Bill has been the CEO of a prominent financial services firm for nearly a decade. He knows the industry and his company well, has adequate visibility with his employees, and delivers powerfully-worded speeches that have the capacity to get them motivated. The only problem is… they’re not. In fact, morale is down, performance is declining, Read More >
Execution
Reversing Corporate Conflict Avoidance in 2 Steps
Executives and leaders have a responsibility to create an environment where all of their employees work together toward a common goal. This, when done right, will enable the company to bring in enough revenue to keep everyone employed and to grow the business. But after working with several hundred senior executives and business owners, I’ve Read More >
6 Steps to Develop a Powerful Leadership Team
The leadership team is one of the most important components of an organization, if not the most important. Collectively, members of this group determine where the organization is going and how it is going to get there. Yet, the percentage of leadership teams operating at dysfunctional levels is staggering. In 2007, 42 percent of senior leadership teams were considered dysfunctional. Read More >
Dealing with a Prima Donna Employee
Jane Carter is the CEO of a 150-person, 5-year-old technology company that has been growing at a 20% rate each year. About one year ago, they recruited John, a star sales guy, to work for Bob, V.P. of Sales. John is a true rainmaker. He has boosted sales numbers and the whole company knows and Read More >
How to Handle Resistance to Change
In any organization, there are people who are opposed to change in any form. They have worked within a specific structure for years and sometimes have even helped to create that structure. They are either passively or actively opposed to structural or policy change, feeling it may affect their job security or their authority. An Read More >
Why Good Companies Fail (It’s Not the Economy)
Since 2008, many businesses have struggled to recover from the “Great Recession.” But as many companies have emerged from that slump, they’ve noticed a change in the economic tide; what they once thought was an endless supply of opportunity and revenue seems to be slowing to a trickle — and they have to work harder Read More >
Effective Leadership is Not a Popularity Contest
One of the most widely used methods for feedback is the “360 degree assessment,” especially for new and developing executives. This assessment is popular because it takes into the account the evaluations of your employees, peers and superiors, and provides valid indicators and predictors of your effectiveness as a leader. This information is also potentially Read More >
Keys to Great Execution
“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” – Robert Burns – Working with senior executives across industries, whether they work for small business or Fortune 500 companies, I’ve realized there is one main thing that separates top performers: execution. The most common theme I’ve heard from top performing executives is that they Read More >
4 Steps to Meeting Long-term Goals with Short-Term Tasks
Managing a team of employees is never simple, even when everything is going great. One thing many executives find is that their long-term vision for the company is often hindered by the lack of day-to-day direction. You can’t get from A to Z without connecting to every point in between, but sometimes teams get so Read More >
Encourage Productivity – Not Busyness
“I’m just so busy.” “It’s like my to-do list never ends!” “I’ve been so busy doing this other project, I forgot to contact that client!” How many times, as an executive, have you heard those words from someone on your team – or even yourself? While most of us fall into the trap of “being Read More >