May 18, 2012
Over the 23 years since we met, my wife Eleanor and I have spent considerable time, money, and energy on our development. Individually and together, we've taken workshops, studied meditation, practiced yoga, written in journals, talked about our dreams, participated in training programs, and gone to therapy.
A few weeks ago, we were taking a walk along a rural road, questioning why we do it. Is all this inner work simply navel gazing? Or does it impact our lives in a real way?...
My last HBR blog post, How to Close a Sales Call, reviewed sales call closing techniques. Now let's analyze whether or not you are a natural born closer.
The drive to take command of a situation is instrumental to a salesperson's success. Salespeople with a weak dominance instinct are never quite in control of an account. They operate under the direction of customers or are at the mercy of the competition...
May 15, 2012
May 10, 2012
The professional world is powered by favors — busy individuals helping those in their extended networks land highly contested roles, get feedback on ideas, or connect with influencers, typically without the expectation of either compensation or reciprocation. I've been on the receiving end of many professional favors, the givers of which I'm deeply indebted to. I believe that in today's world, if you don't...
Here's a rough summary of our worldview: excellence = design x culture. Your job as a leader is to get both right. You must build a winning structure for your organization and then foster the often unspoken rules and values that will bring that structure to life.
People tend to gravitate towards the design challenge, which includes things like strategy, business models, and incentive systems. The levers of design change are tangible. We can draw org charts and issue stock options...
May 8, 2012
"Here's my problem with email," Jane*, a lawyer friend of mine told me recently, "I open Outlook expecting to quickly check my email, but then I read an email with a link in it, I follow the link, and then I'm lost on the internet for hours."
"My job is to be on email," Jane continued, "How can I avoid getting hooked?"
In my recent post Coping With Email Overload, I suggested that it's better...
May 4, 2012
As we saw again this quarter, earnings announcements can have significant impacts on stock valuations—at least over the short term. Investors reward companies (such as Apple and Kimberly-Clark) whose current performance or guidance for the future exceeds market expectations, and they punish companies...
When Carolyn Li came into my office for her first coaching session she looked seriously concerned. She had just stepped into a senior role and while she possessed many of the skills for success, she was frustrated in her attempts to bond with her new team.
"I can't get them to take the initiative and come up with solutions on their own," she complained.
This is a problem that is rampant in China and to varying degrees throughout Asia. For the Chinese, a Confucian value...
May 3, 2012
Are you a CEO preparing to give a town hall state-of-the-union talk to your employees? Whether you're a new CEO or one who's been sitting in the chair for some time, keep reading.
An awful lot of planning, time and resources go into these town halls. They're frequently big productions beamed via satellite to offices around the world. Employees take time away from their jobs to attend. Yet, incredibly, there is so much wasted opportunity.
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Take a look at your speech.
April 11, 2012
What kind of leaders do we need today? Steve Jobs — mysterious, charismatic, intriguing — is often cited as one of the recent greats, and there are clearly benefits to his style. A recent study showed that leaders like him — those...
