There is no question that the value of unbiased feedback is critical to our success. The first cousin to Accountability, unbiased feedback is rarely a welcome interloper but one that we appreciate as we consider how we might improve the success of our lives. [quote style="boxed"]"Feedback is the breakfast of…
I have written and spoken extensively on the topic of building leadership teams and how those gaps hang like an albatross around the neck of the CEO ... or any leader of an incomplete team. The President of the United States is not immune to this condition and the gaps…
The Wall St. Journal sponsored a series of video interviews with executives to probe some of their "leadership lessons".The 90 second monologue by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft about how he budgets his time is an interesting and unique approach to making sure that your meetings and tasks fit into…
Create your own firesFire has been around since before Prometheus stole it from Zeus and shared it with us mere mortals.We won’t revisit the penalty that Zeus bestowed but suffice it to say, Prometheus probably regretted his thievery.Are you spending your day putting out fires?It seems that most executives today…
“Where are we” is a question I hear all the time.
Usually, the questioner is looking for some answers about the business landscape and where we might be in the trough between recession and recovery.
A challenging question but one that usually prompts a series of my questions:
Where are you, and how well are you and your company prepared for the rest of this journey?
Make sure that you have a foolproof system that holds your team accountable so that they know … that you know … what they need to get done, and that you’re measuring and tracking those initiatives to make sure they don’t slip through the cracks.
How have you gotten this far? (more…)
The New York Times carried an Op-Ed piece today extolling the more mundane interpretations of genius. It turns out according to several new books cited there, that the appearance of "genius" is really more a function of "deliberate practice" than a divine spark. So, don't wait for inspiration to strike.…
John Donahoe, the CEO of eBay, was interviewed in the NY Times and mentioned the laminated card he keeps in his wallet. It comes from a speech John W. Gardner delivered to the Hawaii Executive Conference in Kona, Hawaii, in April 1993 and published in Stanford, an independent publication of…
I have posted many items and reflections about the critical importance of regular, unbiased feedback as the linchpin to achieving accountability throughout your organization. The most recent example is the interview with Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox. John Donahoe, the CEO of eBay since 2008, offered his unequivocal enthusiasm for…
CBS Sunday Morning is a show I've watched since its beginning, almost 30 years now. (Man, am I getting old!). It is a welcome respite from the usual tumult of the business week as it concentrates on music, the arts, theater, books and other cultural landmarks. This week in its…