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Common Sense at the Crossroads
Leaders do what is right. Sometimes there are consequences that aren’t right. Courage to see what needs to be done, take action and be accountable for that action regardless of the stupidity that may attack that action or outcome is character. It is not a characteristic that exists based on title or position. Pal David was an elementary school principal in a rural community many years back. One of his school buses broke down, in the road, on a dangerous curve, near the school. The driver’s capability was limited. The principal was...
Full Page viewNot Quite The House that Jack Built
Getting business results through others can and should be easier and more satisfying. If leadership is the solution to what ails us, it should follow then that developing other leaders is a primary accountability of every leader regardless of level in the business. The ideal and reality are not always aligned, yet there is a great example where an ethic established in the first part of the 20th century created an enduring foundation at General Electric. Not to detract from the accomplishments of Jack Welch, but therein lies “the rest of...
Full Page viewIt’s 2012 – Time to Stop Kicking the Dog
Results through others – it is a simple concept of few words. It ought to be easier and more satisfying. Yet the inherent challenges cause both metaphorical and literal dogs to get kicked daily. Some call it leadership. Some call it management. It is a unique alchemy that moves seamlessly from one to the other at any point in time on any day. Some believe that at a granular level, leadership is about people and management about stuff. To achieve results through others requires both. I like the term Leader as the catchall word to define the...
Full Page viewWhose time is more valuable?
Easy question. Mine, of course, and that is how everyone who is honest answers the question. That is only true, however, in a static situation where neither of us needs something from the other. Case in point: In a business setting, basic math indicates that the person with the higher salary is the one whose time is most valuable. The average Fortune 500 company CEO’s time is worth about $4000 an hour and a top 20 US hedge fund manager’s time, $268,000 an hour. This is just math. In-fact, neither of these people sell their...
Full Page viewArch Day 2011
Seventy years ago Dad was seriously wounded in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Another sailor, Tommy Thompson saved his life that day. He recovered and went on to fight the air war in the Pacific aboard PBY’s as a Crew Chief. His war time experiences did not totally define him but they were a big part of who he was. He has been gone for nine years. He always recognized December 7th and I learned to also. Dad was fiercely independent so he became an entrepreneur. He started three businesses one of which has been operating for forty years...
Full Page viewIvy League MBA – What’s missing?
I once worked with a CEO who had an Ivy League MBA. He was very frustrated at his inability to connect/communicate effectively with employees. Smart guy but… I had a good discussion once with a bank CEO about a strategic planning project. The CEO while polite in saying so, was concerned that we would not be deemed worthy by the Harvard MBA CFO, yet the project would not have interested the BCG (Boston Consulting Group). I wondered in what ways the CFO’s arrogance negatively impacted the business. Guess I should have wondered more...
Full Page viewBoomtown #2 – A Different Work Ethic
Day labor is a way of living for some people. While in Minot and Williston, North Dakota I talked one morning with some good people who manage Command Center Staffing. They dispatch around 100 people a day to a variety of service and labor positions where employers need a worker or more for a day or more, but not permanently. These people work when they want to or need to. Some want a permanent job and some don’t. Some get permanent jobs. Some don’t. Some have the characteristics of a solid permanent employee. Some...
Full Page viewBoomtown #1
Bakken Shale – Williston, North Dakota - Boomtown. You’ve read about it in WSJ, Seen it on CNN. and in National Geographic. It is a “Eureka” sort of reality for hearty souls and pioneering entrepreneurs. Together with similar geology in Pennsylvania and Texas, a part of the solution to US dependence on foreign oil even though some environmentalists beg to differ. For laborers and skilled trades people it is opportunity to work for crazy wages. Three weeks on and a week off. Straight time $60/hr for a Cat operator....
Full Page viewThree Tips for Leaders in Emergencies
Some leaders really rock in emergency situations. Great leaders make a real difference both tangible and intangible. Leading the implementation of a solid and well rehearsed emergency plan is essential. Leaders and others at all levels execute on the leadership that precedes the emergency. While there is a lot for a top leader to keep in top of mind, priorities like protecting life, minimizing loss, anticipating unintended consequences should be automatic and based on a good emergency prep plan. Here are three things for a top leader in...
Full Page viewSteve Jobs on quality and other things
With Steve Jobs announcing his step down from the top of Apple the media is full of stories about him, his contributions, history and view of things. This from the WSJ listing of favorite Steve jobs quotes: When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be...
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