You may not remember the hit TV series from the 70s that traced the adventures of a Shaolin Monk, Kwai Chang Caine (played by the late David Carradine) as he wanders the American West armed only with his spiritual training and skill in Kung Fu. But, if you were a young boy back then, as I...
I have always believed that the fastest path to the future is found through increasing velocity of change. I don’t believe I’ll get much push-back on that statement, but I’m rather certain I’ll encounter some resistance with my next one: Increasing velocity of change is best accomplished by slowing down. Most CEOs feel as...
I have a different take on value chain analysis. Most think of it as positioning a business within its ecosystem. I think of a value chain as a graphical representation of all of the work that must be done by a business or work area in order to provide its goods/services (i.e., “value”) to its customers....
News Flash: If you value your own opinion more than others do, you might be suffering from a common form of self-delusion. Referring to yourself as a thought leader makes you a tone-deaf narcissist; not necessarily a great thinker. For my part, I’m in the process of trying to eliminate the term “thought leadership”...
People with high emotional intelligence quotients (EQ) are easy to talk with. They are great listeners and strong communicators in both the written and spoken word. People with high EQ know who they are and are the ones that can resolve conflicts before they escalate beyond repair. These people regulate their reactions to everyday...
Have you ever worked for a boss who always said no? If you have, my first guess is it was a frustrating experience. My second guess is you don’t hold said boss in high regard as a leader. I’ve always been amazed at the number of well known axioms espousing the benefits of learning to use the...
Graduation is a joyous time full of accolades and recognitions, serious reflection, and great anticipation. By all means, enjoy graduation – you worked hard to reach this point. That said, my advice is don’t get too caught up in the pomp and circumstance – real life is about to hit you in the face. Following...
Is Memorial Day weekend just another holiday, or does it mean something more to you? While this weekend simply signifies a long awaited prelude to summer for some, it is much more than that for others. As a veteran and lifelong student of leadership I have always found Memorial Day weekend to be one of the most...
Change seems to occur at an ever-increasing speed, making forecasts – especially those concerning long term scenarios – an extremely risky business. Forecasts often lead to disappointments, both for management – employees – shareholders and other stakeholders. Because of the complexities, we can always find excuses: Organizational developments did not always have the impact...
Mesmerized by industry innovators like Google, Apple and Uber, business leaders of all sorts want to become “disruptors” within their respective industries. Easier said than done! Interestingly, the key to unlocking the kind of breakthrough thinking needed to support an aggressive agenda of innovation lies with the leadership and culture of the organization. These...
