Hugh L. McColl, Jr. is the retired chairman and CEO of Bank of America. An ex-marine officer in the late fifties, his business leadership style was and continues to be swashbuckling, colorful, and intense. Wall Street analysts characterized him as a no-holds barred tactical genius that lead the bank as its thirty-nine year old president with » Read More
It’s no surprise research has shown one of the characteristics people most want to see in their leaders is honesty. Honesty is not geographically bound. This characteristic is listed as one of the top five most important leadership qualities from people around the world. Do you know what the second most important leadership trait is? » Read More
When it comes to business, no successful leader has made the big time by being overly hesitant and inhibited. Being bold and brash is not necessarily the key to success, but taking chances and embracing the notion of risk is. Playing it safe can certainly lead to profitability in the short term, but it greatly » Read More
We joined the conversation just as Matt was defending the right to be quirky and go against the mainstream. He was calm, gracious, and articulate—speaking his mind without being in anyone’s face, urging respect for different values and opinions. His message of tolerance went unheeded. As the threads of conversation began anew, anyone who disagreed » Read More
Without trust extraordinary results aren’t possible. Without trust and extraordinary results workplace optimism is absent. Without workplace optimism talented people stay away from or leave companies. What’s left? Mediocre results, missed goals and unhappy people. Workplace optimism is not a viewpoint or belief system. It’s a cultural vibe that influences a positive work experience. » Read More
“…The only real security you have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.” – Henry Ford Take the lead to create your own job security. My first experience in wrestling with my personal thoughts on job security happened in 1992. My employer planned to cut a few hundred people from my » Read More
I’ve been doing a lot of hiring in the last few years, although I didn’t intend to do so. I’m not a recruiter, headhunter, or HR professional. I am a business leadership coach who deconstructed and recreated the system we use for hiring. Along with becoming very critical of the “old” system that typically gets bad » Read More
I train a lot of managers. One thing we cover is to NOT take for granted what employees understand about their jobs. You’ve probably heard me preach about the importance of one-on-one meetings and how they can be used deliberately for this purpose. Here’s just a snippet of what I suggest to managers that they » Read More
A design company is hired to set up a cafeteria in a new retirement community. The company doesn’t listen to the needs of the organization, and once the facility is opened, there are equipment failures and design flaws. Calls are repeatedly made to the company to help resolve these punch list issues, but to no » Read More
Age doesn’t matter. Experience doesn’t matter. What happens is time begins to wear on us. It isn’t time itself necessarily. What matters are the events and people that begin to wear us down. No offense to anyone, except maybe the ones who erode us intentionally or with a complete lack of any empathy. What wears » Read More
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