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Failing faster
So if strategy is so important, why do many CEOs run from the topic? Many believe that they should be magically endowed with the wisdom of Solomon when they accede to the big chair on mahogany row. It is frustrating and humbling to not have an answer to the most fundamental but difficult question...
Best of CoBiz: Get the elephants off the conference room table!
It has been my experience that the most frequently ignored elephants are clearly apparent yet unresolved people, management and organizational issues. It follows then that these people centered issues, which management refuses to identify and address, inevitably lead to other weaknesses, and are t...
The school play — or the client meeting?
How many school plays and family gatherings have you missed because you had an important meeting at work? How often do you slink out to take your sick child or ailing mother to a doctor’s appointment? It’s often difficult to live our core values at work, and it shouldn’t be. That’s why I was delig...
Why before what and how
What mediocre leaders don’t understand is that it’s tough for people to rally together for a stronger profit margin alone. Our brains don’t think like that. But stronger profit margins are exactly what happen when people ban together for something that calls them forth to become more than what t...
Success principles
Be ethical and moral in every facet of your business. Do the best job you can and never cut corners. I know this sounds like common knowledge, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t follow – or don’t know – this rule. Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t easy. In my case, it has even res...
Best of CoBiz: Nine unusual strategies for killer meetings
Are your meetings a dreaded time suck or an enjoyable, productive collaboration? When summarizing a meeting, have you ever heard, “What a waste of time!” “That was boring!” or “Please shoot me if I have to go to another meeting like that!” Those types of meetings are not only a waste of time, they...
Can you pass the Hallway Test?
When confronted with making assignments, measuring and appraising performance and then determining merit or promotional increases, an arbitrary approach to compensation will feel like walking through a mine field. And if you try to save pennies when awarding salary increases, you will suffer highe...
Bridging the gap: Five tips to get the best from Gen Y
To better understand Gen Y, we need to start at the beginning. From childhood, Gen Y grew up in sports programs where everybody got a trophy. They also grew up with technology at their fingertips.
Cure the first-quarter blues
Now that we are in March, you should have a pretty good view of how your Q1 is likely to end up. If you are a revenue-generating company, you’ve probably got a formally approved 2013 plan by now (if not, why not?) Your board is paying attention to your performance against plan, and you and your ma...
To coddle or not to coddle?
“To coddle or not to coddle?”, that is the new question. Do you go out of your way to create a warm and welcoming environment with the intention of sending a message to your new hire that you are glad they have joined the team or do you shy away from anything too welcoming because you don’t want t...
Challenges for boards in 2013
Boards of directors of public companies face numerous challenges, including economic conditions and health care reform. Colorado boards, however, also face major issues caused by globalization, emerging technologies, cyber-security and IT risks, among others. To gain a broader perspective and bett...
Success and the servant leader
Many Colorado companies have their fair share of great business models and leadership teams. Others, not so much. So why do some companies crush it on a daily basis while other struggle? One important key: the leadership of a “servant leader." The concept of the servant leader is among the top r...
