CEO Non-Negotiable #2
(This is the second in a series of what I call “The 3 CEO Non-Negotiables” — responsibilities that lie squarely with the leader at the top. If you are not a CEO, but aspire to be, this is for you as well.) Congratulations to my friends Geoff Ramsey and Terry Chabrowe, co-founders of NYC-based eMarketer, […]
CEO Non-Negotiable #1
In the past few days, “vision” has been a repeat theme in my conversations with top leaders. 1) I heard board members encouraging a CEO to get out of the weeds and be more visionary. 2) A President discussed a big vision he had for his company, but wondered aloud “will they laugh at me?” […]
Conflict? Build Bridges, Not Walls
One of the top issues that leaders discuss with me is conflict with others at work. Perhaps: • one person dominates weekly meetings with his opinion. • the team is at odds about next steps on an important decision. • a member of the team consistently misses deadlines. • half the team wants to study […]
Parenting Your New Hire
If you are part of an organization that is growing or experiencing change, odds are you are bringing in, or promoting, new leaders to help with that growth and change. In my observation, many otherwise highly effective leaders struggle to onboard their new hire in a win-win-win for the two of them and the company. […]
Coaching Millennials To Lead
Last year’s comedy, The Intern, features Robert De Niro as a retiree who can’t stay retired. He decides to return to the workplace as a “senior” intern, assisting a start-up CEO, played by Anne Hathaway. Here’s a great clip from the film that portrays the millennial Hathaway seeking assurance from De Niro as she collects […]
How to Lead Millennials
I don’t know if you have noticed this, but it seems that I see the term “millennials” in at least one headline every day. I’ve discovered the reason. The Pew Research Forum reports this group now makes up the largest part of the population—even more than us baby boomers. If you care about who is […]
How I Owned 4 Tanks & Still Slept Well at Night
It was day three of my first real leadership job. I was a young 2nd lieutenant who had just been assigned to take over 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 3rd of the 63rd Armor Battalion, in what was then West Germany. “Lieutenant McKinnon, you need to go and sign for your tanks,” my company commander directed […]
Dabo Swinney and DIY Leadership Training
Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has his team watch a movie together the night before every game. The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted this ritual, noting that after the viewing, Swinney “holds a meeting to impart a lesson or theme drawn from the film to motivate, inspire or focus them on the following day’s challenge.” This […]
Are You The Expert All The Time?
A CEO recently had me sit in on a weekly meeting with one of his direct reports. I noticed several things: The CEO did more talking than his SVP. The CEO talked in a way that conveyed he knew as much or more than his SVP on the topic at-hand. The CEO was quick to […]
Continuous Feedback
Why are we still doing Annual Reviews? Their very title speaks to why they are so bad: Annual = happens once a year Review = looking backwards Do we really believe that looking backwards once a year helps people get better? My daughter, Ellie, interned this past summer at a fantastic company in Richmond called […]