• Human Resources

    Great CEOs Roll With the Punches

    by  • May 22, 2013 • Human Resources, Leadership, Strategy • 0 Comments

    boxing

    Every day we see or read about superb acts of leadership. The ones that occupy an indelible place in our minds are often characterized by unexpected high-pressure, traumatic conditions and courageous acts taken within a very limited amount of time – a cabbie delivering a baby, a mayor calming a city after one of the worst terrorist attack in the history of mankind, a pilot making the call to land a powerless 65 ton piece of steel on a river in the middle of a major metropolis, a primary school teacher protecting her class from a gun-wielding madman.

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    Marissa Mayer’s Big Play for Good Reason

    by  • March 5, 2013 • Human Resources, Leadership, Strategy • 0 Comments

    Team Of 8 Blue People Holding Up Connected Pieces To A Colorful Puzzle That Spells Out "Team," Symbolizing Excellent Teamwork, Success And Link Exchanging Clipart Illustration GraphicAt the risk of adding to my reputation as yesterday’s man, I’m fully supporting Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s ban on working from home. Frankly, there aren’t many of us out there applauding this controversial big play. Several journalists, tech pundits, and business leaders have called her gambit regressive, old-school thinking, anti-family, and a giant step backward. However, none of the naysayers seem to realize that she is faced with a turnaround situation. Ms. Mayer was hired away from Google to reverse 4 years of eroding revenue. Radical change is required. To fulfill any turnaround mandate, a leader has no choice but to initiate substantial cultural and strategic change with a firm hand, not a weak wrist.

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    In Praise of Average Joes

    by  • November 13, 2012 • Human Resources, Leadership, Life, Strategy

    MVPThis website was created to share my views and experiences with the next generation of business leaders. That meant reflecting on past situations and determining the factors that were critical to the outcome. The times have changed, but the tools that determine success or failure have not. Companies, large and small, cannot survive without great leadership, sound strategy and flawless execution. Those that thrive, go a step further; they worship innovation and breathe culture.

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    What Not to Do When Business Sours

    by  • September 3, 2012 • Branding, Human Resources, Leadership, Strategy

    Don'tPanicMost of you have heard the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” or something to that effect. Basically, the idiom advises us not to discard something valuable in our eagerness to get rid of some useless thing associated with it. If you are not careful, this can happen to businesses going through a rough patch.

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    Is Business a Combination of Sport and War?

    by  • July 2, 2012 • Human Resources, Leadership, Marketing, Strategy

    619-01168294The notion of business as a combination of sport and war was attributed to Emile Herzog (1885-1967), a French author who used the pen name, Andre Maurois. I’m going to admit at the outset that I was a strong proponent of Herzog’s concept for most of my career. However, now that I look back from the CEO afterlife, I realize that this view need not be pervasive.

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    Bullied by a Monopoly

    by  • June 7, 2012 • Human Resources, Leadership, Marketing, Strategy

    blackbearA long time ago, I’d bought some jam and fruit syrup from British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. The quality of the product was outstanding. The branding wasn’t nearly as good. So I approached the maker and negotiated a deal whereby they would produce for me under a brand that I would create for a niche market – the tourist and gourmet trade. To make a long story short, I created a little business under The Black Bear Fruit Company brand name. But due to other interests and priorities in my life, I didn’t work at developing this business, so it became a hobby.

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    The Difference between Strategists and Strategic Planners

    by  • June 4, 2012 • Human Resources, Leadership, Strategy

    I’ve met both over my long career as an executive, a consultant, and a board member. Strategists and Strategic Planners may read the same periodicals and have similar destinations in mind, but there is a difference between the two. Strategic Planners, at the outset, are disadvantaged by the definition of their role. They are staffers, not line managers. Strategic Planning positions exist inside companies, and in external consulting businesses.

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