In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 26, 2018

A Daydreamer’s Thoughts is a blog that consists of book reviews, film reviews, book articles, film articles, and author interviews. Yesterday, the blog’s founder, Faye Rogers posted her Q & A with me regarding my recent novel, The Circumstantial Enemy. She began the interview by asking what I enjoy most about writing books. . At the outset, Faye, I should point out that I’m a relatively new writer with just 4 books in my repertoire.

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In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 10, 2018

Yakov and David Ben Efraim are a son and father team of literature aficionados based in Montreal, Quebec. They run the blog Quick Book Reviews , as well as the book review website, Bookwormex.com. A few weeks ago I reached out to Yakov and David to seek a review of my book, The Circumstantial Enemy. Here is what they had to say about the plot, the characters, the history and a few other things about the novel. “The major players in the Second World War had their stories chronicles pro

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In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 2, 2018

I have to admit some trepidation in reaching out to a reviewer known as TropicalMary on a website named Literary Homicide. Mary describes herself as “a heathen, half-breed, comic book loving, gamer who is trying to understand why jeggings exist.” Jeggings? I had to google that. Jeggings are tight-fitting stretch pants that look like denim jeans.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Stacie Tyson is the prolific reader and history buff behind the book blog, Pursuing Stacie. Not long ago, I asked if she would mind reviewing The Circumstantial Enemy. Here’s what she had to say: Alright Friends, you know how much of a total history nerd I am. Which is why I am so stinkin’ excited to share this book with you all. I was approached by John R.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 6, 2018

I am delighted to introduce Dianne Ascroft to you. Dianne is a book reviewer, but that’s in her spare time. She is also a historical and contemporary fiction author, often with an Irish connection. Dianne’s ongoing project is The Yankee Years , a series of novels and Short Reads set in Northern Ireland during the Second World War. In these books, she tells thrilling and romantic tales of the people and the era.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 3, 2018

Book reviewer, Judith Barrow is a writer of short stories, poems, plays, and articles published throughout the British Isles. Here is Judith’s take on The Circumstantial Enemy. . This book is based on real events that happened during World War II and it is obvious the author ha s also researched extensively. The plot reads authentically with many twists and unexpected events.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Amy Buckle is an English Literature and Language graduate of the University of Reading. I am delighted that this busy lady chose to read my novel. Here is what Amy had to say about it on her Amy’s Bookshelf website. “”Those who sleep through the night have lost all sorrow. We must go on. It’s the only way to get home.” “Is that how you feed your soul?

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In the CEO Afterlife

JANUARY 11, 2018

I’ve written over a 100 blogs about leadership, strategy and culture. Within that portfolio are several accounts of business reinvention and transformation. Yet it was only a few months ago that I composed my first post on another type of reinvention – personal reinvention. My own. You see, after I departed the corner office I had this crazy idea to write a thrilling historical novel.

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In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

“If you don’t write it, Grandad’s story will be lost forever.” Those were the words of my daughter 17 years ago. I’ll never forget the yearning in her eyes. Grandad was 80 at the time. He’s now 97. The family had heard his war stories over and over again. Fascinating tales of trials and tribulations. As a young Yugoslav air force pilot, he had been coerced onto the wrong side of WWII when the Germans invaded in 1941.

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In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

When my business book Do Less Better was published, I had the pleasure of meeting National Post journalist Peter Kuitenbrouwer who interviewed me about the challenges facing an ex-CEO hell-bent on finding a publisher for his historical fiction manuscript. But the longer we talked, the focal point of Peter’s story evolved into a tale of how I went about re-inventing myself from my former life as a business executive.

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In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 13, 2017

When my business book Do Less Better was published, I had the pleasure of meeting National Post journalist Peter Kuitenbrouwer who interviewed me about the challenges facing an ex-CEO hell-bent on finding a publisher for his historical fiction manuscript. But the longer we talked, the focal point of Peter’s story evolved into a tale of how I went about re-inventing myself from my former life as a business executive.

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CEO Golden Parachute Books Brand 100

In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Those who follow my blog have an idea of how I’m spending my time as a retired CEO. I’m working – not for money, for fun. Beyond my recreational life (weapons of choice being a tennis racquet and a pickle-ball paddle – on a good day I use both), I’m writing about business leadership, branding and life. I’ve also written a historical novel, The Circumstantial Enemy.

