When I joined Texas Instruments in 1980 the company had its hands in everything. It was the world’s biggest semiconductor company. It employed the largest private navy on Earth for oil exploration. It made everything from guided missiles and minicomputers to calculators and digital watches. Eventually, TI’s leaders came to[…] Read On
Every year, Santa and I get together at his place, break out the nog, boogey down to some righteous Christmas toons, and talk about the year’s naughtiest chief executives. We can’t do a thing about their outrageous pay packages, but the fat man can’t resist filling their Christmas stockings with[…] Read On
If you ask 10 CEOs why good companies fail, you’ll get 10 different answers. They’ll say corporations are like complex, modern-day sports car engines. They have so many moving parts it isn’t funny. Any one of them could go haywire and, next thing you know, you’re flying off a cliff.[…] Read On
There’s nothing more annoying than a self-important jerk bragging about how smart he is. Football picks, investments, business decisions – it doesn’t matter what it’s about; it’s that smug arrogance that gets you. And, if we’re being honest with ourselves, maybe that jealous little voice in our heads that says,[…] Read On
The only real advance in organizational development over the past 50 years is the reengineering of executive titles. We now have chief officers for every function and non-function, from marketing and information to experience and ethics. The purpose of all those c-level titles? One word. Ego. That’s right; no company[…] Read On
In the 19th century, Karl Marx famously identified religion as the opium of the people. In the 21st century, the opium of the people is content. Massive amounts of content are generated and consumed daily by billions of people who increasingly resemble faithful followers, if not outright drug addicts. The[…] Read On
“Why the Best Leaders Want Their Superstar Employees to Leave.” When I first saw this WSJ op-ed, I thought corporate America had finally flipped its collective lid. Actually, it’s more of a sensational headline to get people to click. And it worked; it was among the Journal’s most popular posts that[…] Read On