Every organization has a culture by default. Few organizations have a culture by design. Even when an organization has intentionally integrated its culture as part of its strategy, business growth naturally forces culture disintegration. The more a growing organization wants to keep its culture the same, the more it must change what it does. Culture can be…
Leading CEO's have acknowledged the importance of organizational culture for years. The current environment has simply underscored its importance. Here are a few perspectives on culture from leading CEOs: "If you are lucky enough to be someone’s employer, then you have a moral obligation to make sure people do look forward to coming to work…
In today’s hyper-competitive market, a burning question for most companies is: “How can we achieve a significant and sustainable competitive advantage in order to retain our customers?” After all, keeping existing customers is five times less expensive than finding new ones. That’s good business in anyone’s book. Consider this: About 70% of customers’ buying decisions…
In 2008, Bernard Madoff scammed over 5,000 investors out of 65 billion dollars. Like any crime that you read or hear about, it's concerning to each of us. Shortly after I learned of the scandal, my reaction deepened when I spoke with an old friend whose aging parents had invested their entire retirement savings with Madoff. I felt…
When my wife and I built our home, I discovered that leadership corresponds to the phases of homebuilding. Constructing a house occurs in three major phases: foundation, framing, and finish-out. Building a team, like building a house, requires starting from the ground up. Our values, like a foundation, affect our team the same way all…
Passion is not just the way to happiness – it's also the fuel that ignites success. Having passion for a particular goal, whether personal or professional, provides the energy and motivation to take the actions necessary to achieve that goal. It's the intangible component that explains why some people and teams are better able to…
