Category: Assessment

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Shame? When the Business Icon Stumbles

It may have missed your radar, but two North American business icons waved the financial white flag in the last three weeks.

Harry & David filed for bankruptcy, and the storied Los Angeles Dodgers baseball franchise was taken over by Major League baseball. The organizations are deeply in debt, and the path forward is tricky for both.

What happened?

In the case of Harry & David, that Medford, Oregon-based purveyor of fine fruits and friendly customer service, a large portion of the blame is being cast toward H & D’s owner, private equity firm Wasserstein & Co.… Read the rest

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RIP Walter Breuning: Smarts & Wisdom – and Why You Need Both

“The young man knows the rules but the old man knows the exceptions” suggested Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Holmes, one of the 20th century’s most influential public figures, was on to something.

While youth (and fresh eyes) serve well with certain types of situations – think Emperor’s New Clothes, quant analysis, or the brilliance behind the Apple’s designs –  wisdom from elders is something that you can’t find anyplace else.… Read the rest

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When Conflict Conflicts

Standard question mark

We’re living in an interesting time; information that appears material or conflicting by the optics test for companies goes unmentioned.

At one hand we have the purchase by a senior Berkshire Hathaway exec of stock of a company that was subsequently bought by the firm (see this WSJ piece ) or the flap regarding whether Apple was legally required to provide information on CEO Steve Jobs health (see this article from the NY Times on the release of material information).… Read the rest

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Tips for Execs: A Drive By is Not a Check-In

I’m having lunch and a close-out conversation with an exec coaching client in Silicon Valley today. She has made obtained great results with small changes; her boss thinks she’s doing great and frankly so do I.

And she’s got a lesson or two that you can use.

One of the things she’s done is slowed down and let her direct reports (and a colleague or two) lead part of the conversation.… Read the rest

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The Corporate Reorganization: If You Shuffle the Boxes Will the Results Change?

McKesson Corporation, where I worked as a senior exec for over a decade, had a habit of the yearly reorganization – usually in March right before the start of the fiscal year on April 1. Reporting relationships changed, some people got shifted, some people got whacked, and business continued along.

Rarely did things in terms of the running the business significantly change.… Read the rest