Posts under ‘leadership’

Envisioning the step of stress testing growth when you are at the very beginning of your journey can seem like a huge and immensely challenging step outside your comfort zone.  However, by the time you arrive at this step, you should have mastered the habit of stepping outside your comfort zone.  And, if you have [...]

“I learned to embrace risk, as long as it was well thought out and, in a worst-case scenario, I’d still land on my feet.”
– Eli Broad
Great ventures not only have basic plans to start them on a great course for their journey but they also develop master plans for ultimate success early on in their [...]

To create a potential great venture, you must nail passion, vision, opportunity, and uncommon offering.  It sets the ceiling on your potential and greatness is certainly possible with these components in place.  However, just because you have nailed them does not mean that greatness is inevitable.  You must check the viability of your venture regardless [...]

Think back two years in time.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average was near its all time high at 13,058 and US unemployment was at a modest 5.50%.  You may or may not have been working in your current job or company but you were probably doing alright given your level of experience and education.  Things [...]

Although it is promoted as something that facilitates the crowning of champions, the Bowl Championship Series, or BCS, is far from a system that allows true champions to emerge.  This year there are five undefeated teams entering the BCS games and, as always, only two of them have the opportunity to emerge as the national [...]

Achieving high performance is a big challenge for leadership during uncertain times.  Many organizations and companies look for new ways to assign, combine, and re-allocate their assets to improve performance during tough times.  Unfortunately, these changes too often come in the form of reactive management and negatively impact performance.
High performance leadership during uncertain times is [...]

“The essence of the process is to get the right people engaged in vigorous dialogue and debate, infused with the brutal facts and guided by QUESTIONS formed by the three circles.”
– Jim Collins
Last time I discussed the importance of asking the right questions in pursuing excellence in college football when I compared four prominent football [...]

“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams.”
– Og Mandino
The secret to success in [...]

Innovation and continuous improvement are necessary components for long-term, sustainable success.  Relentless continuous improvement will make sure you survive, most of the time, in achieving long-term, sustainable success.  But, when the times are tough, you really should consider re-inventing the right 10% of all you do!
90% of what and how you do things is probably [...]

When we are in the midst of the storm, it is sometimes hard to maintain high levels of faith in the ultimate outcome of our situation.  But this is precisely the time to cultivate our faith and persist.  Faith will allow us to find peace in the storm and find the next right action for [...]