Leading Next

Automobiles. Apartments. Laundromats. What do these “traditional” industries have in common? All three represent companies under leaders I know who are taking disruptive technologies seriously. The auto dealer is not only studying Tesla – now the most valuable car company in the United States – but also autonomous vehicles, ride services like Uber and Lyft, […]

Leaders Staying Positive

Geoff Ramsey is a good friend and CEO of eMarketer in New York.  eMarketer has become “the authority” on research and trends in online marketing, and it’s charts and data regularly appear in national newspapers, magazines and advertising industry periodicals.  Geoff himself is considered a leading spokesman for his industry and is frequently invited to […]

Leaders in the Face of Fear

“Fear, like joy or curiosity, is contagious among beasts and birds, as it is among men . . . . Animals are afraid on general principles.  Anything new and strange excites their suspicions.  In a herd of animals, cattle or horses, fear quickly becomes a panic and rages like a conflagration.  Cattle men in the […]

Leaders vs. Summer

A new leadership tool is at hand this week. It’s summertime.
Despite the demands of this challenging economy, things are just different. There’s less traffic on the road in the mornings. Less people in the office because of vacations. Everyone knows you have to get major deals closed by mid-July because key decision-makers will be hard to assemble until after Labor Day. Inevitably there’s more recreation and leisure in your schedule.
All this presents Leaders with opportunities to “shift with the season” — to experiment, create, learn, reboot. And when Labor Day gets here (80 days and counting), you can decide to stop or continue. Will you take advantage of it?

Leaders in the Middle of It

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!
— From “Once in a Lifetime” by David Byrne & the Talking Heads
If you’re in your 30’s, it’s coming.
In your 40’s? You sense it or know you’re in the middle of it.
50’s – it’s either the best thing that ever happened to you, or you’re wondering if you missed an opportunity.
Mid-life. I’m having more conversations with Leaders lately about this particular time-zone.