OJ’s Dream Team: What Leaders Can Learn
I’ve been thinking a lot about teams recently, inspired by the 2016 dramatic series ‘The People Versus OJ Simpson.’ One of the most compelling aspects of the program was the portrayal of the so-called Dream Team — the group of legal heavyweights retained by OJ to represent him. Led by Robert Shapiro and later Johnnie […]
A Survival Tip For Business Owners
I’ve been working with CEOs, Presidents, and business owners for well over 20 years, and if I had one piece of advice for any business leader who is passionate about growing their business, it would be to consider joining a peer group. Here are some of the ways peer groups create value. Making Better Decisions […]
For Leaders: How To Size-up Others
In order to be successful over the long term, business leaders must learn to size up and evaluate as accurately as possible the people they meet. Research by behavioral scientists suggests that when we judge people, we look for two things: strength and warmth. These two traits represent 90% of the variance in the positive […]
For Leaders: Some Thoughts on Effective Delegation
A key skill for leaders at all stages of their careers is the ability to delegate effectively. Leaders who can’t delegate often limit their ability to grow in an organization and — more importantly — they don’t give the people around them the opportunity to grow. To delegate effectively, a leader needs to let go […]
For Leaders: The Downside of RPS
Imagine this situation: you’re a business owner sitting in your office and a direct report knocks on your door and says: ‘Got a minute, we’ve got a problem.’ Often, problem solving is something that the business leader has done a lot of to get to where they are. They’ve become pretty good at dealing with […]
For Business Owners: Some Thoughts About Pricing
In my experience, business owners are often hesitant to increase prices. One of the most common reasons is a fear that a price increase will cause their customer to seek out another supplier. Price Is Seldom The Only Factor Very seldom is your customer buying from you because of price alone. Support, service, and quality […]
Dealing With Toxic High Performers
Jack Welch, the much-lionized CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001, evaluated his managers using a classic 2×2 matrix: results delivered on one axis, living by organizational values on the other. Managers who didn’t share the company’s values but delivered strong numbers were the toughest call. Welch believed adherence to values was critical — […]
Dealing With Performance Anxiety
I was recently speaking with a young professional who expressed feeling incredibly anxious about making a presentation to a number of senior people in his organization. It was the first time he had ever been asked to do this and he told me he was feeling so anxious he was having trouble sleeping. Our conversation […]
Improving Your Empowerment R.O.I.
There’s been a lot written encouraging business owners to empower their employees. Empowerment usually refers to the process of allowing employees to have input and some control over their work, including the ability to make suggestions regarding their work and the company as a whole. The benefits of empowering employees can be many. Improved productivity […]
More Valuable Than Strategic Planning
I was meeting with a group of CEOs and Presidents last week and the subject of strategic planning came up. A number of group members expressed that planning for the future had become a lot more difficult. Planning time frames were getting shorter — most agreed that anything beyond three years was ‘throwing darts’. One […]