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 mess our politicians are making of our economy through their inability to lead together is a great reminder for business leaders. "Leader" is more than a title, it is a massive responsibility to those who you expect to follow you. Good leaders are "servant leaders." Great leaders... Have a clear and actionable vision Communicate [...]
A study by the Aberdeen group reported some fascinating findings that should lead proactive business leaders to look more deeply at the satisfaction and engagement levels of their employees. The top 20% of the companies in the study improved emoployee satisfaction by 22% and employee performance by 21%. The median companies improved satisfaction by 1.5% [...]
The Annual Strategic Plan is Dead A good deal of the corporate planning I have observed is like a ritual rain dance; it has no effect on the weather that follows, but those who engage in it think it does. Moreover, it seems to me that much of the advice and instruction related to corporate [...]
When planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people. ~ Chinese Proverb Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning. ~ Thomas Edison Good plans shape good decisions. ~ Anonymous With an increasing number of owners of small and family [...]
"My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things." – Bill Gates "We wanted Nike to be the world's best sports and fitness company. Once you say that, you have a focus. You don't end up making wing tips or sponsoring the next Rolling Stones world tour." – [...]
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." – John Quincy Adams "View life as a continuous learning experience." – David Gergen If you asked a dozen business leaders to list their goals for the year, chances are you’d hear about increasing sales, improving [...]
"You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there." – Unknown "View life as a continuous learning experience." – Denis Waitley For the last several months, I’ve been talking about the tidal wave heading toward the shores of American business. The Baby Boom generation is reaching retirement age and more than [...]
"Our only security is our ability to change." – John Lilly As I said in last week's article, there’s a tidal wave heading toward the shores of American business. The Baby Boom generation is reaching retirement age and more than 20 million workers – including the executive management team in many businesses -- will retire [...]
"Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy." – Robert A. Heinlein "We can really respect a man only if he doesn’t always look out for himself." – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe One of the most challenging issues for family owned businesses has to do with the succession of a son or daughter as [...]