Reaching for the executive ranks? Cultivate these five skillsets—part one, developing as a strategist

While today's career world for many is about something other than "The Climb," my coaching ranks and workshop programs are filled with individuals striving to scale their impact and, for many, gain a seat at the executive table. If you are motivated to grow your responsibilities and engage at a senior management level, you must cultivate your knowledge and skills in five critical areas. In part one of this series, I focus on developing as a strategist.

Executive Behaviors, Your Boss Has No Clothes and Revolution from the Bottom

Gary Hamel offers a post well worth reading on “Why Success Often Sows the Seeds of Failure,” in his Management 2.0 blog at the Wall Street Journal. He takes some tough and well-earned shots at the narrow-minded thinking of executives that foments the eventual demise of formerly good organizations. In my opinion, the habits and traps that bedevil formerly successful companies also exist in those less-than successful organizations. Regardless of starting point, the tendencies and habits of ineffective executive leadership are not hard to see. In theory, they shouldn’t be hard to call out and change. However, we don’t. Why not?

Weak Leadership at the Top Derails The Pursuit of Performance Excellence

While some top executives err on the side of asserting a dictatorial style of leadership that poisons the working environment and stifles independent action, in my experience, many more struggle with just the opposite. Instead of overwhelming their associates with strict orders in pursuit of rigid targets, they default on their responsibility to set direction in a poorly constructed attempt to create an environment of empowerment. The results of this approach include endless discussions without resultant actions and massive frustration of well-intended personnel that want to move projects and ideas forward.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:19-05:00October 20th, 2008|Decision-Making, Leadership, Leading Change|2 Comments

Career Growth and the Product Manager

wear my respect on my shirt-sleeve for the many dedicated Product Management professionals that hold down what I believe is one of the most difficult and one of the most critical roles in today’s fast moving technology and B2B organizations. I firmly believe that these talented and well-rounded business professionals are potentially some of the most valuable assets in an organization’s talent pool.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:20-05:00September 26th, 2008|Product Management|0 Comments

From Imperial Court to Learning Organization

It’s time to quit talking about becoming a learning organization and start knocking down the time worn conventions, institutions and processes that stand in your organization's way. In an ideal world, this change starts at the top with an insightful leader or leadership team that understand what it takes to move from an efficiency orientation to a learning focus. In reality, a lot of this change will need to be driven by leaders in the middle that clearly see what is happening in the external environment as well as what it takes to win in that environment. If necessary, let the royals executives posture and play while you go about the business of changing the business one initiative at a time.

Planning to Recognize Failure-The Project Manager’s Guide to Preventing Project Calamity

Every Project Manager with a few years of experience under his or her belt can likely recall at least one example of a major project that lived on long after the plug should have been pulled and the project canceled. The best (or worst) examples are the ego-driven initiatives of top executives that can't let go for fear of losing face by admitting defeat. More than a few organizations have been taken to or pushed over the edge by these self-anointed visionaries bent on changing their corporate world with some grand project. Once invested, they cannot let go, and if left unchecked, the results can be nothing short of disastrous for the organization.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:25-05:00May 4th, 2008|Leadership, Project Management|0 Comments

Coping Strategies for the Project Manager Facing an Executive Mandate on Schedule

A management team well attuned to rapidly emerging market forces might recognize an opportunity that can be leveraged for significant gain and competitive advantage if the organization acts quickly. It is management's prerogative and responsibility to identify and motivate the organization to act and seize these opportunities, even at the expense of order and business as usual.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:26-05:00April 13th, 2008|Leadership, Project Management|0 Comments

Sales and Marketing Managers: Use the Lead Refinery Approach to Improve Results

I talk with a lot of marketing and sales managers and have spent most of my life working in these environments. In spite of the dramatic advancements in software tools available, I still find gaping holes in the way many sales and marketing organizations manage and account for the flow of leads into the sales pipeline. Although there are undoubtedly some technology constraints, I suspect that the primary issue is one of process more than anything else. Employed properly, changes in the output of the lead refinery foreshadow expansion or contraction of volume in the sales pipeline. Here are some thought-starters:

By |2008-03-08T10:27:50-06:00March 8th, 2008|Marketing|0 Comments
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