Doug Conant is the former CEO of Campbell’s Soup Company. When he assumed that position in 2001, he says the environment at Campbell’s was “toxic.” One third of his 20,000 employees were looking for jobs elsewhere. He and his team attacked the problem with a strategy of “employee engagement.” As a result, he was able
How to Make Money and Do Good
According to Adam Smith, credited with being the Father of Modern Economics, “If you continue to operate in your own self-interest, you will do the best good for society.” That sentiment was echoed by American economist and free market champion, Milton Friedman, who said, “There is only one social responsibility of business – to use
A few questions every entrepreneur ought to ask.
In 2014, Inc. magazine published an article titled, “100 great questions every entrepreneur should ask.” Some of the questions were submitted by best-selling business writers such as Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, and Peter Drucker, while others were submitted by a variety of business educators, business leaders, and business owners. But all were thought-provoking and insightful.
Unlimited paid vacation? Are you kiddin’ me?
Some companies, both here and abroad, are experimenting with unlimited vacation, or “discretionary time off” as it is known in HR circles. And we’re talking about paid time off, not unpaid leaves of absence. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? What’s to prevent someone from heading for the beach and never coming back? How are we supposed
“Why Do Smart People Fail?”
Decision-making and leadership are two CEO skills inextricably entwined. It’s true that you can be a world class decision-maker and still be a lousy leader . . . that is, you can be a great decision-maker but still have other behavioral characteristics that disqualify you as a great leader. However, the reverse is not true.
“Change with the world – or it will change without you.”
Kristin van Ogtrop is the editor of Real Simple, a monthly lifestyle magazine for women. In a recent edition of Time magazine, she wrote an opinion piece entitled, “There’s a difference between a boss and a friend, and that’s as it should be.” In it, she bemoans a lot of research done by the Gallup
“Hire the best, fire the rest” (Part 2)
In our previous post, “Hire the best, fire the rest,” we talked about the “topgrading” concepts espoused by management psychologist Dr. Brad Smart. In his book, “Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People.” He forwards the idea that, any employee the company hires or promotes, from the executive suite
“Hire the best, fire the rest”
Brad Smart isn’t a household name . . . at least, not in my household. But he holds a PhD in management psychology and is the author of “Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching, and Keeping the Best People.” In that book, Dr. Smart advocates a system whereby a company identifies its “A-Players”
A good customer/supplier relationship is essentially a partnership
Life is all about relationships, not the least of which are business relationships. We must build relationships with business peers and advisors, with employees, with our vendors and suppliers, and of course, with our customers. But what sort of relationship do we enjoy with our customers? While many like to think they’ve forged a “partnership”
“You can manage things, but people need to be led.”
John Maxwell, who has written many books on leadership and who teaches courses in it, talks about “The Five Levels of Leadership.” (NOTE: If you want to watch Maxwell’s entire 27-minute presentation, you can view it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwXeg8ThWI ). In it, he describes the “Five Levels” as a pyramid whereby all of us start at
