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....
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind around our house over the last week or two – a few home renovations, normal business activities, client meetings, and then the really big news – the celebration of our new grandson’s first birthday. I don’t normally write about...
Some 75,000 Americans will quit their jobs today. Some of them - highly resourced “professionals” – some, barely educated menial laborers. A small percentage will be scarcely noticed by their employer as they walk away but a great many will cost their company dearly…lost investments in...
I want part of my life back. Seriously. By my count – and if I’m close to the national average – I likely spent up to 20 hours per week of my life in meetings (it became more when I became an executive) and over the course...
I pulled up notes from one of my old day planners the other day – searching for content on a current project but also a nice way to reminisce and to reflect. Something else leapt off the pages. I needed a Rosetta Stone to decipher the sometimes...
I sat down with a senior executive a number of years back to brainstorm opportunities for his division – and to compare notes on the gaps between strategy and true execution. Keep in mind we were talking here about a sales division – but the transferability...