N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 24, 2010

Take a moment and reflect back on any great leader that comes to mind…you’ll find that they are very adept at reading between the lines. They have the uncanny ability to understand what is not said, witnessed, or heard. In today’s post I’ll quickly examine the merits of developing your listening skills.

Blog 419

Blog Brand Consultative Depreciation 419

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 23, 2010

As we rapidly approach Q4, it is my most sincere hope that you will take pause for a bit of reflective thinking – I would ask that you ponder the following question: “Am I so busy that I’ve lost the ability to be as productive as I need to be? Fiction : multitasking accomplishes more than focused effort.

Blog 416

Blog Leadership Brand Depreciation 416

N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 7, 2010

Most of you who have been following this blog know that I’ve been an a strong evangelist of social media, and perhaps even more so of blogging for several years now. By any category analysis or analytical standard blogging has obviously developed into a powerful communication medium.

Blog 298

Blog Content Media Brand 298

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 26, 2010

Here’s the thing – if your desk is so clean you don’t have anything to work on then you might be focusing on the wrong thing…it might be time to make a bit of a mess. Let me ask you a question – Have you become so efficient that you’ve rendered yourself ineffective? Are you efficient or effective, or do you know?

Efficiency 354

Efficiency Blog Brand Depreciation 354

N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 17, 2010

The good news for those willing to do the work is you can have your cake and eat it too. Context, fluidity, and other nuanced behaviors are positive traits to embrace so long as they don’t serve as an excuse for a lack of discipline. Implementing a framework of discipline allows leaders more flexibility not less.

Blog 405

Blog Leadership Brand Consultative 405

N2Growth Blog

APRIL 25, 2010

If your organization confuses loyalty and tenure there is trouble on the horizon…If your business rates tenure higher than performance as a measure for employee evaluation, it is time for you to consider updating your talent management practices and procedures. So, what’s wrong with tenure you ask?

Loyalty 419

Loyalty Blog Brand Follow-up 419

N2Growth Blog

APRIL 5, 2010

My experience with most executives & entrepreneurs is that they are totally committed to and focused on success. As a result, many of them tend to have a major blind-spot (translation: weakness ) when it comes to the anticipation of set-backs. Any well crafted strategy anticipates obstacles and factors in multiple “ what if &# scenarios.

Contingency Plans 306

Contingency Plans Planning Blog Ryan 306

N2Growth Blog

JULY 8, 2010

I certainly do…but fear not; the lost art of brevity is making a comeback. I certainly do…but fear not; the lost art of brevity is making a comeback. Those of you that know me have come to understand that I prefer to cut to the chase. I like to get to the root of an issue as quickly as possible.

Blog 325

Blog Brand Influence Trends 325

N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 2, 2010

While l ove and leadership are certainly two words you don’t often hear in the same sentence, I can assure you that rarely does great leadership exist without love being present and practiced. In the text that follows I’ll examine the softer sides of leadership – love, compassion, humility, kindness and empathy.

Blog 411

Blog Leadership Brand Reputation 411

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 28, 2010

While intelligence and good fortune are certainly both valuable traits to possess, neither of these traits holds a candle to having a great sense of timing…Luck is a hit or miss proposition, and we’ve all known many a brilliant underachiever. The longer you wait to seize the opportunity the smaller the return typically is.

Blog 403

Blog Leadership Self-aware Crisis 403

N2Growth Blog

NOVEMBER 19, 2010

FACT : Leaders who lack emotional control won’t remain in a position of leadership for long. There has been no shortage of information published on the topic of Emotional IQ or what’s referred to as EQ in recent years.

Blog 409

Blog Leadership Emotional Intelligence CEO 409

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 22, 2010

The harsh reality is that great numbers of leaders continue to operate in a vacuum by sequestering themselves away in the corner office and attempting to lead from afar. Trust me when I tell you that being out of touch is never a good position to find yourself in as the CEO.

Blog 401

Blog Gordon CEO Consultative 401

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 18, 2010

As a person that works with CEOs and entrepreneurs on a daily basis I can tell you with great certainty that all leaders are not created equal when it comes to the competency of their decisioning skills. You cannot separate leadership from decisioning, for like it or not, they are inexorably linked.

