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A Real Life Leadership Story A college senior I know was the Director of a team of engineering students competing in SAE Aero Design, an international competition to design, build and fly an original aircraft.  I was asked to coach him in leadership and team building. The time came for the competition.  There were dozens…

It’s that time of year when we get a clear view of how the year will turn out.  There is still much business to do, but the planning is complete, and the decisions made.  You can begin assessing how your organization performed. One more question, how did YOU do this year?  As the organization’s leader,…

Years ago I joined a company just as they were preparing to launch a new (and expensive) marketing campaign. A focus group comprised of a dozen customers was invited to preview the campaign. As the new executive, I was asked to attend. The central message of the campaign was “innovation.” Its focus centered upon all…

I had lunch with a friend the other day, a local business owner.  She was frustrated with her employees, who never seemed to know what she really wanted.  They required constant direction and even micro-managing. I asked, “What is the first thing you look for when hiring?” She was a bit surprised by the question,…

As companies emphasize process to accommodate growth, a key concern becomes what to do with one’s “heroes.” “Heroes” are those people in your company whom everyone depends on to fix things and get things done. So what is the conflict between “heroes” and growth? Here are three. “Heroes” are unable to be duplicated. Each “hero”…

Building a service culture is something I get asked about often. Those words may not be the exact ones used, but it is what they mean.   It more often is asked as: How can we improve our teamwork? How do we instill a mindset of customer service? What is needed to tear down “silos” in…