“I think the world of Jane but she seems to be in over her head. But, I’ve got to advance her division.” These decisions are tough for many leaders. On one hand, you know, trust and enjoy working with Jane. On the other hand, over the past six months, her area has significantly declined in […]
Your View: I am ready for a seat at the executive table. Your Boss’ View: Nope…not yet. Your Reaction: What’s wrong with me? There’s Nothing Wrong I certainly understand the feeling that there must be something wrong or you’d be getting the call to go up the majors. That call will come. You just need […]
Receiving feedback that stings is always difficult. None of us wants a scarlet letter on us regarding our behavior. In my previous blog post, I spoke about the value of feedback and the gift it actually is, providing you hold it as such. One of the best ways to begin to neutralize feedback like this is […]
Of course it’s not you. The job…that’s the real issue, right? If only your skills were being put to use in a more productive way. Oh really? As you develop as an executive, and coach others as well, you will discover that leadership is more about the courage and desire to change than it is about finding […]
Selling and consulting are more than just accomplishing a singular goal. They are about managing relationships so that you know you are delivering solutions that will impact your client’s business. It is also about keeping that relationship as one of value to you and treating it with respect. Below, I list four skills I believe are […]
A while back, I did some consulting with a major retailer in the men’s luxury garment area. My task was to assess their sales teams throughout the US and create a development plan to increase their sales. One of the first steps I recommended was that I peform a “secret shopper” evaluation to understand their […]
When a new leader takes over a team, the assessment period begins…on both sides! As a leader, it’s essential to understand this and accept it. Your new team is looking at how YOU act, react and lead to see how much trust they are going to put into you for the long-term. So, before you unpack all […]
“We should promote Ben. He’s been here the longest and we’ve passed over him twice.” Leaders, ever hear a colleague say this? Too many times, people are promoted because they’ve simply stuck around even though they’ve not achieved results. This is not good for anyone, especially the one being promoted. What’s Been the Plan? In the example […]
New business development must always be top of mind in business. Often I find too many salespeople acquiesce to the immediate/knee-jerk reaction of a potential client: “We don’t have a need for that right now.” Potential clients say this because they actually don’t know they have a need and/or feel they’re covered. But many times, they […]
When most people think about client communication, they picture a presentation with slides, charts, bullet points, etc. However, most people I consult with rarely given a “formal” presentation. Rather, they are called upon to discuss an issue with a client or internal team. But that shouldn’t mean the communication is less important! It still takes […]