Blog 396

Blog Analysis CEO Brand 396

Let's Grow Leaders

APRIL 18, 2017

While we’re there, we’ve invited thought leaders from around the world to share their unique Winning Well insights in our Winning Well International Symposium hosted on Let’s Grow Leaders Blog. How Do I Sign Up? What Is The Symposium? The symposium is FREE. The symposium offers a great exercise to do with your team.

Bottom-up 264

Bottom-up Power Video Newsletter 264

N2Growth Blog

MARCH 31, 2010

We want those with whom we work to not only be competent, but there is also an innate desire to have them look the part as well, as those individuals we choose to associate with will often times influence other’s perceptions of us. While they shouldn’t, the reality is that they most certainly do.

Blog 318

Blog Gordon Brand Media 318

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 14, 2010

Whether paid work or a volunteer role within a church, placing people in positions where they can maximize their strengths, know that they are truly valued and that they play a significant role in fulfilling the vision will go a long way towards preventing burn out and loosing incentive.

Blog 306

Blog Leadership Brand Crisis Management 306

N2Growth Blog

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

While this caused a tense moment, he appears to be okay now. While this caused a tense moment, he appears to be okay now. However what incensed me was how the crowd reacted. Witnesses noted the crowd did nothing, they did not come to his aid, and they were of no help to Bill whatsoever. Therein lies the problem – they were watching, not acting.

Media 417

Media Blog Audience Ryan 417

N2Growth Blog

JANUARY 6, 2011

In fact, there are some very bright people who believe you cannot become a good leader without developing a mastery for using the word no as evidenced by the following quote from Tony Blair: “The art of leadership is saying no , not saying yes.” While inherently obvious, it should not go unnoticed that the use of the word no is 100% negative.

Blog 329

Blog Learning-by-Doing Bottom-up Brand 329

N2Growth Blog

JUNE 14, 2010

As a CEO, I would strongly suggest you conduct a gut check during your next executive meeting by counting the number of times you hear your CXOs say things like: “That will never work,&# &# We can’t do that,&# “That’s not my problem,&# “We’ve always done it that way.&#

Business Model 305

Business Model Blog Disruptive Innovation Brand 305

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 20, 2010

Frequent readers of this blog can find a veritable plethora of tips on becoming a better and more effective leader. Frequent readers of this blog can find a veritable plethora of tips on becoming a better and more effective leader. Put another way, not all leaders are created equal.

Blog 420

Blog Meyer Short-term Learning-by-Doing 420

N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 21, 2010

Some would say that any discussion along this topic line is nothing more than a semantical debate. Complicating matters further, I believe few successful people actually make the transition to significance, but every person of significance is successful. Did the attainment of your 2010 goals lead you closer to success or significance?

Blog 396

Blog Succession Influence Brand 396

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 18, 2010

You can work with someone where the basics are in place, but lacking certain fundamentals, there really isn’t much you can do. Leadership is a participation sport and never works well in absentia. Here’s the thing – the foundational elements of leadership require no skill or talent whatsoever.

Blog 382

Blog Leadership Loyalty Self-aware 382

N2Growth Blog

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

There seems to be way too much focus on “ me” and not enough focus on “ we” in today’s world. One of the things I tend to value most is loyalty. In fact, there are few things I loathe more than gravy trainers, fare weather friends, gossips and others that display a lack of loyalty. Loyalty commanded is fleeting, loyalty earned is enduring.

Loyalty 399

Loyalty Blog Leadership Brand 399

N2Growth Blog

JANUARY 3, 2011

That is the question that many a business is forced to ask at some point during their life cycle. The mere discussion of corporate reengineering can cause fear, anxiety, and in some cases even panic. This is so much the case that some CEOs will avoid restructuring initiatives at all costs.

Restructuring 288

Restructuring Blog CEO Brand 288

N2Growth Blog

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

What is it? Everyone knows you’re a lousy leader if you can’t make decisions. Nothing signals leadership trouble more than an executive who can’t make decisions. If you can’t make decisions, you can’t get things done. The path toward any accomplishment worthy of note begins with the first step. Do you have great vision?