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In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Six years ago, Fortune Magazine published my reflections on my rise to the corner office, my life as a CEO and how I coped with the years that followed my exit from the corporate throne. I’ll cut to the chase; my days in the CEO afterlife are as fulfilling as ever. Some of that contentment I attribute to the social network where I have shared my experiences in blogs on leadership and strategy.

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In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 24, 2017

Do Less Better is the name of my book. Do Less Better is also a culture and a strategy of organizations and their leaders. Do Less Better practitioners are fanatical about focus and de-complexity; herein lies the secret of their success. Yet, do less better isn’t something most leaders embrace. The seemingly more attractive (and logical) option is to do more and more – the theory being the more markets, products, and businesses a company engages in, the better the results.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 13, 2017

(This post first appeared on the Ryerson University Alumni Blog) . Not too long ago, a business professor friend invited me to address a luncheon of university students enrolled in his class on entrepreneurship. I was honored to have been asked, but not sure I was the right person for the task. “Your students would be better served by a high-tech entrepreneur half my age,” I told him.

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In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 26, 2016

Think about this. You are engaged in a lively discussion with a group of business colleagues. Maybe there’s a problem that needs immediate attention, or perhaps the group is contemplating the best way to pursue a new opportunity. In your mind, the discussion is invigorating, and far from a standstill or a stalemate. Suddenly, you hear these words of wisdom: “Let’s take a step back for a moment.” .

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In the CEO Afterlife

JUNE 8, 2016

This article was written by Jennifer Horn for the June 2016 issue of Strategy Magazine. Nabob, you’re a feisty fella. In the ’80s, you famously smashed the paper bags of rival Maxwell House in ads to prove your own superior packaging. Not long after, you took aim at the coffee bean itself, ruling out the seeds that didn’t quite fit your strict flavour and aroma standards.

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In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 6, 2016

Leamington, a little town in the province of Ontario is the tomato capital of Canada. The town earned the honor by farming vast acreages of tomatoes in fields and greenhouses. Their tomato expertise caught the attention of the H. J. Heinz Company who erected a factory in Leamington in 1908. And for more than 100 years, the factory pumped out Heinz Ketchup and a variety of baby foods to markets in Canada and the USA.

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In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 13, 2016

When I was in brand management, social media did not exist. But I can tell you this: I would have had a field day with this exciting medium because I valued the power of ‘big ideas’ to infuse growth into the brands under my wing. Frankly, I had no choice, because I’d worked for small to medium-sized companies competing against giants the likes of Nestle, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble.

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In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 5, 2016

To most of us, the phrase Work that Matters infers job satisfaction. The outcome is lower stress, lower turnover, and higher productivity – in business, a ‘win-win’ for employees, customers and shareholders. The logic is infallible. So, I ask you, why is there such a gap between the theory and the practice? Why are so many organizations and so many workers struggling to find workplace nirvana?

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In the CEO Afterlife

DECEMBER 10, 2015

Five years ago, I became a blogger. With 45 years of business experience as a foundation, I began sharing personal reflections and contemporary insights on leadership – fully aware that my content would not matter a damn had I not kept pace with the pulse of the new economy and the changing dynamics of customers and the workforce. One hundred and thirty blogs later, 1 post stands out from the rest, not because it was critically acclaimed or that it generated thousands of hits.

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In the CEO Afterlife

JANUARY 20, 2016

How often have you heard people say, “Our strategy is to become the biggest and the best?” This is not strategy. Strategy is not the what. Strategy is the how – how will you become the biggest and the best? Of course, within the realm of the definition, there are good strategies and bad ones. Good strategies help to define a company or a brand’s point of difference.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

3 WORDS. 1 BIG IDEA. The word “DO” represents resolve and action. It is an expectation placed upon us at a very young age. “LESS” is the noun that contradicts everything we see and hear in this busy world. “BETTER” is the adjective that expresses our desire to do well at whatever we undertake. Do Less Better is the name of my business book. In it I draw on my CMO, CEO and consulting business experience to illustrate why ‘doing less, better’ is the surprising secret to success.

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In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 1, 2016

Times. Places. Some remain etched in our minds no matter how many decades come and go. Thirty-five years ago at a ceremony in Vancouver, BC, I accepted AMA’s Marketer-of-the-Year Award on behalf of Nabob Foods. This company earned that honor by re-staging a tired coffee brand with innovative packing technology and breakthrough advertising. That night, I presented the marketing strategy that catapulted a regional brand to national leadership in Canada.

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In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 21, 2016

Should every company be striving for the form of strategic advantage that has become the hallmarks of Amazon, Google and Facebook? For sure, in the tech world, it’s hard to imagine success without quick and continuous technology improvement. What about your world? Whether you sell information or cremation, the common thread for success is sustaining an advantage.

