There are very important things you want to do, need to do, but the time never seems right. Things so important they belong on a different day, month, year, planet. A quiet, harmonious planet, one with no distractions, where we can think clearly. But nobody can get there, and lives, businesses, and dreams need pursuing. Maybe…
We all carry cards, have titles, responsibilities, comp systems and offices that define our formal roles at work. Also, each member in every work group has an informal role, both self-selected and assigned by the group. This selection process doesn’t happen according to any traditional method but develops over time, through the process of discovering…
I agree. I think that sounds right. Sure, we should do that. My sentiment exactly! Except, it’s not so easy to join the action — you know, the things people will ask of you when they see that you agree. It’s far easier to agree than to take a different position — because that would…
So the time was early January, and I had just worked with Bill Strong and his team at Strongfab to finalize their overarching strategy for the year. Their Q1 operating objectives were in place under all the segments of the plan. Starting in January, their primary growth strategy was to enter the automotive market by…
I heard it from three of the five members of the management team during individual coaching sessions. Not all at once but over a few months. I addressed it with Mike very carefully and, not to my surprise he was aware of the feeling. Together we explored the mission critical initiatives he had managed over…
“The decorative aluminum grill market moved to pre-finished materials and it took us three months to get our designs straightened out and a new set of standard inventory items set for distribution. We have finally made the initial run and sent the stock to the field six months after our competitors. Now they want custom…
Joe needed to increase gross margin. He had stated it simply. “Look, guys. We need to increase gross margin right now. It’s been declining so we need to get it back to where it was last year.” That was four months ago. The whole team had sprung into action. Estimating overestimated. Operations refocused on high-margin…
Bill Strong, CEO of Strongfab Corp., left the house he and Joy had purchased in Elmhurst the year he took over the company from his father ten years ago. Now, both kids were in college, Christine at Coe out in Iowa and Bill Jr. at the University of Illinois in engineering. Bill was now focused…
Because it is sometimes hard for CEOs to navigate alone, I began offering Leadership Team Coaching about a year ago. It has proven to be a very valuable tool for my clients. If you as CEO are feeling that something is missing in your management team performance or cooperation it may be just the thing…