leaders

The Complexity Wakeup Call

The world is only going to get more complicated and move faster – will you be one of the few keeping up? Have you responded to the wakeup call that has been sounding for business leaders? For the past few years I’ve been talking about and sharing with anyone who will listen – clients, seminar…

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Are You Overdue for An Assumption Inventory?

It’s been said that in today’s chaotic markets, the only sustainable competitive advantage may be the ability to learn faster than your competitors. I disagree. The ability for leaders and managers to learn quickly is certainly a critical advantage. Especially in industries where new technologies and/or rapidly changing customer expectations can disrupt the status quo…

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Are You Running Red Lights in Your Business?

Running a red light in order to save a few precious seconds is one of the dumbest, most irrational things people do. Yet we do it all the time, in business and in real life. The other day, while driving home from a long session with a client, the light in front of me suddenly…

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What We Can Learn from the NFL Draft

I have a confession to make – I love the NFL draft! I don’t sit in front of a TV for three days, hanging on every pick. But I like the suspense of wondering who will get selected first. I enjoy seeing the differences between what the experts predict and who the teams actually draft….

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How Many Futures Are You Considering?

Have you ever noticed how when people talk about what lies ahead we always say the future? As if there is one, and only one, immutable future that will come to pass. Fact is, there are an unlimited number of possible futures, and it’s up to us to create the one we want. This is…

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Two, Four, Six, Eight… Are You Going To Innovate?

Are you sick and tired of hearing about the constant need to innovate in today’s markets? If so, I have some bad news. Innovation is not just another catchphrase of the day. It’s a new business imperative, and it’s not going away any time soon. The good news is that most leaders and managers are…

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Are You A Great Leader or Are You Just Running with the Rest of Them?

If you were to compile a checklist of attributes for great leaders, it would certainly include the following: Visionary? Check. JFK’s powerful vision of “We will put a man on the moon by the end of a decade” is a classic example of great leadership through a compelling vision. Great communication skills? Check. Ronald Reagan’s…

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A Trillion-Dollar MSU?

One of the biggest dangers in business is MSU, or making stuff up, especially when we don’t realize we are doing it. I see leaders and managers do it all the time, and the consequences to people and profits can be horrific. With the newly passed health care bill, our entire nation is about to…

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Are You Killing Innovation in Your Company (Without Even Knowing It)?

In today’s world, innovation is a business imperative. You either find new and better ways to add value to your customers, you play follow the leader with those who do, or you go out of business as others change the game and you lose. Most business leaders intuitively know this. Which is why more and…

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Are Your Best Practices Your Worst Enemy?

When I speak to CEO groups, trade associations, and industry conventions, this is one of my favorite questions to ask. Why? Because I love the reaction from the audience. They look at me like I’m nuts! Questioning the sanctity of best practices in a roomful of corporate leaders and managers is like walking into a…

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Set Phasers on “Inform”

January is a time when many organizations present new and/or updated goals to guide behavior during the year ahead. Often, these goals have been weeks or even months in the making. Yet many leaders feel that all they need to do now is communicate the goals once and then everyone can go back to business…

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10 Lessons Learned from 2009

Wow, what a year! 2009 has come and gone, and many of us are taking a huge sigh of relief. Going through one of the worst recessions in U.S. history will certainly take the wind out of your sails. But we appear to have weathered the worst of the storm. And while the economy might…

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