Author: J. Mike Smith

J. Mike Smith is an experienced, highly effective San Francisco-based executive and team coach. Not just “another consultant”, Mike has worked first hand in the roles he coaches, with personal experience working successfully in roles ranging from a front line supervisor to a senior vice president in a variety of companies and environments. Mike’s work coaching business teams is informed and guided by the wisdom and experience of being on teams and working through many of the same challenges and issues the teams he coaches face. As the President and Principal of Back West, Inc., the name of his consulting practice, Mike brings over 30 years of business experience. His work background spans industries including financial services, high tech, biotech, and wholesale distribution. His San Francisco based consulting coaching practice is focused in three areas – executive coaching with individuals, coaching work with teams such as team start-up and team building, and group facilitation and off-site design. More information at http://backwest.com/
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Man (or Woman) in the Mirror: When Do You Fire the Boss?

National Football League Hall of Fame star Mik...
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The San Francisco 49ers fired their head coach Mike Singletary yesterday.

I don’t know Singletary, but have followed his career since 1985 when I lived in Chicago for five years (comprising what I refer to as the longest decade of my life) and he played for the Chicago Bears.

Singletary was an undersized, underpowered linebacker who played with lots of smarts and heart, and it’s no coincidence that the Bears won a Super Bowl and were highly competitive with him on board.… Read the rest

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Bright Lights, Dark Days: Joys of the Winter Solstice

While the science of genetics proves we all (yes, we all) originated in and around the Great Lakes region of Sub-Saharan Africa, time and migration have scattered humankind around the globe and somewhat given us a northern hemisphere outlook.

Along with the evolution of a common darker skin to a broader spectrum from jet black to pale opaque, our human migration patterns gave us a north of the equator, Northern Hemisphere bias.… Read the rest

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Your Career: When – or If – Do You Pull the Parachute Ripcord?

Lenormand jumps from the tower of the Montpell...
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You don’t have look very far in the San Francisco Bay area to run into someone who has or has had an employment acquisition / buy-out arrangement.

Dentists, CPAs, other business owners of one stripe or another frequently have as part of the sale of their business a provision to work (“earn out period” – samples here) for some defined period of time with the people to whom they’ve sold their practice.… Read the rest

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New Traditions: Updated

Willamette University
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There were a few reactions to a piece last week called New Traditions that merit sharing:

Willamette University classmate and SAE fraternity brother Ron Yan noted that beyond my nickname of “Right On Smitty” due to my unrelenting pursuit of relevance, that “As I recall, we had many more, but certainly less publishable nick names for you.”… Read the rest

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You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry, Better Not Pout . .

1914 Santa Claus in japan
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Colin Neenan noted that “Life just seems so full of connections.”

It’s those connections, and the behaviors that impact that, that inform my work. In my consulting practice coaching executives and teams, as well as career coaching, I’m focused on those actions and behaviors rather than the feelings and emotions behind them. That “behaviors first” approach in business enables individual and team coaching clients to achieve quicker, more durable and quantifiable results..… Read the rest

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The UBS Employee Dress Code: A Test Santa Claus Would Flunk

Three keys logo by Warja Honegger-Lavater.
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In the old days – circa 1980 or so – companies depended on managing their operations by policies and procedures. Senior managers would issue an updated process and procedure, and people would follow the new marching orders. It seemed to work well – except when times changed and it didn’t.

Swiss banking giant UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland), in a back-to-the future-moment, has just issued an extensive set of dress guidelines for its client-facing employees (“wear flesh colored underwear“) that makes it feel like the 1980’s all over.  … Read the rest