Articles
When Your Succession Plan Fails-Career Derailment
A client of ours had done a great job of building a succession ladder for his small company. He got the idea that there would be no successess without succession. All key positions were covered in case of a death or disability, and an emergency action plan was in place. Long-term development plans were also in place so that people were becoming cross trained, active participants in the strategic planning and execution process. Succession for the long term was going great. Until Sally, the successor for the presidency, began showing derailing behaviors. She was going through a divorce and it [...]
Who Does the Best Thinking in Your Organization?
In my work with Jim Horan, founder and chief architect of The One Page Business Plan (tm), I have become enamored with his question, "Who does the best thinking in your organization?" This question not only makes leaders think, but often act very differently. Good leaders recognize that if they are the best thinkers then their organization is ultimately weak. Great leaders want people who are great thinkers and great executors. Great leaders look for talented thinkers and operators and take great satisfaction in surrounding themselves with strong, capable people. They see leadership as a team sport or like conducting [...]
What Can An Executive Hope to Get from Individual Development
About two years ago I was asked to evaluate some up and coming executives for a client. One of the people was destined to be international sales manager on a fast track. After meeting with individual and discovering her background and career aspirations we completed a more formal assessment process including personality and intellectual testing and a 360 degree feedback process. While her testing and 360 showed a fair amount of weakness, he and the company were committed to her growth and development. Through a development program consisting of coaching from her boss, external coaching with me, and a mix [...]
Is Your Ladder Leaning against the Correct Wall
For many employees, seeking higher rungs on the corporate ladder is a strong goal. The perceived control of being a manager and a leader however is often not well thought through. Today I interviewed a young woman who was in hot pursuit of her bosses job. However, upon using a personality test and carefully interviewing her, it was clear that the 47% fit of her personality for an executive level job was pretty accurate. She tended to see herself as liking to work alone, was edgy and impatient with people, did not handle stress very well, and was more subjective [...]
It’s Eleven O’clock. Is Your Exit Plan Ready? | Strategic Planning
Can you hear the clock ticking? By the time you finish reading this sentence, a baby boomer business owner will have turned 65. By the time you finish reading this column, five more will have reached the traditional age of retirement. Those business owners probably have big dreams for retirement, such as moving to a warmer climate, playing more golf or visiting exotic destinations. However, according to a recent study by the National Association of Realtors, 75% of boomers are not financially prepared for retirement. Our discussions with local business owners in this age group indicate that most do not [...]
Blowing up the Annual Performance Review | Business Help
Leadership is lifting a person's vision to higher sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. ~ Peter F. Drucker When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality. ~ Joe Paterno Last month I took aim at the old annual strategic planning model and suggested a new, dynamic model. This month I want to focus on another relic from days gone by: the annual performance review. If you’ve been in the workforce for any length of time, you probably remember vividly at [...]