” is my favorite line in Tony Schwartz’ new book, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working. It’s in essence the question that we so often avoid because it gets to the core of our most intimate desire to be the best that we can be. Those with the…read more
Have You Been Boss Stalked?
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Some years ago, after recently taking a new job, I experienced the creepiness, anger, and all together bad feeling of being Boss Stalked. As I sat outside with my kids watching them swim one Sunday afternoon, my cell phone rang, my blackberry buzzed with a new message, and my home phone rang, all within 3…read more
Innovation From the Inside Out
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
If your company is following suit in a growing trend and starting an Innovation campaign, beware of the pitfalls. Many companies assume they can create a few goals, advertise the idea, provide a bit of training, and expect that greatness will appear. If it is unbridled success you are after, and you are trying to…read more
No Lights, No Signs . . . No Deaths
Monday, October 26th, 2009
A Business Lesson from the Dutch The Dutch town of Drachten removed most of their traffic lights and traffic signs with remarkable results. Intersections previously adorn with traffic lights and directional signs have been replaced with round-abouts (traffic circles) and all signage removed. Deaths related to traffic accidents zero since the program started seven years…read more
From Linear to Exponential: A Lesson from the World Business Forum
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
One of the most important lessons from this year’s World Business Forum in NY, is the need to update our business models for the 21st century. Believe it or not, most of today’s business models are based on how the military and large industrial companies were managed over 100 years ago. Gary Hamel’s presentation, in…read more
5 Secrets to Doubling Your Team’s Productivity
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Do you find yourself wondering why your team is only partially engaged, and why you have to follow-up on every little thing to ensure the work get done on time? Shouldn’t they be doing back flips for you given that they still have a job in this economy? There is really only one primary secret…read more
The Courage of a New Perspective
Monday, August 31st, 2009
I found a article from Time Magazine, dated July 25, 1969 titled, ESSAY: ON COURAGE IN THE LUNAR AGE. The opening paragraph says: “ “COURAGE leads starward; fear toward death”, wrote Seneca. Man needs courage simply to live in spite of knowing that he must die. He needs it to live richly – to take…read more
Where Did the Trust Go?
Monday, August 24th, 2009
I was the COO of an international corporate finance company when the mayhem in the financial world let loose in the fall of 2008. It didn’t matter how long you had done business with a counterparty, or how much money they had made from you in the past. This was war; relationships became meaningless, and…read more
Collaboration Equals Success – Part 2 of 2
Friday, July 10th, 2009
What Promotes Collaboration Inside Organizations? Without the proper culture and structure, collaboration and all of its benefits will elude even the most determined company. Stakeholders, organizational structure, leadership style, culture, and mission must all be properly aligned in order to create a model that promotes collaboration and success. Like creativity, collaboration cannot be forced; it…read more
Collaboration Equals Success – Part 1 of 2
Friday, July 10th, 2009
As I sit here in late July 2009 writing about Collaboration, two very distinct examples are dominating the media. One is an astounding feat of collaboration and courage that sucked an entire nation into its drive for success. The other, an embarrassment to that same nation 40 years later as a group of intelligent and…read more
