Today is September 10th. New Year’s Eve is seventeen weeks away. That’s not a long runway, it’s four months, 80 working days, one earnings cycle, one holiday season, and one last shot at whatever this year was supposed to be. Sprint or yawn? I’m voting for a fast sprint. Here’s the thinking. The Business Ledger… Continue reading The Four-Month Sprint
Tag: Execution
The Gift You’re Not Giving: Why “Firing” Is the Wrong Word
I’ve sat across the table from thousands of leaders wrestling with the same knot in their stomach. It’s time to let someone go, and they can’t make themselves do it. So, they wait. They coached for the third time when the first two didn’t work. They tell themselves it’s kindness. It isn’t. It’s cowardice wearing… Continue reading The Gift You’re Not Giving: Why “Firing” Is the Wrong Word
Culture is Caught, Not Taught
Over the years, I’ve come to believe one of the biggest myths in business is that culture lives in a handbook. Our great recruiting practices solve for culture. It doesn’t. You can print your values on a poster, laminate them, hang them in the break room, and still watch people behave in ways that contradict… Continue reading Culture is Caught, Not Taught
Are You Avoiding Conversation Collisions with Others?
The Cost of the Conversation You Keep Avoiding Every team has a moment where someone should say something, and does not. The deadline that is clearly slipping. The teammate who is coasting. The behavior that’s quietly eroding trust. Instead of naming it, we route around it. We collided. Here is the problem. Avoiding the collision… Continue reading Are You Avoiding Conversation Collisions with Others?
The Meeting After the Meeting May Be the Most Important One
The U.S. Marines and Special Operations teams understand something many businesses overlook: Finishing the mission is not the end of the mission. Most Companies Do Not Have a Learning Problem. They Have a Repeating Problem. They make the same mistakes that show up in different ways. Then they call it experience. The U.S. Marines and… Continue reading The Meeting After the Meeting May Be the Most Important One
What is your current AI Grade?
If AI were a class you’re taking right now, what grade would you earn? An A? B? Maybe a C? Most people assume AI is about building agents, writing code, or replacing jobs. It is not. For most professionals, AI is simply the most powerful thinking partner they’ve ever had. The question is not, “Do… Continue reading What is your current AI Grade?
It’s Not About the Tackle
Are you trying to upgrade your results by buying better gear instead of refining your own approach? Every weekend, you’ll see the same scene at the local lake. An amateur angler pulling up with thousands of dollars of the latest high-end gear. They have the most expensive carbon fiber rod, a top of the line… Continue reading It’s Not About the Tackle
Are You Investing in Yourself? or Just Expecting More to Just Happen?
Everybody wants the next level. More growth. More energy. More confidence. More income. More impact. But here is the truth. You do not get to the next level by wanting it. You get there by investing in the person capable of producing it. That is where many people get stuck. But when it comes to… Continue reading Are You Investing in Yourself? or Just Expecting More to Just Happen?
Does Your Business Need a Commander’s Intent?
In the heat of a mission, a United States Marine doesn’t wait for a 10 page memo from headquarters to decide how to react to a changing battlefield. They rely on Commander’s Intent. They know the “why” and the “what” which allows them to figure out the “how” in real time. Too many business leaders… Continue reading Does Your Business Need a Commander’s Intent?
The Power of Surprise Bonuses
Most leaders think bonuses are about compensation. They are not. Bonuses are about behavior, momentum, and culture. A well-timed, unexpected bonus can create more energy and alignment than a perfectly engineered incentive plan. The topics of driving clarity and execution are not new concepts. Here is something that is! Enter the idea of implementing Surprise… Continue reading The Power of Surprise Bonuses