Terry Starbucker

article thumbnail

Dream Adjusters: Why Company Leaders Also Have To Be Chief Calibration Officers

Terry Starbucker

Setting the right targets and goals over the short and long terms is a fine art that requires a delicate blend of unbridled optimism and cold-eyed realism, sometimes bordering on schizophrenia. (I’ve 2) Dream aggressively quantitatively over a long-term horizon, tempered by economic factors at the “macro” level.

BHAG 391
article thumbnail

15 Leadership Short Cuts (That Are Dead Ends In Disguise)

Terry Starbucker

It was a two day trip, so I had plenty of time to do my version of “route planning” Even then, it didn’t take me long to start looking for short cuts that my dad could take that could take a few minutes off our trip. But as more human leaders, we MUST resist that temptation in many, many circumstances.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Coming To Terms With The Six Most Important Words

Terry Starbucker

I’ve written several times about one of my favorite leadership lessons, “A Short Course in Human Relations” (click on image at left for a PDF of the slide). And the sooner every leader can come to terms with those words, and not fear the vulnerability that comes with them, the better leaders they will be.

article thumbnail

A Leader’s Biggest Credibility Killer (And Hardest Lesson)

Terry Starbucker

There’s always a fear that “ If I do let this person go (or discipline the person), something bad will happen “ Like in the case of the salesperson – we’re afraid we could lose valuable revenue, and thus, we’d fall short in what we are accountable for. Learn from us.

article thumbnail

The 2 Business Basics A Leader Should Never Forget

Terry Starbucker

Alas, something so logical can become lost in the morass of short-term profitability, or a belief that marketing magic that could somehow hide product and service deficiencies. Quality and Service. Think about that for a second – it seems so elementary, doesn’t it? It IS basic.

article thumbnail

Getting Things Done: How Great Leadership Moves From Talk To Action

Terry Starbucker

I break it down to 4 steps: Set up meaningful metrics and measurements, both short-term and long-term, that cascade down the organization. That is, the leader can’t just be a spectator in the execution – the leader is a key part of it. What do I mean by this? What are the critical steps in going from talk to action?

article thumbnail

Why You Shouldn’t Put The Business Cart Before The Leadership Horse

Terry Starbucker

It was “slash and burn” our way to a “profitable exit” over a very short term. Early on, I put the business first, and it was a totally unproductive and unfulfilling experience.

Welch 320