Like most people, for me, Labor Day is one of the two bookends that contain the chapters of summer. Memorial Day demarks the starting line, and it seems we race to get all we can under our belts before we cross the finish line at Labor Day, and be ready for the final race into [...]
The Road Out of Isolation: How to achieve balance in an upside down world. In April 1999 I launched EcoMedia, a business based on the concept that enduring business success was dependent on managing the entire ecosystem in which the organization operated. I was then CEO of M-Direct Advertising and had struggled with my company’s [...]
In companies large and small almost everywhere in the world, there is a pernicious habit that plagues most all leaders. It doesn’t matter if you are a leader by your own choice or the result of circumstances that thrust you into the role. It makes no difference if you were born into a planned succession and [...]
There are so many people who are suffering and struggling through the times we are in. Some are fearful and some are bored. Many are frustrated and confused. Others are angry and many are hurting in unimaginable ways. There are so many people who have lost their way and are desperate to emerge someplace safe [...]
Integrity and Leadership: How to Deal With Truth, Courage and Slippery Facts There are two quotes that I often refer to as I think about the relationship of truth and integrity with what it takes to be a good leader. One is by the Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, who wrote, “Everything we hear is an opinion, not [...]
A Leadership Imperative: The concepts of caring and ruthlessness seem justifiably incompatible. They actually contradict each other. Ruthless literally mean lacking compassion, even demonstrating cruelty. But as a function of leadership it makes perfect sense. The capacity to care ruthlessly is one of the critical qualities that define exceptional leadership. Most people understand the concept [...]
How Necessary Dialogue Improves Leadership and Organizations There was a time when the art of real debate was a noble pursuit. If you value learning over knowledge, (as you should,) respectful disagreement is the surest path to expanding your understanding of the world you live in. Different points of view that challenge your own perception [...]
Leadership is 20% about observing and understanding what is happening now and 80% about being prepared to anticipate and deal with the future. It is important and necessary to navigate effectively through current chaos, but this more involves managing things that represent current conditions than leading people through the unpredictability. In other words, it is [...]
In the face of uncertainty, it is understandable to ponder “what’s next?” It may seem entirely logical to want to emerge from uncertainty and move forward deliberately to a place you might be certain is better than where you are now. But things are not always as logical as they seem. If you view uncertainty [...]
Hiring the talent you need has never been more important to your company – and essential to the economy as it is right now. While there are many reasons that companies fail, invariably the single most critical factor that will determine your success comes down to your people. Your ability to effectively top-grade the level [...]