Blog 332

Blog Learning-by-Doing CEO Strategy 332

N2Growth Blog

NOVEMBER 29, 2010

In today’s post I’ll take a look at the well intentioned but often misguided practice of year-end bonuses… Here’s a question – do bonuses work? I have witnessed company bonuses work marvelously well, and I have seen them create great animosity and discord.

Blog 325

Blog Metrics Brand CEO 325

N2Growth Blog

JULY 11, 2010

I don’t do so in an attempt to torture you with redundant thought, but rather because I believe it is a message that is often taken far too lightly by chief executives. The good news is that CEOs without vision will take care of themselves in short order, as they simply won’t survive for long.

Blog 322

Blog Leadership CEO Brand 322

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 9, 2010

Well actually, no it’s not. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I’ve had a CEO tell me that certain immutable business principles just don’t apply to his/her business because, “this business is different.&# If you don’t have direct competition you’ll surely have indirect competition.

Blog 288

Blog Brand Depreciation CEO 288

N2Growth Blog

JANUARY 21, 2011

Sure, it’s your business, your idea, your net worth at risk and certainly nobody else will work as hard as you will, but is this really the right way to evaluate who should be the chief executive? In most cases the answer is no it’s not…however this is often times exactly how the decision is made.

Entrepreneur 325

Entrepreneur CEO Blog Welch 325

N2Growth Blog

MARCH 18, 2010

While most C-level execs have a general idea of what I’m referring to, it is also quite clear that most can’t even begin to define it, much less articulate the specific constructs of a sound business model. Furthermore, a business plan, strategic plan, marketing plan, capital formation plan, exit plan, etc.,

Business Model 269

Business Model Blog Brand Depreciation 269

N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 13, 2010

That said, any self exam is only as good as the honesty of those taking the test. If you check your ego at the door and give a thoughtful, introspective evaluation of your ability, it is likely that you’ll learn something about your leadership abilities or lack thereof. If you possess no competency whatsoever give yourself 0 points.

Blog 310

Blog Leadership Benchmarking Tactics 310

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 1, 2010

Over the years I’ve met more than a few CEOs who paid little or no attention to their board of directors, only to find themselves wondering what went wrong as they were being ushered out the door prior to the expiration of their employment agreement. As a CEO, your board can be one of your greatest allies.

Blog 295

Blog Management CEO Brand 295

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 26, 2010

The simple truth is that all great leaders are highly skilled in matters of delegation. Think of any top performing CEO and you’ll find that to the one, they possess an uncanny ability to focus on highest and best use activities.

CEO 298

CEO Blog Delegation Covey 298

N2Growth Blog

JULY 6, 2010

Marshall Goldsmith : I don’t specifically work in the area of strategy or leadership, but my work often affects those areas as what I do is help people change behavior. Perhaps the best thing I can share with you about Marshall is that his candor, competency and experience are only equaled by his thoughtfulness and sincerity.

Blog 292

Blog Leadership Brand Media 292

N2Growth Blog

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010

So rather than share my usual content, I want to encourage you to offer condolences to families of all those who lost their lives on 9/11, to our fallen heroes who have lost their lives since that day, and/or to send well wishes to our veterans or active duty service members. They asked if we have a National day of mourning for September 11th.

Blog 362

Blog Hotels Follow-up Brand 362

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 22, 2010

Not only is true influence not difficult to acquire, but it is also sustainable when you understand the proper constructs. Put simply, true influence is nothing more than understanding how to work with and through others to achieve a stated objective while staying true to your core values and maintaining your integrity.

Influence 318

Influence Blog How To Brand 318

N2Growth Blog

APRIL 20, 2010

The preceding description paints the perfect illustration of why branding is one of my favorite topics…It is complex. Unless you are a very large enterprise it is unlikely that you have the time, money, staffing, or external professional relationships to execute a brand management strategy such as the one outlined above.

Brand 271

Brand Blog How To Public Relations 271