At times, even the best run companies face critical situations at times

.  Having coached over twenty CEOs through recession, I’ve been up close and personal with both winners and losers.   There are lessons to be learned.Winners reinvent themselves faster than their competition. Ahead of the curve, they perpetually cull marginally performing;...

Physiologists call it being ‘centered’ and athletes refer to it as

entering the ‘zone’.  There are other names for this special state of being—where a person or team thinks, feels, and performs beyond their habitual limits.  Those wishing to take the lead in an increasingly turbulent world must have the capacity to inspire self and others...

Quick decisions have become the order of the day—and the hectic pace

of business continues to accelerate. Researchers suggest that decisions requiring only one “head” in 1950, now demand the involvement of ten.  Adding people to the problem solving mix makes shared understanding a critical success factor.  How often have you been asked to pitch...

Experts are giving more credence to genetics and the gender gap.  Professional

opinion has finally caught up to what rational human beings have known since Adam took it in the ribs.  There are significant differences between men and women. Job performance is influenced—for example, women test stronger in pattern recognition, men appear stronger...

Long range planning is at best a waste of time and at worst dangerous. 

 Visioning engages the wonder, creativity, and flexibility of the child that still resides within everybody—albeit buried under layer upon layer of “shoulds and how tos” (let’s call this dimension the pirate).  Pirates influence morale (good or bad) creativity (unharnessed creativity may be focused on how to; get out of having to produce,...

How you attempt to influence others counts – It counts in how you

You are influencing all the time. From interviewing a top candidate for a position that you’d like to fill or recommending a new course of action in a staff meeting to suggesting where you and a friend may go to lunch, life is a series of influencing opportunities. First, it’s important to distinguish ethical influencing from coercive behavior...

If you are serious about growing your top line, there is no better way

The perfect pay plan is straight commission plus bonus if they achieve super high level.  But that’s not always possible. Some will not accept not having some base, so the second best is a small salary plus commission on each sale.  You could pay a significant salary plus bonuses at various levels, but that is not as desirable.  Never pay salary...

A common shortcoming of management is the inability or unwillingness to

A frequent mistake by well intentioned CEOs and HR directors is to have managers attend internal or external classroom training.  As the founder and former CEO of Achieve (now part of Achieve Global), I can attest that “just in case” training is a waste of time and money.  A system (such as the above) must be established.  A peak performance...

Most new CEOs set a priority for having clear job descriptions (for

...

Attending to the needs of a dog is challenging.  Why are they considered

Inject productive ritual into our lives:  The caring routine keeps us “out there”, safely experiencing life.  Being there for or with a friend, opens the door to serendipity (what happens while we are busy doing something else).  For example, if you weren’t out walking the dog, you may not have noticed a beautiful sunset or met the new neighbor...