I was speaking with a business owner a while back who told me he had set up an advisory board. “We got together twice,” he said. “It didn’t really go anywhere.” I asked a few questions: He’s not alone. A lot of advisory boards are built with good intentions but never deliver real value — mostly because they’re never built to deliver value....
Read MoreA while ago, I was catching up with the CEO of a mid-sized business. His business was growing steadily but wrestling with some underlying challenges. As we talked through a few of the issues, I asked whether he had ever considered forming an advisory board. His response was familiar: “Absolutely, it’s something I know I need to do. Just not...
Read MoreWe often talk about building culture as if it’s something you can design in a workshop and roll out like new software. But culture doesn’t emerge from what’s written on the wall (or your website), although it can be useful to share your values with the world. Building culture needs constant care, attention, and
Read MoreI taught skiing on weekends for almost 40 years and one of the most powerful skills I developed was what is called ‘Detection and Correction”. It’s the skill of identifying the symptom and then determining the root cause. Inexperienced instructors can spot the symptom—but rarely identify the root cause. A student may be skiing without flexing...
Read MoreWe’ve all done it, arrived at the supermarket checkout, desperate to get out as fast as possible, only to be faced with the need to make a decision about which line to join. And, you have to decide quickly; hesitate too long and someone else jumps in, changing the whole dynamic. I don’t know about you, but almost without fail, I pick the wrong...
Read MoreLittle Changes. Big Impact. Bigger Satisfaction A survey by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine looked at how patients felt about the time their doctors spent by their bedside. The only difference? Whether the doctor sat or stood. When the doctor sat down, 73% of patients said they were satisfied. When the doctor stood, only 49% did....
Read More“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by neglect, ignorance, or incompetence.” — Hanlon’s Razor
Read MoreOften, when I examine a company’s approach to sales, they want to dive right into fixing the symptoms. They want to discuss MQL, SQL, Conversion ratios, average contract value, and so on. Where I want to start is with strategy: How have you defined your perfect prospect? What are the problems that you might solve for them? What are the...
Read MoreFor as long as I’ve owned a house, I’ve had a ladder. They’re one of those things you don’t really think about - until you need one. Mine was the sort that could be used as a step-ladder or converted to a longer ladder, and in my little suburban house, it did everything I
Read MoreMost CEOs I know don’t want a coach. At least, not in the traditional sense. They didn’t climb the mountain by asking for directions. They got there by figuring things out. By instinct. By guts. By doing. But here’s the thing: at a certain stage, figuring things out alone doesn’t cut it anymore. The stakes are higher, the terrain is unfamiliar,...
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