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This past weekend, my son and I went duck hunting. Despite growing up in a rural area in the Midwest where hunting was a way of life, I never cared for it when I was young. Among the reasons was that it was brutally cold in Iowa in the winter. But, my 15-year-old son has […]
Last week I was part of a CEO panel asked to discuss how to achieve double-digit revenue growth. Now, isn’t that the $1 million question! My co-panelists were highly respected executives, each with 20-plus years of experience in our industry — publishing. Yet, when we started discussing the session among ourselves, I was surprised by […]
I had a conversation about Christmas the other day with my 15-year-old son. We were talking about the gifts he might like to get when our conversation turned to things he’d like to do. Might he prefer tickets to a concert or a ballgame instead of a new iPod or video game? The idea seemed […]
Recently, I was intrigued by a Wall Street Journal article — “A Four-Letter Word Schools Won’t Use.” It said that colleges absolutely refuse to use the “F” word. Yes, it’s true. Schools avoid using the word “FIRE” at all costs. According to the article, the writer analyzed 50 recent news releases announcing coaching changes in […]
Everything I need to know about management, I learned from my mother. No, she wasn’t the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. In fact, she didn’t work outside the home for more than 30 years while she raised me and my three siblings. Yet every management lesson I’ve learned in my 25 years in business, […]
If you’re anything like me, you’re sick of hearing about the whole Jerry Sandusky/Penn State sex abuse case. Sick of it, first and foremost, because the thought of what Sandusky allegedly did to those young boys, and the evidence appears overwhelming, is enough to make you physically ill. And sick of it because the 24-hour […]
My column last week was about traits many athletes possess that I believe can make them good employees — competitiveness, teamwork, dedication, and resilience. Some helpful questions and suggestions from readers led me to think I should probably clarify the thought that I was trying to convey. If you recall, last week I mentioned that […]
Once a colleague told me that he thought hiring former athletes was a risky proposition. His take was that while they were often charismatic, on average they just weren’t as smart as most. I politely reminded him that I considered myself a former athlete (with the emphasis on “former”), to which he had to think […]
Recently, at a company luncheon, I was asked about my favorite movie. Ask about the business and I’m quick with an answer. But the question about my favorite movie was nearly a stumper. I scrambled to come up with something and ultimately came up with a reply, but really wasn’t satisfied with my response. Well, […]
This week, Dan Oswald reviews the book Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us and shares the questions the book made him ask about management style and the insights into the necessity of trusting employees to consider a new way of managing employees. Read Dan’s review