In my role as a TEC Chair, I was meeting with the CEO TEC member and his controller, “Jim” (name changed to protect me!). They were each extremely frustrated with the other. Jim’s a great controller and the CEO’s an excellent entrepreneur. The CEO was complaining that Jim wasn’t giving him what he wanted, and…
I have been doing some TEC/Vistage talks recently called, “There’s NO Training after Toilet Training!” taken from my August Blog. The goal of these talks is to convince business people there is no use in trying to coach “C” players into “B” or “A” players, because it’s just not going to happen. Or….it happens so…
Now that the Green Bay Packers are World Champions again, and NFL Football is officially done (probably for a long time!), it’s time to get back to the important business of blogging. For February, I want to tell a story called “Slow down for Yellow Lights.” I was introduced to the concept about 15-years ago…
Hello Everyone, I know I should write an uplifting, holiday-oriented greeting….or…. suggest a list of New Year’s Resolutions to motivate all of you! But I just can’t. The problem is, I am still suffering from exposure to people I have encountered this month who are afflicted with MCD. And I feel compelled, just like the…
What Lessons can a Business Person Learn from Henry Tyson and the St. Marcus Lutheran School in Milwaukee? I had an AMAZING tour of St. Marcus Lutheran School on Palmer Street in Milwaukee in early November. It was the opening of my TEC 6 meeting and a fantastic way to start the day. St. Marcus…
Better Processes or better people? I am sitting in a board room watching Jim Purtell facilitate a planning session. Jim is one of THE BEST strategic and operational planning facilitators on the planet. We often have a friendly argument about whether process or people is the main cause of success or failure in organizations. Being…
Ok, I admit it. I’m a psychology wonk. I never thought my Psychology degree in 1980 was good for anything, BUT in looking back on my business career, I realize it has helped me a lot. In my work with business people, I have noticed that often their view of managing their own company is…
Where has the summer gone and where is my “V-Shaped” recovery? My friend Stuart Banghart, CEO of The Grover Corporation sent me this excellent newsletter from John Mauldin. His website is www.frontlinethoughts.com It’s great information and has a plug for TEC (Vistage) as well. Thanks Stuart! My unscientific, informal survey of TEC members tells me…
Hello TEC Members and Business Friends, I, like many TEC Chairs have two business lives. The happiest part of my day is working with TEC members. We often discuss strategy, growth options, dealing with success and other optimistic issues. Of course, in TEC we also deal with difficult issues—business and personal. But on average, TEC…
We had a great discussion this month in my TEC groups about strategic marketing. It’s a sure sign that business is improving. One of the BEST TEC speakers on the subject is Mitch Gooze, who runs a business called “Customer Manufacturing Group”. http://www.customermanufacturing.com Mitch has spoken to one of my groups and he says that…