How to Hire & Manage Consultants

While you might be lucky enough to survive in business with little or no advice from others, you will certainly not maximize your potential for success by doing so. All CEOs and entrepreneurs need advice in a wide variety of constantly changing areas…That said, I’m always somewhat perplexed as to why people hire certain professionals. The nature of my business is that I often succeed other…

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Leadership & Loyalty

Is it just me, or has loyalty become rather scarce these days? Anyone who's been in leadership for any length of time has likely pulled more than a few knives out of their back. There seems to be way too much focus on "me” and not enough focus on “we" these days. In today's post, I'll examine the value of loyalty as it relates to leadership. There have always been those who have fostered trust…

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Leadership Interview – Doug Conant

Many people discuss transformational leadership, but few can point to a modern-day CEO who is an example of a transformative leader. Douglas R. Conant is the President and CEO of Campbell Soup Company, and he epitomizes just such a leader. When Doug took the helm at Campbell's 10 years ago, he reversed the trend of declining earnings and employee engagement. In 2010, during a down economy, the…

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Leadership and Mentoring

Leadership and mentoring go hand-in-hand. In fact, this is so much the case I don't believe a person qualifies as a leader unless they are a mentor. If you accept this premise as correct, then why is it so many in positions of leadership fall woefully short in successfully transferring the benefits of their wisdom and experience to others? To the chagrin of many reading this post, I believe there…

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Rethinking Good To Great

If you’re a frequent reader of this blog you know from time-to-time I’ll take aim at a sacred cow and pull the trigger. I’ve had issues with some of the concepts contained in Jim Collins's book Good To Great since it was first released. Given the legions of those who have drunk the Good to Great Kool-Aid, I realize today's post might be akin to spitting into the wind. That said, it is nonetheless…

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Leadership and Competition

Competition is only to be feared if not understood. I've always held the belief that competition is not only healthy but it can also be very prosperous if you are in a leadership role. If you really want to understand a leader's perspective on the market, start by asking them about their competition. A leader's view on competition will not only reveal a lot about their beliefs on current and…

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