In order to introduce the Nside/Outside (internal customer) principle to our employees, one member of my leadership team and I had to get crafty! Continue →
Leadership
3 Questions Great Leaders Ask to Prevent Dysfunction
Recently my wife and I went to watch our four- and six- year-old grandsons play indoor soccer. Continue →
Who is Your Internal Customer – and Why You Should Care
About 20 years ago, I experienced the largest failure that I have ever encountered. I had invested about 4 million dollars to develop a new service – and I eventually had to shutter the whole operation. – Ouch! Continue →
3 Steps to Extraordinary Customer Service
On Saturdays, my wife and I enjoy doing our early morning long bicycle ride or long walk, cleaning up, and then going to our favorite grocery store. Before we begin shopping, we usually enjoy a delicious, cooked-to-order omelet in the store’s deli. We like this grocery store because of how well everything speaks to us as guests (that’s what they call their customers). The shopping carts, Continue →
6 Reasons Why Your Customers Are Leaving
My good friend and I regularly have lunch at a nearby deli. We enjoy the food (and ice cream), and as you can imagine, during our long discussions, we always have an answer to solve all of the world's problems! Continue →
What’s More Important – Managing or Leading?
I have written several blog posts about the differences between leading people and managing things. This post is a summary of the series where we highlight our conclusion that BOTH leadership AND management are necessary to produce healthy and thriving organizations. Continue →
Do You Focus on Efficiency or Effectiveness?
Boy, did I “open a can of worms”! At a recent family dinner, I posed a question for some fun discussion. I challenged everyone to come up with word pairs that are almost always said together, and they have the word “and” between the two words. Continue →
Do You Lead Followers or Leaders?
Prior to October 1989, I thought that I was rocking along pretty well, leading my successful business. I had even served in leadership roles at several non-profit organizations. I didn't know it at the time, but I was missing one crucial component for effective leadership! Continue →
Use Leadership Math to Multiply Your Effectiveness
Have you ever noticed when organizations are in trouble, they naturally turn to find new leadership? How often have you seen a sports franchise try to turn things around by hiring a new head coach? Continue →
Learn the Two R’s of Effective Leadership
Early in my career, I began looking for information to help me improve my leadership. I knew there was more to leading a company than just occupying the corner office and signing paychecks. Continue →