Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
Tomorrow is the annual celebration of the Martin Luther King’s birthday, and as I sit here with my 7 year-old son, I wonder what Dr. King would make of aspects of our world today some 40+ years after his death.
Some parts of the world would like strikingly familiar. As chronicled in a trip to south Texas this past year – The Pace of Change: Uvalde, Texas 1953 – some parts of the nation look socially as they must have not only 40 years ago, but 60 or 70 years ago.… Read the rest
The year’s started, and the job hunt scramble (see a piece from the NY Times here) looks as if it’s begun. Like high school boys at the singles dance eying prospective eligibles, people have targeted the places to work that are cool and hot, and which places are not unless you’re really desperate for a job – or a dance.… Read the rest
There are a number of benefits from working with individuals as an executive coach, and working with start-up and leadership teams as a team coach. Some of them are financial, and some of them are pride in accomplishment. Some of the benefits are the unexpected thank you’s that make you smile from the inside. Here’s one of the latter:
“Dear Mike,
I was referred to your blog by another former BGIer [Barclays Global Investors – now part of BlackRock].… Read the rest
There’s a brief Q & A interview with the CEO of Dutch-based firm Wolters Kluwer in the Sunday, December 13, 2009 New York Times. While the title is Managing Globally, And Locally, the insights are more than that: there are rather three other key management lessons that any aspiring senior exec should take to heart.
What are they?
1. CEO McKinstry speaks to the importance the impact of tone (my word) she sets from the top.… Read the rest
I think Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath is a really good book. Most of the Heath brother’s content is great, both in their book, as well as in their monthly column for Fast Company. But even Babe Ruth stuck out, and their interviewing advice in Fast Company – Hold the Interview: Why it may be wiser to hire people without meeting them – is a real stinker.… Read the rest
There are a lot of ways to build a company – some by accident, some products of history, and some by poorly conceived thinking (see Charlotte, North Carolina – who would think Charlotte would become a world banking headquarters?). An obvious goal is to base your business where it’s got good access to customers, talent, transportation or perhaps capital: do none well and you suck up time in travel, recruiting, and moving people that could be otherwise spent toward serving customers and making great products.… Read the rest