Based on my years of experience as a new business advisor, I always find leadership to be more important to business success than any new technology or innovative solution. The challenge is to adequately define leadership in terms of everyday activities. Most entrepreneurs believe they are leaders, even though the feedback I get from their […]
Leadership
Is Your Team Disengaged? Think Again, I Thought That Also
I was certain my team was in the minority, a subset of those some 30% of American workers who are engaged in their work (according a recent Gallup survey). That was until Jim stormed into my office, after just finishing a board meeting, red in the face, pounding my desk and demanding- “why do you […]
8 Qualities That Put You In The Virtuoso CEO Category
As an angel investor in early-stage startups, I have long noticed my peers’ apparent bias toward the strength and character of the founding entrepreneurs, often overriding a strong solution to a painful problem with a big opportunity. In other words, the entrepreneur quality is more important than the idea — in investor jargon, people invest in […]
Are You Guilty of Committing the 7 Deadly Sins of Leadership?
These are not the traditional ABCs of deadly sins (i.e., avarice, greed, lust). As humans and leaders, we know success and its opposite are complex parts of life, not cut-and-dried results of moral failure. Exhibiting the following traits does not make you a bad person. The fact that you are reading this means that you […]
Valuable Insights on Balancing Business and Parenthood
As cofounder and CEO of a leadership development enterprise, I consistently seek mentorship and guidance from others who have grown businesses and risen through the professional ranks. I tapped into my mentor network even more when I reached a personal milestone in my life: motherhood. Both prior to and after giving birth to my first child, […]
Join The Unicorn Club Of Billion-Dollar Companies
I am sure all of you know one or more of the 200 or more young companies that are currently valued at one billion or more by investors and stockholders. These are popularly called “unicorns.” Some of the most well known include Uber, Airbnb, Snapchat, Xiaomi and Pinterest. What every entrepreneur is asking me today […]
8 Attributes That Still Make Superstars in Business
Superstars in business are the ones who get things done, not the ones who work the most hours or are always busy. Whether it be in a startup or a large enterprise, everyone can name those few individuals who stand out as unstoppable, and always seem to be in the forefront of results. Yet, if […]
CEO Spotlight: How to Deal With Performance Numbers That Suck
As a CEO, you are responsible for driving the highest possible performance results. This task is of course much easier said than done. Teams miss their KPIs, MBOs and performance metrics for any number of reasons. And sometimes despite the strength of your leadership, you know your own expertise in making it better is limited. […]
How to Motivate a Sales Team
You have hired a team of hustlers, they have all drank the Kool-Aid, they believe your product is the best on the market and they are willing to go the extra mile to spread the gospel. Everyone would like to think that is how his or her sales team operates; in fact, hiring for passion […]
5 Ways to See the Bigger Picture as an Entrepreneur
Running a business is hard enough, but building a brand while serving as president for another company, trying to be a good husband and fathering 2 small children is like running an Ironman every day. I cannot expect to give 100 percent to every leg of the race without burning out. Staying accessible to my team often means missing […]
How to Avoid the Most Common Pitfall in Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is a skill of all great leaders. The biggest transition people make in their careers is to grow from being an individual contributor to the responsibility of a group of people. And the biggest leap in executive capabilities happens when a leader moves from being driven by personal significance to committing to a […]