Although it certainly didn’t feel like it at the time, I was incredibly lucky to take the reins of the family business at the tender age of 28, which enabled me to realize very quickly that I needed guidance from experienced outside sources. Because of that guidance, I was able to not only witness how to execute a successful business turnaround…but learn valuable lessons at every turn.
Nobody likes to think of themselves as a bad boss, but in my travels through the leadership keynote speaker world, I’ve met many current and aspiring leaders. And, whether they’re newly minted managers or seasoned C-suite types, it’s quite common for people to have a few blind spots around their own leadership styles. Here are some tips to help get you back on track.
The question of hiring best practices naturally comes up as I navigate the leadership keynote speaker circuit, and the age-old debate of “train vs. hire” is often at the heart of the discussion. Of course, there are pros and cons to either side, and here’s what worked—and what didn’t—for my business. I hope it helps you get your growing team on track!
During the past year, we have had to become comfortable working from home—while also trying to balance family life, care-taking, etc. While the recent pandemic has forced the issue for many, I have actually been working remotely with my team in the UK since 2010, when my family moved to Colorado. During that time, I’ve found that a hybrid model—partly in the office, party at home—truly does deliver the best of both worlds!
It’s a great time to be a succession planning keynote speaker—the working world has never needed our guidance more than it does now! But with more than 80 million baby boomers planning to retire before 2030, we’re about to face what might be the biggest knowledge gap in history.
Many of the people I meet on my succession planning retreats share a common complaint: strategy takes work! It can be incredibly difficult to tear oneself away from the day-to-day management of the business to focus time and resources on what feels like a theoretical future.
I have come across an assessment tool that could be a game changer when looking to promote or hire new talent into a key role in your organization. It is called pymetrics, and is an Ai based assessment tool which helps you find the best fit for any particular role. It was developed by Frida Polli PhD; an academic neuroscientist from Harvard and MIT turned entrepreneur.
There’s nothing like a legitimate crisis for teaching business leaders what they’re really made of. As someone whose early days in the family business were defined by crisis leadership, I could not agree more. But I didn’t do it alone. In my case, the crisis leadership in question was delivered by my mentor, business turnaround specialist Frank.
When one thinks of generational differences it can be easy to think of these as a negative; as the seeds of corporate conflict. But looking back on my own childhood and the early years of my adult working life, I now recognize that a family business is strongest when it can successfully balance honoring long-held traditions with leading change and innovation.
When leading succession planning retreats, I often ask my attendees to think about the managers they have worked for over the years and whether or not these people were good leaders. I received very different answers – what I heard was astounding.
I have always been serious about improving my leadership skills and investing in professional development. This goes back 25 years to when I was a young leader in my family business, and was responsible for leading a team of people who were older and more experienced than myself. Today, as a leadership and succession planning keynote speaker, I help my clients develop these qualities.
While my own family business made it to the third generation before seriously faltering, falter it did—this is a big part of why I landed on the succession planning keynote speaker circuit.
How the world has changed in recent months! While we’re learning to balance the challenges of “the new normal” during a global health epidemic I wanted to offer a few thoughts on the value of human capital. Please read on for valuable tips on how to keep your A-Players.
Regardless of industry or company size, today’s business leader likely has some incredibly tough decisions ahead. With the entire world experiencing the COVID-19 crisis together, it’s clear that the rules of business engagement have changed.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but one of the reasons I’ve been so successful as a business turnaround speaker is that I’ve experienced nearly ALL of my clients’ challenges first-hand. There are countless situations in which we can unknowingly stand in our own way—here are five scenarios I see most often in my work, and how to get around them.
As the United States approaches a potential recession, business owners are preparing to be tested in a variety of ways. But while “making payroll” and “redundancy meetings” may understandably be top of mind, the way you lead during trying times can actually have a...
