Strategy

Things happen gradually and then very suddenly.  When the suddenly (failure to act and therefore failure to win) happens TO a team, it’s almost always about a leader’s failure to inspire and drive a sustained sense of urgency. If a competitor is beating your team, you can bet their sense of team urgency was more powerful than yours.  It is that simple. If you want to keep the dream (and winning) ...

“Do you get butterflies before you give speeches?”  My daughter, Kate (11), asked me after I returned from a recent engagement. “Every time,” I replied. “I get butterflies before every speech and throughout every business day!” When we lose our butterflies as leaders, it’s often the first sign of decline… that perhaps we’re losing our edge or just “phoning it in.”  Note:  If you lose your butterflies as a leader, ...

Great leaders understand how to provide visible and involved leadership, while at the same time providing top talent with room to succeed (a lot of room!). How does a leader know if they’re in the way? Your team isn’t winning—Lack of success can stem from a lot of things, including and perhaps most importantly, leadership that is in the way.  Behind many struggling teams or enterprises you will find a leader ...

Go! The Most Powerful Two-Letter Word! As leaders we make decisions.  The words we use and the conviction with which we approve and make decisions matters.  It matters a lot! Go! There is something very different and powerful about the word “go” versus “fine,” “yes,” “approved,” “move forward,” or whatever. Top leaders build cultures where the team believes that they are GOING in the right direction, someplace great, and that the team ...

My wife always tells me that I “love to hire the crazies.” Yes.  I do.  They change the world. There has never been a more exciting time to compete and to do business in our world than today—opportunities, new technologies, competitors, and threats are everywhere! Therefore.  Disruption! It’s impossible to create disruptive advantage without hiring disruptive talent.

Real leadership is not for the timid. As a leader, to do your job, to really do it, you have to be willing to lose it.  Therein lies the rub.  Too few of these leaders exist. Leaders have a fundamental responsibility to put their teams and enterprises ahead of their self-interests, to place their jobs at risk on behalf of creating excellence and meaningful (spectacular) growth. What does this really mean? It ...

Who doesn’t want to get off to a great (not a good, but a great!!) start with the new boss?  Following these ten rules will help you get off to a winning start with the new leader. If these rules help you, pay it forward. Rule #1: Don’t Create Stories—Creating stories in your head about what kind of person the new boss is or will be is a dangerous waste of ...

This evening I can be found at Illinois State University doing one of my favorite things in the world, which is to exchange ideas about leadership, innovation, and the future (their futures!) with great students.  With top, driven students, the discussion inevitably turns to a question and answer session around two things—what top employers want and how to go after and win the big job. You are what your record says ...

If you’re working for the right leadership team and enterprise, few things should be more exciting to the leaders than giving big raises to top people.    It’s exciting and it’s fun! Here are two can’t-miss steps: Step 1 “Lights-Out” Consistent Performance – Build a track record of excellence and winning that is second-to-none.  Candidly, meeting your goals is an expectation of your employment.  It’s in many ways…average.  The objective is to ...

The Saddle River School is an exclusive private school a town over from where I live.  It is a beautiful school that provides a wonderful learning environment (lush lawns, classic architecture), along with a seven to one student to teacher ratio.  Seven to one!  Think about how incredibly fortunate those students are to have that level of personalized learning facilitated by master teachers. It is a can’t-miss advantage for life. What ...