Very early in my management career (1976-1993) I worked for a company called Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). In 1979 I went into the management development program and obtained my first management position in 1980.
One thing DEC invested heavily in was a formal management development program. At each level of of management there was a defined […]

This article contributed by my special guest, MJ Gilhooley.
The importance of maximizing technology, rather than hiding behind it, is worthy of note in today’s tech-crazed business culture. Regardless of our server size or our dashboard widgets, blogs and blackberry’s, enduring business is still the result of key, well maintained human relationships.
While the argument remains that […]

If we asked the following about your company how would you answer:

In your company, who is responsible for creating your strategy?
Which comes first, the strategy or the tactics?
How do you come up with your strategies?
If we were looking for your strategy, where would we find it?

If you find these tough to answer you might want […]

I watched the movie series Toy Story with my kids recently and have become a big fan of one of the characters, Buzz Lightyear. Buzz is futuristic space toy come to life within the lead characters room. (A human)
He has cool features like active laser beams, karate chopping arms, pop-out wings and a rocket pack. […]

Isn’t momentum in our actions and behaviors an amazing thing. We become so ingrained in how we go through our day that even a ‘near death’ experience will not cause us to change.
What am I talking about? Our human resistance to change, particularly in the workplace. One of the key responsibilities of the leader of a […]

Like our physical condition our managerial competence and capability can get out of shape. What can we do to exercise it to help us compete, grow and lead our businesses successfully? This is a challenge I am facing with a company right now.
Here are the facts:

15 Year Old Company (was a roll-up of 3 previous […]

What is a Performance Management System?
A performance management system is a defined set of tools, processes and actions that enable you to maximize the performance of your employees.
Why should you have a Performance Management System?
As a CEO you want to get the best return on your investment and employees are probably the most expensive and […]

Over at my sister site we have written an article reviewing over 100 podcasts categorized by area of business. Boy is there a lot of great small business audio available today.
If Podcasts are a preferred or even an occasional tool you use to sharpen your small business saw then you have got to check out […]

People and organizations have only two alternatives: get better or get worse, improve or decay. While the thought of status quo might seem comforting, status quo is really decay in sheep’s clothing. Certainly status quo is decay relative to companies who are improving and innovating in the competitive market place. In the personal career arena, […]

(This is an encore presentation of one of my most popular posts over the last 3 years)
A critical element of being an effective leader is understanding or defining those TASKS that must be achieved to ensure that LEADERSHIP will occur. Then the next question to be asked is, “What personal characteristics are necessary to carry […]