Dear Leaders, Ever had that nagging feeling in a meeting? The one where you know you should speak up, but there’s this invisible force pushing you back into your chair? Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s insecurity. Or perhaps it’s just Monday morning blues. Especially if you’re a New York Giants fan. Let’s call that force… Continue reading Leading with Assertiveness

Dear Leaders, As a senior executive, there’s no skirting around it: you will need to have tough conversations. From delivering feedback on subpar performance to discussing company changes that might not be popular, these discussions are unavoidable. More often than not, executives sidestep them, fearing potential repercussions. But doing so often leads to deeper complications… Continue reading Leading Through Tough Conversations

Dear Leaders, Stories have the power to cause revolutions. What is a revolution? Simply put, a radical and abrupt change. This letter isn’t about how to stir up a revolution. Most of us are in fortunate enough circumstances where the organizations we lead don’t need to be revolutionized. Your task as a leader, albeit complicated,… Continue reading What’s Your Story?

Dear Leaders, You’re in the business of making decisions. Every decision you make impacts the entire organization. Granted, some decisions are more impactful than others, but, in your capacity, all of them carry significant weight. In the words of Ted Lasso, “Given the good ol’ fact that you’re a human being that gets worn out… Continue reading Decision Fatigue in Senior Leadership Roles

Dear Leaders, Work-life integration is a progressive approach that, unlike work-life balance, does not compartmentalize professional and personal life but sees them as interconnected. For senior executives like you, effective work-life integration is critical for personal well-being, professional success, and overall productivity and innovation within the organization. Here’s a comprehensive view: The Concept Work-life integration… Continue reading Work-Life Integration for Senior Executives

Dear Leaders, Navigating the high-stakes world of senior executive leadership isn’t just about strategic foresight or business acumen. It’s also about maneuvering the intricate interpersonal dynamics that are inherent at this altitude of corporate decision-making. When conflicts arise at this level, their ripple effect is felt throughout an entire organization. In this letter, I offer… Continue reading Leadership at the Pinnacle: Navigating Conflicts

Dear Leaders, Time management in an organizational setting isn’t just about personal efficiency or productivity. It’s about how an entire enterprise aligns its resources, meets its goals, and creates a culture that values every minute. In essence, time management isn’t about managing time, it’s about managing choices, situations, and people. You must master your time… Continue reading Got Time?

Dear Leaders, In the orchestral world, a conductor handpicks musicians not just for their individual talents, but for how they harmonize as a collective. Similarly, in the corporate realm, building a balanced and effective C-suite team requires a discerning eye and a strategic approach. It’s not just about gathering expertise; it’s about orchestrating harmony, synchronization,… Continue reading The Art of Curating a Balanced C-Suite Team

Dear Leaders, Picture this. Your star employee, the one who knows your company like the back of their hand, suddenly hands in a two-week notice. There’s a gap in the boardroom, a sinking feeling in your stomach. Or consider this. After decades at the helm, a charismatic CEO is ready to retire, but there’s no… Continue reading Succession Planning: A Tale of Two Futures

Dear Leaders, In a world increasingly driven by numbers, it’s easy to get swept up in the allure of vanity metrics. These data points sparkle and shine; they look good in a presentation, give our ego a nice little boost, and seemingly declare to the world, “We’ve arrived!” But beneath the sheen, vanity metrics are… Continue reading The Allure and Illusion of Vanity Metrics

Dear Leaders, Pop quiz: What’s the most underrated component in leadership today? It’s not charisma. It’s not strategy. And no, it’s not even about being a “thought leader” (whatever that means). It’s Character. Character is that silent pulse beneath every decision, every interaction, and every pivotal moment in leadership. It’s the unsung hero behind every… Continue reading Leadership and Character

Dear Leaders, Last week, I wrote about how the Steelman technique is useful in conflict resolution, decision-making, and building consensus. This note is about situations in which Strawmanning is essential to, well, conflict resolution, decision-making, and building consensus. It’s also highly useful in keeping our egos in check, bulletproofing the strategic planning process, and simplifying… Continue reading Strawmanning Our Brilliance

