I’ve noticed that some problems just don’t seem to go away. They aren’t being ignored. Some of the biggest on-going problems I’ve seen have had teams working on them on and off for years. This isn’t unique to just one company or industry either. I see it happen everywhere. It’s certainly not for a lack …
Read more “Perhaps the answer to your problems is a different question.”
Innovation doesn’t just come from having creative people around. Like any ingrained organization trait, innovation is driven by culture. Culture is driven by leaders. In most organizations, the deck is stacked against innovation. You can’t just want it. Your job is to make it happen. Here are five tips for leading an innovative organization: Focus …
How do you stay competitive in a rapidly changing world? How do you win new customers and keep the old ones when your products and services begin to look like all the others? How do you keep your organization alive and dynamic? These are questions on the mind of many business people. Some respond by …
Innovation continues to be a major business buzzword. Companies are realizing the importance of innovation as the last bastion of competitive advantage. Yet, the more I see people trying to be innovative, the less value they seem to create. The problem is that they focus on innovation as an end in and of itself. The …
Read more “Want to innovate? Stop trying to be innovative and start solving problems.”
I recently met with a friend who is taking a leadership role in a new company. He asked what I advice I had for his first 100 days. Having been through a similar transition just two years ago, I had plenty of lessons learned. Here are my top four: Read “The First 90 Days” by …
Read more “The first three months – what to get right in a new leadership position”
Does your team understand their goals for the year? I bet they do. Most good leaders know how to set and communicate goals. What about expectations? How well does your team understand your expectations? What’s the difference? Goals reflect what you want accomplished. Expectations reflect how you want it accomplished. For example, your goals might …
Read more “What culture are you trying to create? Does your team know?”
How do people get promoted in your organization? While I’ve begun to see a shift, it seems that many organizations still promote people to leadership positions because they are good at their current job. At first glance, this makes a certain amount of sense. Who wants a low performer leading the organization? However, there is …
What do you measure in your organization? Sales results? Operating costs? Profit? Employee or customer satisfaction? Perhaps you measure the number of programs that your department delivers or the number of attendees to those programs. You probably have a pretty good understanding of what gets measured in your organization. So, here’s a harder question, why …
It seems that the pendulum has swung way over when it comes to information and decision making. Data is king. Don’t try to make a statement without a pile of numbers to support it lest someone think you are just giving your opinion. The mantra: leaders must be objective in their decision making and actions. …
Read more “It’s hard to be objective when you are being objective”
What is your company’s annual spend on corporate training? What type of impact is it having?Many attempts have been made to quantify the benefit of training. Some seem to work while others provide questionable results at best. I recently saw some statistics that gave me a new perspective on the impact of corporate training.Instead of …
Read more “How much impact could 445,000 Harvard graduates have?”