Leadership

My Three Favorite Books For Professionals (Or Anyone)

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If I were to create a book group for professionals at any level, whether you’re just starting out or you’re leading a firm, I wouldn’t use books written about management or leadership, or books written for their respective industries.  Instead, I’d pick the three general non-fiction books here, on which I’ve built a large part … Read more

We Tried That Once

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One of the most dangerous and common barriers to new initiatives, especially in a professional services context, is “we tried that once.” It’s a common refrain – somebody new enters with great ideas for how to improve marketing or sales. For instance, they might suggest a new research project, or inviting clients and prospects to … Read more

Five Leadership Lessons from Herding Goats

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Last month, as part of the Shapiro Family fellowship, I spent a day learning about goat herding. Goats were first domesticated over 10,000 years ago in either Turkey or Iran, making them one of the oldest domesticated animals in the world. They’ve been found in the foothills outside Jerusalem, where our group learned about herding, … Read more

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No

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My graphic designer just told me he wouldn’t make a change I requested, and it’s why I think he does such a great job.  The change was a bad idea, but I didn’t know enough about printing and design to have caught it.  Of course, he didn’t just refuse the request, he explained his reasoning, … Read more

Moving the Ball Down the Field: A Case Study in Turnarounds

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I once worked with a hotel that was ranked at the bottom of their management company on nearly ever metric – profitability, customer satisfaction, employee engagement.  When a new general manager, a former college football star, took over the property, he probably felt like he was in a classic Bad News Bears situation.  His rag-tag team had sub-par equipment, including an elevator that constantly broke.  No matter how hard they tried, they felt like they were losing every game, so most of them had given up.  But in a short time, he had improved the hotel’s financial metrics, went on to win the company’s customer service competition, and employee engagement was some of the best in the company.  How did they do it?  Read on to find out.

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Management Without Measurement Is Stupid, Measurement Without Management Is Worse

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Last week, Bill Gates published his annual letter, along with an editorial in the Wall Street Journal (link). In it, he discussed the way his philanthropic efforts have applied measurement to improve their effectiveness. In doing so, he brought one of the most important management innovations of the twentieth century to bear on the problem of solving human suffering. But measurement alone isn’t going to solve the world’s problems, and it won’t solve your organization’s either.

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