Be opportunistic

Yes, you need to have goals and a plan. No, you should not flip-flop on your choices all the time. But you should be ready to take chances and take advantage of new paths that appear in front of you unexpectedly. While the word “opportunistic” sometimes carries negative connotations and can suggest moral ambiguity, I’m…

Understand the tradeoff between cost and elasticity of business resources

In the age of cloud computing and the gig economy, the ability to scale and pivot in many businesses has never been easier. This is a real advantage for technology- and service-based businesses because it increases competitiveness and provides incredible flexibility. But this elasticity of resources comes at a price. Literally. When I ran a…

Stop it with the co-CEO, co-President, and other co- titles

A major global PR agency recently announced that they were doing away with their co-CEO arrangement. Believe it or not, they had three individuals holding the co-CEO title. Leadership can be shared, but ultimate responsibility for day-to-day business decisions cannot. Harry S Truman’s desk sign didn’t say “the buck stops here … and here ……

Set your goals 3×3

They say everything comes in threes. That doesn’t apply to work and personal goals, in my experience. But most people and organizations would benefit from setting their goals three by three. What do I mean? First, I like the idea of 3 priority goals. It’s small enough to be focused, but big enough to make…