Accountability – Featured Articles

Do You Thrive on Paranoia? If Not, Why Not? If So … Then What?
Concepts about paranoia abound. Ask Andy Grove, Jim Collins, Muhtar Kent and me.By any name, change is healthy, but it means you’ll have to dropkick some of the things you’re already doing … even if you’re in love with them. A rose is a rose is a tulip? No, that’s …
Are You Taking Steps to Get Ahead of the Next Disaster? | 12 Steps You Should Take Now.
The raging fires throughout Northern California now appear to be the worst fire disaster in California history. It may seem like closing the barn door after the horse is gone, but now is a good time to consider what you can do to be better prepared for an unexpected disaster. …
What Does This Mean to Us as Leaders: Leave No Man or Woman Behind?
Among many things, the Special Forces are famous for this credo: Leave No One Behind. How does that apply to your leadership? Leave No Man (or Woman) Behind The Navy SEALS are famous for many things, but one of their credos we often hear about is Leave No Man Behind. …
Would you listen to the Most Beautiful Woman in the World?
Would you listen to the Most Beautiful Woman in the World? I you’d look, but would you really listen? Sticks & Stones? Are You Sure Words Never Hurt You? It’s been several years since I wrote this original article, but with the onslaught of the Internet … the 2 Billion …
The 6 Powerful Benefits of Admitting Your Mistakes
Go ahead. Raise your hand if you’ve never made a mistake If your hand isn’t up, how willing are you to own and admit your mistakes? What’s the Difference Between a Lie and a Mistake? Before we get too far, let’s distinguish between failing to admit a mistake and actually …
If You’re Not Paranoid, You’re Not Paying Attention | What’s Destructive Enrichment?
Concepts about paranoia abound. Ask Andy Grove, Jim Collins, Muhtar Kent and me.By any name, change is healthy, but it means you’ll have to dropkick some of the things you’re already doing … even if you’re in love with them. A rose is a rose is a tulip? No, that’s …
Don’t skip this! Create Goals that You Can Actually Achieve
Creating goals that have meaning “It’s just a goal.” That’s a phrase I’ve heard too many times when a business leader engages in a performance review with an employee or when companies embark on a corporate planning effort. Do they mean that a goal is more like a road sign, …
The 7 Qualities You Need to Get Your Company on the Medal Stand
What does it take to get on the Medal Stand and out of the Grandstands? She’s won 17 Olympic medals. 12 of them are gold. She holds 13 world records. She’s been Sports Woman of the Year twice. She’s obviously a remarkable swimmer. She did all of it after having …
Video & Slides | Does Your Incentive Plan Really Drive Superior Results?
Can we develop an incentive plan to drive superior performance? You can be pretty sure that’s the question someone was trying to address when your key incentive program was created. At the time, the answer may have been yes. Since then? The chances are that question has never been asked …
Leadership Insights | The 8 Principles of Effective Delegation
What’s Your Delegation Score? Delegation isn’t just a handoff so you can walk away and do something else. It is a critical leadership skill that you must master if you want to expand your reach, take control of your time and achieve the work-life harmony you’re seeking. Learn the 8 Principles …

ABOUT ME

I am a professional author and speaker as well as a leadership coach facilitating leadership groups among CEOs and senior business leaders in the SF Bay area.

I am the author or more than 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay affiliate of the NY Times among the 550+ articles here. I have also written 3 ebooks about Leadership & Business Finance.

I have been married forever to a beautiful woman and have one spectacular daughter who has dedicated her life to helping children with life-threatening illnesses.

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Lary has been a tremendous asset to our company. His experience and knowledge provides our young company with the type of financial and business guidance needed to facilitate our continued growth. In addition to Lary's efforts in raising capital for our company, he has assisted Multimedia Live in both extensive business planning, as well as continual ongoing monthly financial and strategy analysis of our business. I have found this to be an invaluable service. ~ Ken Burke, CEO, Multimedia Live, Inc.

Not only do you get honesty and integrity from Lary but you also get creativity, maturity and deep business acumen. Lary is the diamond in the rough for middle market companies in need of corporate advisory services and transaction services. ~ Kelly O. Kay, Partner, Center for Corporate Innovation

Within a three year period I had two different startups and one acquisition to deal with. Lary's involvement in the projects allowed me to raise substantial amounts of capital on all occasions. He makes even the most monumental task seem effortless. His tireless attention and focus on the project gets things done, done right, and under deadline. ~ Don Meahan, owner and operator of Alaska’s Naknek Anglers, LLC

Lary was an important component in helping us raise our first (over-subscibed) fund at Harbour Group. His doggedness, professionalism, and friendly demeanor helped open doors for what, at the time, was an untested and reasonably new concept. He was a pleasure to work with and remains a friend to this day.~ Ralph Lobdell, Chairman, Tripos, Inc.

I've known and worked with Lary for more than 15 years as a business partner, consulting colleague and adviser and have found that Lary's financial skills and creativity result in high quality results for his clients. I am certain that Lary's strong work ethic, client focus and successful track record bode well for future clients just as they have formed the foundation of a long-term and highly valued relationship for me. ~ Kevin J. Sharps, Director, Financial Services Consulting practice

Lary is one of the brightest and most energetic professionals with whom I have ever worked. His skills in dealing with privately held firms and the aggressive and creative solutions made him a valuable asset to any business. ~ F. Bart Smith, President (retired)

Lary brings to the table a wealth of real world wisdom and experience that is grounded in an impressive array of C-level and other executive leadership and operational management roles. Over the years I have found Lary's advise and counsel to be invaluable, I think in part because of his dedication and commitment to being of true value to his clients and colleagues. Lary has a well-honed ability to ask the right (and often difficult!) questions, to shed light on the most challenging aspects of your business, to share best practices and to guide you to valuable solutions to consider. I recommend Lary without hesitation. If you are a CEO or senior level executive, working with Lary will no doubt prove to be one of the smartest decisions you will make during your career.~ David Newlin, Managing Partner

Lary has a remarkable ability to provide a clear and thoughtful analysis of the business drivers and potential outcomes facing private companies at each stage of development. His insight has provided a powerful framework for decision-making in many challenging situations. ~ Noah J. Rosenkrantz, CEO

Lary began advising our company when we were going through some difficult challenges, and now, two years later, we are in a completely different and significantly better place. His advice was specific, direct, and not always what we wanted to hear, and that was invaluable. Lary has been quick to cut through to the heart of an issue. His coaching, prodding, and tough questioning helped us to make changes that truly and measurably have helped both our top and bottom lines. ~ Paul Levitan, CEO

In my former position as a tax partner at KPMG, LLP, I worked closely with Lary on the tax aspects of the plethora of business issues that arise in the life cycle of a start up company. It was unusual to see a senior finance person demonstrate a seasoned business acumen in identifying issues and opportunities, grasping the technical issues, resolving obstacles and implementing change. ~ Jeffrey Bergmann, V.P. Worldwide Tax