A rapidly changing world has of necessity changed CEO and executive behavior

from the autocratic application of personal power to delegating responsibility and organizing to accommodate collaborative teamwork.  An old adage remains true—with one critically important alteration:  “Speed of the leader (S) -speed of the pack”.  Effective CEOs...

CEOs face many watershed moments when the value of an established partner

, major account, product, supplier, bank, or employee is questionable.  IN my 35 years of coaching the CEOs of large and midsize businesses, I have witnessed a recurring and consistently costly hesitation to sever unproductive relationships—even when metrics and gut feelings...

You must be ABSOLUTELY clear about where you want to take people and why

.  Work at developing clarity by interacting with trusted others – before you engage the organization as a whole.  The process of having your answers questioned in advance is enlightening and will broaden your capacity to lead.  Engaging trusted others in deep conversation...

After working their way up the corporate ladder, they find themselves

at the top and are not quite sure how they got there.  Their biggest fear is “being found out”.  What will happen when people discover that they’re just a regular person dealing with the same fears and doubt as everyone else?  Once they make it to the top they realize, “...

 “I think leadership is more important than strategy—and I say

What he means is that the autocratic Philip Purcell, the meglomaniac Jeffrey Eisner, and the “queen of keynote” Carly Fiona are on the out in terms of management style.  CEO’s like Terry Semel of Yahoo and Ed Zander of Motorola are “in,” according to James—whose search firm placed both CEO’s.  “Strategy is...

During tough economic times, new and less competent CEOs frequently resist

cutting back at the beginning of a downturn. Their rationale for resisting ranges from wishful thinking (things will soon improve) to a misguided attitude of paternalism towards surplus employees ( who have become redundant).  CEOs who cut back ahead of the curve manage...

In response to a  June 21st blog:  www.BrandingStrategyInsider.com (

My work with Fortune list CEOs on the pragmatic use of values, revealed that bad (unethical) behavior, typically correlates directly with CEO priorities—expressed explicitly or implicitly.  Bad behavior is capable of producing short term gains (an infusion of cash flow), but invariably concludes in long term pain; (the destruction or a reduction...

Research made possible by recent MRI innovations has identified what part

of the human brain is firing when subjected to various stimuli.  Psychologists traditionally thought that people were generally rational beings who weighed options as the primary factor during decision-making.  That assumption has been proven wrong.  Findings from the research...

Many companies are trying to get and retain customers using an outdated

playbook.   The dominant factors determining corporate success cross traditional departmental functions.  Sales, service, and profit engage the entire company—there is no logical argument for the preservation of independent organizational silos.  Success is determined by...

 Understanding how leadership and management have morphed to accommodate

...