The most important process in business is decision-making. Hands-down. Big or small, if a management or project team can get that right, that’s half the battle. And if they can’t, they’ll fail. Period. Most don’t get it right. That’s why most ventures fail. Interestingly enough, it’s the same with small[…] Read On
The other day, a friend asked what I thought of Elon Musk. That sort of threw me for a loop. My friend’s not a tech industry guy; he’s actually in construction. I told him pretty much what I write in my columns: that I think Musk’s plans for Tesla tend to[…] Read On
I keep seeing articles and blog posts about how to stay motivated and motivate others. There’s talk about extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, carrots and sticks, inspiration, rewards, goals, unpredictability, habits … all sorts of mumbo jumbo. The latest nonsense is that business leaders need to find creative ways of making[…] Read On
I’m reading this dopy article about phone etiquette in meetings and the only thing I can think of is that I can’t believe a business school like USC does research on this nonsense … and that the WSJ writes about it. Don’t these people have better things to do? After[…] Read On
Watching a news program the other day, I was struck by something a religious leader said about U.S. presidential candidates, and I’m paraphrasing here, “past success is the best indicator of future success.” In my experience, the opposite is more likely to be true. In Only the Paranoid Survive, former Intel chairman Andy[…] Read On
Jeff Kindler was a rising star in the legal world. After getting a Harvard law degree he worked at the FCC, clerked for a Supreme Court judge, and made partner at a big D.C. law firm. After that he went corporate, becoming GE’s head of litigation and Executive Vice President[…] Read On
Growing up, my dad was a ball-busting control freak. When it came to my homework and grades, the guy was an unforgiving perfectionist. But the few times I came home with really bad news, he was strangely understanding and supportive. I could never figure him out … until I climbed the corporate[…] Read On