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…
After working with leaders and organizations to improve their strategy execution for the past 15 years, I have boiled it down to these 12 phrases to help you and your team stick with it. Sharpen your focus. Build your competence. Ignite your passion. We win from within. Measure what matters. Identify your "one thing." Convert…
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…
We live in an information-rich, time-poor world, with lots of inputs coming at us in any given moment. Although it seems like our environment requires us to multitask, more and more research reveals that single-tasking is the most effective approach to getting things done. Single-tasking is particularly critical to the leader who is trying to…
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. Traditional competitive factors like product design, technology,…
The key to passionate performance is found within the hearts and minds of employees where their basic human needs are fulfilled. It’s a simple but powerful formula: When their needs are fulfilled, they are engaged and perform at their peak ability. When their needs are not met, they are frustrated, out of control, unfocused, and…
Your agility is a primary competitive advantage. Here’s how you can build more – and an unbeatable team. Being agile means being quick – responding to things quickly and acting quickly. Agility is a trait of successful leader. Not surprisingly, it’s also a trait of a successful team. It becomes particularly valuable in times of…
In today's information-overloaded workplace, it can be challenging for leaders to decide what to communicate to employees and what to withhold. It's easy to say to yourself, "They don't really need to know all that" or "My team won't really understand" or "I don't think they can handle that news right now." But the truth…
The NBA finals are upon us again. Having your opponent slam dunk in your face is known as "getting posterized" because it makes a great poster like this one: Whether you are a basketball player or not, you can colorfully posterize your space with positive inspiration. Here are two great options: Purchase Now! Click here…
In business and in life, the game is usually won by those who can consistently execute a well-thought-out strategy. In other words, winners stick with it. Adherence is the critical link between strategy (knowing) and results (doing). Winning requires adherence, because successful execution of your plan is not a one-time event. It's a commitment to…
