Leave a trail of breadcrumbs
My one-time boss and long-time friend Dan was sharing his work experiences at Westinghouse and IBM. Over a dinner of succulent lobster and locally grown corn, he contrasted the two company’s staffing strategies. When Dan was at Westinghouse, they promoted a … Continue reading
Beware hiring a “Charles Ponzi” to lead your sales or IT team
“How strong is our sales pipeline for next year?” Bob, the CEO of Creative Analytics asked in the annual strategy planning meeting. “Great!” replied Pat, the sales VP. “I’ve got a dozen projects lined up, at least half are a … Continue reading
Implementing accountability: lessons from Brazil
We facilitated a strategic planning meeting in southern Brazil. While there, we had the opportunity to visit IguaçuFalls, one of the great sites on the World Heritage List. IguaçuFalls has a flow capacity equal to three times that of Niagara … Continue reading
It isn’t enough to tell people what you want
In 1979, Ted Kennedy, brother of the assassinated President John Kennedy, was asked this straightforward question during an interview with CBS Newsman Roger Mudd. “Why do you want to be President?” Kennedy couldn’t come up with a straightforward answer. He … Continue reading
“Plans are nothing… Planning is everything.”
“Plans are nothing… Planning is everything.” Dwight D. Eisenhower Maria Birkhead, Senior Facilitator at Myrna Associates, discussed this famous quote with a client’s executive team during a recent review meeting. She noted that Eisenhower’s quote is an amazing statement, coming … Continue reading
Wide hallways, no elevators, open doors
Bell Labs was legendary for innovation. When asked what the secret of their success was, President Mervin Kelly said it was as simple as long, wide hallways, no elevators, and an open door policy. Long hallways forced people to walk between … Continue reading
Attitude and Aptitude: What Combination Makes for the Best Hires?
When I was earning my BSEE from NJIT, then known as Newark College of Engineering, I was a member of an elite group of five top students. We all had high GPAs, but we all didn’t have the same IQs. … Continue reading
Size Matters
How large do you want your company to be within five years? Why? When you hire an architect to design a new headquarters building, the first question he asks is how many square feet you want. If you tell him that … Continue reading
First things first – the lesson of rocks, sand, and water
Author Steven R. Covey inspired today’s retelling of a time management classic. Covey’s story starts with a speaker showing a group of business students a large glass jar and a box of large rocks. The speaker pulled rocks from the … Continue reading
Learning marketing tricks from bowerbirds
A common marketing challenge is getting prospects to take your company seriously. Your company may in fact be the perfect partner for a specific prospect. This will be a moot point, however, unless your prospect perceives you as such. Unfortunately, … Continue reading