Episode #34: Uncertain to Decisive of my Crisis to Opportunity podcast is the second of four in which I will wrap up my podcast by exploring how to take everything you’ve learned in this podcast and prepare you to take action that will help you positively confront and, hopefully, overcome the crisis you are faced with. Uncertainty is [...]
The Saturday Evening Post just published my latest column, Contrariwise: Common Sense Is Neither Common Nor Sensible. This commentary suggests that common sense is over-rated for two reasons. First, most people make truly dunderheaded decisions, so so-called common sense can't be that common. Second, common sense doesn't often produce the sensible decision, so there's not a whole [...]
The Saturday Evening Post just published my latest column, How Do We Humans Ever Make Good Decisions. The article explores why we are so bad at making good decisions (hint: paradoxically, it's evolutionary), the cognitive biases that distort our thinking, and how you can take steps to improve your decision making, especially when you are faced [...]
Is there anything more important to the success of a company than decision making? And is there any other process that occurs so often in a company that is accomplished so haphazardly? The decisions that are made, from the boardroom and the corner office on down, dictate the direction that the company goes. Yet, decision [...]
I’m often brought into a company to help them solve a problem. The problem might have to do with strategic planning, research and development, or entry into a new market. I’m no expert in any of these areas, but what I am pretty good at is helping companies understand and go through the best possible process for making decisions. The first thing I say is that this process isn’t about solving problems; it’s about decision making. When we think about typical problem solving, it involves a series of steps: 1) Identifying the problem…which involves making a decision on what the problem is; 2) Finding a solution…which means making a decision on what will solve the problem; 3) Implementing a solution…which means making a decision on how to put the plan into action. Therefore, when we talk about ‘problem solving,’ what we really mean is ‘decision making.’
Late last year, I wrote a blog post titled How Do You Make a Major Life Decision. In it, I describe my approach to making decisions and some of the potential obstacles to making good decisions. Here is an interesting article that explores some of the recent research on decision making and offers six science-based ways [...]
Leadership is one of the truly hot topics in the corporate world. Can you believe that there are more than 17,000 books on leadership available on Amazon? That statistic tells me that there are no clear answers on the best way to lead a company, organization, or team. Given that I work extensively in both the corporate and sports world, where effective leadership is essential, I wanted to share my perspective on what makes a great leader. Let’s start with where I stand on leadership. First, what is a leader? Your answer may include inspiring employees, having a strategic vision and plan, or knowing how to hire or delegate. All of these are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for being a leader. But the purest definition of a leader I can offer is: someone with followers. Without them, there is no leader. I also want to add a rather heretical view of leadership: I don’t believe in leadership styles. We certainly hear plenty from all sorts of business gurus that this style or that is ideal. You hear about autocratic, democratic, collaborative, visionary, transactional, transformational, participative, laissez-faire, servant, the list goes on. I would argue, however, that talking about styles has little value because we are incapable of leading in a way that is inconsistent with who we are as people. However you lead, there are certain roles you must fulfill to be a successful leader of your team and to achieve the goals you have established for your business. I believe that leaders have five essential roles to fulfill to be effective.
I recently had dinner with a former client whom I had worked with about 15 years ago. Cassie (not her real name) was in her teens then and she is now a grown woman with a great career and about to be married. She asked for my guidance to help her make a major career [...]
Perhaps the most frequently asked questions these days in boardrooms, corner offices, and business school classes is: What is leadership and how has it changed in the 21st century? There is little doubt that the business landscape has changed in the last two decades driven primarily by two forces: globalization and technology. Not surprisingly, these two market influences have directly impacted how heads of companies lead. The most notable change has been in what skills are believed to be necessary to lead a company. In previous generations, business leaders were chosen for their specific business acumen including their business-related knowledge and skill sets such as finance, marketing, or strategy. Pedigree and education also played a role in who was placed on the top floor of a company. In recent years though, there has been a shift toward less-tangible psychological, emotional, and people skills as prerequisites for leaders. Of course, the hard skills are still important—leaders still need to know the nuts and bolts of their business—but these knowledge sets have become, in my experience, necessary but not sufficient, for getting the key to the executive washroom. I have identified four such areas that have gained prominence in my work with senior management of companies around the world during the last decade.
It’s a wonder that good decisions are ever made by the species known as Homo Sapiens. The reality is that the cards are stacked against us whenever we are faced with choices, especially when the decisions are of consequence. Think about all of the horrendously bad decisions that have been made in recent history and [...]
