Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
Character counts – at least that’s what most of us are told as kids. But does it really?
What if – as the headline of this week’s New York Times Magazine blared – The Secret to Success is Failure, and not your GPA or even the schools you attended but rather your CPA – character personality average – that predicts your path forward?… Read the rest
There are some advantages to being at the organizational top.
People below you on the business pyramid are unfailing polite, things sometimes happen on a suggestion and not a request, furniture is nicer and pay is usually greater. Tones are hushed, the carpet is deeper, and pleasantries are often the order not just of the day, but the minute.
Candor – the quality of being frank, open and sincere – is often missing in action.… Read the rest
The Roche takeover of South San Francisco-based Genentech two years ago provided a field day for all sorts of commentary.
From the revisionist account of the Genentech takeover to Roche’s shifting stance on how they’d “preserve headcount and culture” at Genentech, the acquisition has provided rich fodder.
The report that key execs from Genentech such as Pat Yang [disclosure: Pat’s organization was a client] moving to Basel were required to learn to speak German because it was the language in which business was conducted (note: German is spoken in the Basel area of Switzerland) was – how to put it – was akin to the cherry on top of the sundae; the perfect topping to a trail of miscues.… Read the rest
After a few months of patient networking as I’d coached him had not produced the new job my client sought, frantic had begun to set in. He could see that his current job was one or two more bad quarters away from a likely company shut down.
While he might have some time, he didn’t know how much time before he had no job.… Read the rest
The request came from a client whose leadership team I had worked with this June; the team had a consultant come in earlier and diagnosed them as dysfunctional. What to do about that dysfunction? That wasn’t part of the program.
The work the team had done with me followed the Road Trip model, and predictably some things had popped up in terms of prime improvement opportunity areas.… Read the rest
It’s great when good people do well.
It’s even better when good people, talented people navigate a career bump or two and end up in a better role with a better boss and culture than they left behind.
Someone I’ll call “Amy” is one of those people.
I know her through community work we’d done together, and my coffee with her this week was to catch up on her new job, and to debrief on how she got there.… Read the rest