Somewhere around my 5th year in management it began to dawn on me that building high performing teams wasn’t just a nice thing to do. Oh, I know we ALL talk about its importance – and I would like to have a dollar back for every leader...
When I was a freshly minted college graduate I was offered the chance to go into the healthcare field – accepting a job in pharmaceuticals with a small mid-western company. I had no legitimate business pedigree. Had never sold anything in my life so I...
I’m kind of ashamed to admit this but I’m a Drew Brees fan. Not sure I want to be but I guess I can’t help myself – the Saints after all are my Carolina Panthers vaunted enemy in the NFC South and I fervently pull...
I had a conversation with an old friend just the other day. It’s been almost 20 years since we worked together but in the span of that 32 minute phone call it all came streaming back – the memories, the crises, the successes, and yes –...
If you work for a living you need to know this. Someone’s been asking questions about you - a lot of them as a matter of fact. Oh, you may not know it but they are. They are questions that will be asked throughout the balance of your professional...
In my early days as a first line leader/manager my boss offered me some perspective I’ve carried with me the better part of 3 decades. I was young and committed – advancing from sales to sales management - and I truly believed my gift to my...
A 10 old boy named Travis Blackwell reminded me this week of a vital lesson I sometimes seem to forget. Travis was in the stands at a Detroit Tigers baseball game when his dad snagged a foul ball and tossed it to him. The big screen...
I’ve invested a lot of years in the business world – through mergers, acquisitions, and downsizings I saw careers that flourished – and a great many more that went off the rails. Discovering what distinguished the former – and using those lessons gave me guidance on...
In 2008 the island of Haiti was devastated by storms. The death toll was staggering – and the human suffering that followed even more so. As various agencies around the world joined to provide aid and comfort to this poor nation so too did the...
Never met someone who built a life (or a career) of significance who didn't take shots along the way. Small price to pay. Learn to laugh....