One of the most enduring challenges facing businesses is the development of the next level of supervisors and managers. I often hear from executives who are frustrated by the need to step in and handle management challenges, particularly those involving the performance and behavior of their people.
One of the constant challenges I see for entrepreneurial CEO’s is the sheer number of distractions they face every day. An effective barometer of this is the amount of “stuff” on their desk at any given time. Among the questions I like to ask are the following…
One of the questions I often post to members of senior leadership teams during strategy sessions is this: “If your organization went out of business today, another one just like it would start up a few days later because somebody has to _________________.” I am...
Printing company leaders often face a dilemma: Should they invest in new customer accounts and/or employees who show potential, even if the immediate returns are modest? The answer is nuanced, requiring a balance between optimism and pragmatism.When a business...
Few items raise more concerns (complaints?) than the subject of meetings. Small or large, routine, or ad hoc, brief, or multi-day, meetings in organizations are known to be an unavoidable evil. We can do better. While there are helpful books on the subject (including...
I read with great interest the story of Saks’ acquisition of both Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. These three fierce competitors in the luxury department store arena came together less than two years ago with the hope of...