All of you who know me a bit know that I like to be intentional about goals and accomplishments and that I’m not a fan of aimless drifting as a viable strategy. While I’m not always successful in this pursuit, my intent is always to look some 3-5 years ahead and plan where I want to be and what would …
No more excuses, we’ve all had enough
No more excuses, we have all had enough of them for a lifetime. Talk is cheap, excuses plenty, but without action and execution you will never achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Stop coming up with excuses, reconnect with your why and take actionable steps forward towards your goals. The time is now to get closer to what …
The most important calendar item for 2016 and beyond
Time management is an important skill, needed to succeed in making many of your goals a reality. As we look at our plans and goals for 2016 it is important to allocate time (actually block it off on your calendar) to think, reflect and plan. This should be you time, time where there are no other attendees, you are not …
Don’t steal ideas of others, give them credit
Ideas matter, but the execution of those ideas matters even more. Furthermore, wherever an idea might come from, make sure it retains its rightful ownership and attribution. As a leader, it is your duty to properly recognize the contributor and give credit where credit is due. Under no circumstances should you ever claim someone else’s idea as your own. Stealing …
Why annual performance reviews don’t work
Traditional, annual performance reviews don’t work and here’s why. Employees need consistent and constant input and suggestions when it comes to their responsibilities and performance. Having someone under perform for a year is a disservice to that employee, the firm as a whole and even yourself as a leader who is accountable for the overall performance and contributions of your …
Bad employees: fire them or make them quit?
People matter the most and have the greatest impact on the organizational success and failure. It is (or should be) clear to all leaders that their primary focus needs to be on attracting and retaining top talent and that this should come ahead of policies, processes and technology which are also of great importance. However, at times, we will make …
Be passionate, yet remain cool, calm and collected
Passion is one of the most important attributes that influences what we do and act on each day. Loss of your passion and your drive will unavoidably result in a decrease in commitment, attention and quality of output. Once you stop caring about a project, process, job, organization…you check out mentally and it is noticeable to those who are observant …
Identify problems with questions, not statements
To solve problems one must first identify the core reasons of those issues and must accept their existence. Once ownership is established it is essential to ask proper questions as to how did you get to your current predicament and what can you do to make progress and move towards solutions. Don’t make vague statements, but rather take change of …
CIOs are joining Boards of Directors
Technology is a the core of nearly everything we do in modern business and as such it needs to be considered as one of the greatest opportunity and difference makers around. With this in mind, it is natural to see more and more technology executives, most frequently Chief Information Officers (CIOs) joining both boards and top management teams. These teams …
Two weeks notice
You have handed in your resignation, your two weeks notice. Now what? First, resist the urge to slack off and tell those few you didn’t see eye to eye with what you really think of them – it’s not wort it. Second, tie up any lose ends, share information and knowledge and work proactively on passing your current responsibilities as …