Vol. 58: Powerful After Action Reports

Building a Business: The power of the After Action Report

“Thankfully, perseverance is a good substitute for talent..”– Steve Martin

Many years ago when we lived in the Midwest, we became very good friends with a young couple down the street. He was a fellow fraternity brother, from another college, but I remember him as a [...]

Looking for a few brilliant ideas?

Seth Godin, blogger extraordinaire, has compiled an interesting and FREE PDF download from 70 diverse thinkers in which each person provides ONE WORD to identify an important concept for 2010 … and then writes a single page to describe why they chose that word. From GENEROSITY to DIGNITY to POKER to RIPPLE, there are provocative [...]

Vol. 53: Different Cultures – Different Results?

The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.
This page provides the Print-Friendly Version of the article, as published.
Any related materials or [...]

Original + Unique = Risk = Some failure

By now, you know that the Sunday NY Times Corner Office series is oft-quoted here to highlight varying aspects of leadership that flow from Adam Bryant’s conversations with notable CEOs and business leaders.
This week he interviewed Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks Animation SKG.
Perhaps Katzenberg inhabits an industry that is prone to more risk than others [...]

Close Encounters of the Third Degree

In an interesting article, The Martial Art of Difficult Conversations, Peter Bregman of the management consulting firm, Bregman Partners, reflects on a few tips to diffuse difficult conversations that are reminiscent of the “close encounters of the third degree” exhibited by Jack Nicholson in Anger Management. If you’re unhappy with your usual predilections in such [...]

Leading by Listening? What a concept!

… and, of course, who better to embody this powerful attribute than an orchestra conductor?
Imagine listening like a conductor, appreciating every note and intonation … recognizing that the bass section is too loud or the percussion section is interrupting the melody. We can use these principles to improve our own listening skills … apply them [...]

Strategy is what you choose NOT to do!

By now, you know that the Sunday NY Times Corner Office series is oft-quoted here to highlight varying aspects of leadership that flow from Adam Bryant’s conversations with notable CEOs and business leaders.
This week he interviewed Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female President of Harvard University. Communication is a critical factor in her leadership style, [...]

Alignment is the essence of management

… or so says Fred Smith, Chairman and Founder of Federal Express.
By any other name, there is no substitute for making sure that everyone on your team is “aligned” … with the goals of the organization, its vision and mission, its values …. One way to discover a lack of alignment is to send out [...]

Vol. 51 – Building a Business: Never Give Up!

The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.
This page provides the Print-Friendly Version of the article, as published.
Any related materials or [...]

CEOs: Be a General … and a Scout

I have mentioned on many occasions the Corner Office series in the Sunday NY Times which features an interview by Adam Bryant with a prominent CEO. The questions are consistent but invariably reveal an important reminder of  key elements of leadership.
In a recent interview with Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, Rogers explained how important [...]