Dear Leaders, As C-suite executives, the ability to present your arguments concisely is crucial. But the ability to understand others’ arguments and craft an articulate response that’s well-suited for a given situation is pivotal to your effectiveness as a leader. Your role entails making high-quality decisions – and fast, resolving conflicts in a way all… Continue reading Steelmanning: Understand Deeper and Win More

Dear Leaders, Almost by definition, an executive is responsible for serving a group of people. Whether it’s identifying opportunities, problem-solving, decision-making, conflict resolution, collaboration, delegation, etc. – all involve people. And the higher the quality of your relationships, the more effective you are as an executive. Technology makes organizing oneself easier, tasks more automated, reminder… Continue reading Integrating Thoughtfulness into Leadership

Dear Leaders, In a world where leadership is often misunderstood, there exists a rare quality that sets exceptional leaders apart: the undeniable allure of executive presence.

Dear Leaders, In your current position, it’s how you manage the delicate dynamic of leadership and power that determines your overall effectiveness, especially when dealing with subordinates. By definition, leaders always have a measure of power. But many power holders have no trace of leadership. Leadership humanizes you, while exercise of power, although often necessary,… Continue reading Leadership and Power

Dear Leaders, In the fast-paced realm of C-suite leadership, the battle to navigate behavioral challenges is one that separates the exceptional from the ordinary. Decision-making dilemmas, communication hurdles, delegation quandaries, work-life imbalances, and the imperative of adaptability pose formidable obstacles for executives. Yet, with strategic awareness and purposeful action, these challenges can be transformed into… Continue reading Executive Behavior: Challenges and Solutions

Dear Leaders, Given today’s fast-changing business environment, the Future of Jobs report placed complex problem-solving at #1 in its top 10 skills for 2020 and beyond. An effective twenty-first-century executive is quick on their feet, possesses learning agility, and attacks emerging problems with confidence. While there are plenty of problem-solving methodologies, one of the most… Continue reading Bulletproof Problem Solving

I’ve been a loyal Starbucks customer for 20+ years, mainly because of the consistency in their service and product. However, one of the locations close to me nowadays is a true test of patience; horrible attitude towards customers, lack of consistency in drinks and, worst of all, employees backbiting about each other, their superiors, and… Continue reading Don’t Lose Customers, Forge Elite Teams Instead

“Because the mail never stops, Jerry! It just keeps coming and coming and coming, there’s never a let-up. It’s relentless. Every day it piles up more and more and more, and you gotta get it out but the more you get it out the more it keeps coming in!” -Newman, Seinfeld Dear Leaders, Most executives… Continue reading Email Etiquette: Taming the Beast

Dear Leaders, A company’s benefits package can be a very significant part of its total expenses, but in many companies, benefits are not really viewed as expenses. Instead, because of the need to hire and retain top-quality employees, the benefits package is considered a key asset that must be maintained if not increased. While a… Continue reading Benefits Administration

Dear Leaders, Strong leadership is a prerequisite for good cost management. Cost leadership starts with the CEO or business unit head and cascades down through the top management team. They need to build a tough cost culture and be good role models in their personal behavior. They need two key staff functions to be very… Continue reading Cost Leadership

“If the company’s problem did not lie in revenues, it could only stem from expenses.” -Carlos Brito, AB InBev Dear Leaders, Simply put, Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) is a radical cost-control program that foresees a complete annual revision of all the company’s spending. In zero-based budgeting, managers are responsible for creating their budget from “zero costs”… Continue reading Zero-Based Budgeting

Dear Leaders, The cost of people is the most difficult cost to manage. Because it is so tricky it is usually left until last in any cost-cutting program and any discussion of cost management. Why is “people cost” so problematic? First, people cost is very sticky. Once people are on the payroll it’s hard to… Continue reading Hiring and Firing

Dear Leaders, There are a number of techniques for bringing about modest reductions in the cost of workers’ compensation insurance. Classifications: One of the key determinants of the cost of workers’ compensation insurance is the job classifications into which all employees are slotted. An employee designated in a high-risk classification will cost far more in… Continue reading Workers’ Compensation

Dear Leaders, The approach to negotiating with your suppliers is simple: treat them as your partners, be tough but fair, and don’t lock yourself in a situation that is impossible to walk away from. 1. Understand the balance of power: Understanding and playing the balance of power between buyer and supplier is a key skill… Continue reading Supplier Management