I was recently a guest on Kimberly Seldon’s “Business of Design” podcast, and she hit me with a zinger right off the top. What one thing are people doing that is really ruining their chances of succession? Immediately, I said, “ Staying involved in the client’s work.” The more time you spend on client work, the…
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams Reading this made me wonder, by Adams’ definition, how am I doing as a leader? Dream More Learn more Do more Become More There’s nothing more valuable to a company, or that…
I know firsthand how exhausting the pace of change has been over the last few years. As leaders, we’ve guided our teams through uncertainty at every turn. And it’s not just change from one angle. The Pandemic opened up new ways to work and sell. Our employees have changed their expectations and keep asking for…
The effective executive knows that to get strength, one has to put up with weaknesses. ~ Peter Drucker in The Effective Executive Kicking off an assignment with a new client, I casually ask, “Tell me about your team…” What comes back is a string of complaints. “They rarely come to a meeting prepared; I don’t…
Founders of creative service firms and other agencies have built a platform that’s created leverage for them. They have a team. They’re leading an organization from a positional sense. However, the team doesn’t always do what they expect, and sometimes team members act in puzzling ways that contradict the direction they have set. To gain…
I was listening to Rachel Rogers and Corey Arvinger talk on the Hello7 Podcast, and this section caught my ear! Rachel: And I think making quick decisions is the mark of a powerful CEO, right? A lot of people think about it forever, hem and haw for months. And it’s like the opportunities are passing…
Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. – George Addair Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve heard clients say: “How much should I worry about [ fill in the blank ]?” “Even the idea of this conversation terrifies me!” “Looking at my financials makes me anxious, so I avoid them!”…
One of the things that I told my children when I was teaching them to drive is it better to make small adjustments to the steering wheel than big ones, particularly when you’re driving fast! Big adjustments to the steering wheel can make the car feel and act unstable. The same is true in your…
When I ask my clients, “Why are you working on vacation?” They tell me that they feel guilty if they don’t. Their staff is hard at work, they don’t want to let clients down, and there’s just so much to do I have to keep going. I’ll let you in on a little secret…your team…
Sorry I missed talking with you all last week. It’s not that I didn’t have things to share with you; I’ve got some good stuff brewing. Neither is it that I don’t care about you or prioritize this conversation. I was simply taking some time off to have fun! I could have scrambled around the…