The Three Golden Rules of Feedback
I was speaking to my executive coach the other day and we had a great discussion of feedback. I’m going to adapt what she said into some pithy advice for managers on how to give feedback. Here are the three golden rules of feedback It has to be honest It has to be kind It […]
We’re Not Buddies: Thoughts on Managers Too Preoccupied with Being Liked
I always cringe when I hear a young parent say something like, “Hey Buddy, don’t forget your toy shovel.” I feel the same way when I hear managers call subordinates “buddy” or when I see managers who are, in general, too preoccupied with being liked. One day I wish the toddler would reply: You are […]
Whose Team Is It Anyway? The 90 Day Rule.
Say you’re an experienced executive joining a new company. When you start, you inherit a team of people. The first thing you must realize is that over time, “the team” will silently transform into “your team.” Warts and all, you’re going to fully own that team at some point in time. In the beginning, you might […]
Two lessons from Muhammad Ali on leadership
I’m sitting listening to the many tributes and reactions on the sad death of the greatest boxer of all time, the man who BBC viewers voted sports personality of the 20th century, somebody who was instrumental as an activist in the US civil rights movement of the 60s, who has died at the age of […]
“Are you saying the map’s wrong?” – “Oh dear, yes!” – an example of Liminal Thinking
Earlier this week I met with Dave Gray and he gave me an advance copy of his new book, and then I went to his talk at Postshift on Wednesday night. He talked Liminal Thinking, so what is that? You might know that I am a huge fan of The West Wing (and Aaron Sorkin’s […]
Henley Business School’s free Digital Leadership course
In 2015 Digital Transformation was the hot and hyped topic, with that “d” word used and misused more than in any other year since Negroponte and Tapscott helped us start talking around it in 1995. Heading in to 2016, more than ever, we need a new kind of digital literacy at all levels in our […]
The CEO Should Be the Most Bullish Person on the Future of the Company
“I am 100% behind my CEOs up until the day I fire them.” — Don Valentine, Sequoia Capital I’ve always loved that Don Valentine quote although, like many great quotes, it took me a while to really understand it. In short, it means that the board of directors should either support the CEO or replace […]
The Best Work Parable
I can’t remember when I first heard this great parable, and despite Googling around couldn’t find it online, so I thought I’d take a moment to re-tell this pointed story here. One day an employee is asked to write a proposal for a new business idea and submits it to his manager. Employee: “Did you get a chance […]
I Don’t Want to Talk to You Anymore
One time, back in the day at Business Objects, we were all flying back from Paris to San Francisco, when the plane pulled ten feet back from the gate and then stopped. The pilot announced that we were taking a delay of several hours. Frustrated, one of our board members, a very polished, powerful, statuesque […]
In a security breach, the perspective of whose responsible is shifting…
The implications of boards holding Chief Executive Officers accountable for breaches will be something to watch. Recently a survey of 200 public companies shows that corporate boards are now concerned about cybersecurity and willing to hold top executives accountable. Since the board (and the CEO that they put in place) is ultimately responsible for the […]
