I find that the difference between success and failure is often dictated by the "little things" - yet it's never as easy as it seems. It's all about the people - a common theme in my newsletter as people drive the 80/20 of success on any project, no matter [...]
Sticking with my theme of obstacles, I thought I'd discuss common roadblocks - many times, half the battle is identifying potential issues. An employee feels threatened - one of the most common causes of project roadblocks is when an employee feels threatened. Who might worry about how a project [...]
In talking with a client earlier today about goals, it reminded me of the often-overlooked importance of goals. Start with strategy - unfortunately, you can have the best goals in the world but if they don't align with where the company is headed, they are a waste of time. [...]
Prioritize - As much as we'd all like to do everything for everyone equally, it is impossible. Instead of trying and failing, prioritize - and don't commit to more than you can accomplish. Value - remember to value those key relationships you might take for granted. Start there instead [...]
No matter the client, I'm continually reminded of the critical importance of leadership. If you have to choose between leadership skills and prior work experience / technical skills, undoubtedly, leadership skills must win the day. My clients with exceptional leaders outperform the rest - every time. So, what could [...]
It's been proven that a simple thank you can achieve great results so why don't we take the time out to appreciate our people more often? Catch 'em doing right - What could be better than recognizing someone's efforts in the moment? Better yet - the person knows you [...]
Successful executives focus on the bottom line—they identify what works and what doesn't work—then they change what doesn’t work. In today's business environment, one fact that remains true is that change is constant. Change is required to remain competitive. The key to success is to manage change better than [...]
There are more and more stories in the news related to managing and mitigating risk. As companies go out of business, struggle to attain Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, etc, doesn't it seem a bit radical to recommend building an appetite for risk? Not if you build your appetite for risk, backed [...]
In the last few years, I've spent significant time studying businesses and investments, and I found a commonality for achieving results - leverage. Leverage is the advantage or power gained by using a lever. A classic example is the story of David and Goliath, where David was able to [...]
Between 70-80%+ of mergers and acquisitions fail to produce the results originally expected. Yet, there are still many venture capitalists and companies aggressively searching to merge and/or acquire a business. Why is the success rate so low? And, why can't 70-80%+ of the merger/ acquisition leadership teams find a [...]
