Afraid to Be a Leader?

Mar 27, 2012 | Leadership Development

It's happening again. I'm witnessing a new "leader" become ineffective and the senior team's confidence in him is starting to lag. The leader is losing his effectiveness even though he's already implemented several much needed programs for the organization. He's losing his effectiveness because he's afraid to do one of the toughest things required of a leader: he's afraid to hold a key staff member accountable to do her job efficiently, accurately, and professionally. It's sad to say,...

Plan Well – You Want Them to Accept It Not Applaud It

Mar 20, 2012 | Strategic Planning

I recently experienced the same thing I tell my clients, and honestly, it was a bit deflating. Yet, it was the right feeling. It meant success. It meant the board's efforts in developing its strategic plan, debating objectives, defining strategies, and nit-picking select words had been worth the effort. The new board member with whom I reviewed the plan, simply said, "Thanks for that overview. It makes sense to me. It seems pretty straightforward, but it covers a lot of ground, which it needs...

How Managers Develop Their Employees

Mar 13, 2012 | Succession Planning

We're working with several organizations helping them prepare their next tier of managers to eventually take over the senior leadership positions. However, before we focus on developing this next tier of managers, we spend a good bit of time working with the current senior leadership team to help them comprehend their level of responsibility in developing their own employees. It's not Human Resources' job; it's theirs. Whether they hold the position of VP of Operations, Director of Eastern...

Grow Your Business Through Your Employees Not Your Customers

Mar 6, 2012 | Leadership Development

You've cut prices, you've refined your target customer base, you've increased your advertising and still --- business is so slow it's dangerous. The economy is not good, but other companies seem to be selling similar products and services. How are they able to survive (and yes, thrive) while your sales are tanking? They've focused on growing their businesses through their employees, instead of through their customers alone. Successful companies have realized that if they better educate, train,...