When I left corporate life, the glass in the ceiling suppressing the advancement of women to the C-suite was beginning to show cracks. That was two decades ago. Today, there’s a venerable list of female executives who have shattered that glass and gone on to illustrious careers as successful CEOs. One might think the likes […] Read more… Read More»
In June I turned 67 years old. Half a century has passed since I was in high school; it feels like a decade ago. In my mind the images of the ‘60s remain vivid – the assassination of a President, a man walking on the moon, a war in southeast Asia, the civil rights movement, a […] Read more… Read More»
To most of us, mentors are people of experience and knowledge who help the less experienced advance their careers and education. There are plenty of well-known examples throughout history; Aristotle mentored Alexander the Great, Martin Scorsese mentored Ron Howard, and Freddy Laker mentored Richard Branson. Early in my business career, I had had the privilege […] Read more… Read More»
Let me be clear at the outset; I’m not arguing against a clear definition of where a company is going and what sets it apart. My beef is with the way a corporation’s guiding principle is expressed. Generally, it is verbose, convoluted and incapable of resonating with employees. So how in the world can it inspire […] Read more… Read More»
Management guru Peter Drucker was the first to express the difference between doing things right and doing right things. Naturally, corporate boards and CEOs want their companies to do things right. That’s the proof of a well-managed organization. According to Drucker, doing things right is management; doing right things is leadership. Put another way, doing […] Read more… Read More»
The day the Jacobs Suchard (now part of Kraft Foods) Board of Directors promoted me to the corner office, they strongly suggested I align myself with the CFO. The advice proved excellent, and for the rest of my days in the corner office I was joined at the hip by an outstanding finance executive who […] Read more… Read More»
Strategy has to be one of the most misused words in business. The word is tossed around boardrooms and customer meetings with reckless abandon. You’ve likely heard this: “Our strategy is to become the biggest and the best.” Deciding to go global, to diversify, or to increase sales by x dollars per year isn’t strategy. […] Read more… Read More»
Yesterday I identified the successful 21st century CEO as someone who is constantly thinking about the future. History has shown us that the best performers were those who made the right strategic moves to create a future in which their company would enjoy significant competitive advantage. Their strong sense of vision and belief in proactivity […] Read more… Read More»
He or she is the leader who is constantly thinking about tomorrow – not the next week, the next month, the next quarter or even the next year. The future these leaders envision is the one they choose to create; their tomorrow will be a business ‘lotus land’ that is poles apart from an unwelcomed […] Read more… Read More»
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