I was struck by a phrase in a recent article: more is permitted, but less is allowed. The author was making an observation about the current state of society, but I think there is some relevance for organizations and their leaders. Do we say we permit much, but in practice, [...]
Think you are surrounded by opportunity? You are. Think you are surrounded by static, lasting opportunity? You aren’t. Many leaders are in environments rich with targets of opportunity, but you would never know it from their actions. They fritter and fumble away opportunity. Why is that? Here are some reasons [...]
I recently attended a luncheon at which the president of adidas North America, Zion Armstrong (yes they spell “adidas” in lower case) was interviewed. He has an interesting story and some compelling perspectives on business. Below are a few with my takeaways. He started at the bottom. His first job [...]
Success requires a start, but it is the ending by which we are judged. High-speed fiber internet connections between big transmission hubs do not matter if the “last mile” connections to customers are slow. A calm sea voyage of a hundred miles does not matter if the ship ends up [...]
As we sailed by Cuba to our port side this weekend, I was reminded of the importance of leadership. Leadership can pull a country up and leadership can push a country down. Leaders I work with will sometimes comment (with a good deal of honest humility) that “this place will [...]
While leaders are often looking for that next new thing to be more competitive, there is an incredible amount of value that can occur if leaders would take the time to consider some strategic shifts. Maybe you don’t need a new wheel. Maybe you can just shift the one you’ve [...]
In WWII, injured soldiers and civilians presented vague symptoms of irritated skin and respiratory distress. Baffled doctors simply labeled the cases “dermatitis YTD.” YTD meaning “yet to diagnose.” Unable to receive the correct diagnosis, many died.* The most important skill in medicine is the ability to diagnose. There may be [...]
Often people will have one (darn) thing that is having an out-sized impact on performance or enjoyment. It’s like the Pareto Principle for problems. One thing can account for a large part of angst or irritation. On the flip side, the resolution of that one thing can have an out-sized [...]
We were preparing to get our dogs in the car for a walk. They had followed us out, but when I opened the door, one of those fuzzy knuckleheads was nowhere to be seen. One second she was there and the next second she was gone. We finally found her, [...]
You have heard of a reality check. Today I am going to suggest an alacrity check. Alacrity (as many of you have heard me say) is moving with speed and enthusiasm. Speed without enthusiasm is robotic. Enthusiasm without speed is daydreaming. No speed and no enthusiasm is the existence of [...]