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Company Brand Retail Competitive Advantage 145

In the CEO Afterlife

OCTOBER 18, 2015

Leadership does not begin the when you step upon the first rung of the management ladder. One direct report does not make you a leader; nor does ten. Yet, the moment you have direct reports, you are EXPECTED to lead. And when you fail to demonstrate traits critical to successful leadership, the expectations of your colleagues and subordinates are dashed.

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In the CEO Afterlife

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

There’s a host of reasons why great brands decay. High on the list is weak marketing, weak management, and weak strategic discipline. I could add a dozen more. I won’t. I will say that the crux of the matter is the incessant pressure on management to maintain or rediscover corporate growth. The ramifications are pervasive, and particularly pronounced in the food industry where giants such as Kraft, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Campbell’s Soup seek growth another way, a seemingly easier way – by

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In the CEO Afterlife

JUNE 10, 2015

In the last 40 years of the 20 th century, strategy was the champion of business supremacy. As a critical success factor, strategy turned into a lucrative industry for a host of consulting firms such as McKinsey & Company , and the Boston Consulting Group. Smart strategic thought became the conduit for propelling companies to decades of top tier performance.

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In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 16, 2015

From as far back as my days in brand management, I have held a deep affection for strategy. This might have something to do with the fact that I can be stubborn. Good strategists are also stubborn, even pigheaded. Why is that? Because without strategic stubbornness, the hard barrier lines that contain the strategy will blur. And when a brand or company’s positioning blurs, customers become confused.

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In the CEO Afterlife

AUGUST 5, 2015

In Theodore Levitt’s The Marketing Imagination , the renowned marketing professor said there was no such thing as a commodity, only people who think like commodities. Differentiation is still the name of the marketing game. Distinction in service, image and promise allows a brand to occupy a piece of a customer’s busy mind. More importantly, differentiation is the brand’s raison d’être, its reason for being that causes customers to think of it when they are ready to shop.

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In the CEO Afterlife

SEPTEMBER 8, 2015

How many times have you heard that “knowledge is power?” I’m guessing that without much thought, you readily nod your head in agreement. In every vocation, from academics to business to politics, the knowledge theorem and its power corollary is seemingly undeniable. . Knowledge Theorem: Information + Knowledge = Better Decision-Making. . Power Corollary: Better Decision-making = Power.

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In the CEO Afterlife

JANUARY 14, 2015

Do Less Better isn’t the first book on focus, nor will it be the last. But the element that separates this book from the others is the “how” – how one finds focus in a business world that is more complex than ever. All the way from the C-suite’s choice of markets in which to compete to a person’s daily “to do” list , the “how” is the capacity to make tough strategic choices and tough strategic sacrifices.

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In the CEO Afterlife

JANUARY 22, 2015

Branding has flourished big time—we have product brands, service brands, country brands, political brands, cause-related brands, even cultural brands. In this post I want to help those of you who are keen to create your personal brand. To do that, you’ll need a brand strategy. The strategy and the positioning for a personal brand isn’t that different from a product or service brand; your intent is to position yourself in the best way possible to achieve the desired objective.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

When you know that your company will never be the low-cost producer nor will it ever have enough cash to outspend the big cat, there’s no choice but to find other ways to skin that cat. Thousands of small to medium sized businesses are successfully doing this. “How?” you ask. The answer lies within those factors that do not require fat bank accounts.

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In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

21 st Century corporate governance is a busy job. Acting on behalf of shareholders, boards of directors are paying attention to an escalating list of risks and rewards from a firm’s undertakings. Like many activities within any organization, “the squeaky wheels get the grease.” Other than in desperate situations such as ‘turnarounds,’ culture seldom ranks as a pressing matter in the boardroom.

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In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 7, 2015

Now that I have your attention, the decay I am actually referring to is the 50 warning signs of corporate decay. Watch out for them in your organization. If you spot four or five, work on resolving them, now. Ten or fifteen mean that you are already in the quicksand. Revival is not too late, but whatever you do. remember, the steps you take must be transformational, not incremental.

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In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 18, 2015

Complexity has many definitions; excessive complication is the simplest. In today’s business, chronic complexity is stifling, stagnating, and bringing companies to their knees. This is why we hear so much about focus from C-suites and corporate boards. CEOs talk focus all the time and nod to its importance, but few take the necessary measures to cut through complexity and clear a path to clarity and coherence.

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