Entrenched interests are one of the most difficult things to overcome in business. It’s the foundation of most corporate politics, kingdom building and bad decisions. Some people in charge see only their interests and act solely with regard to those. Only when their interests are not in play do they focus on the business. In…
Momentum is a powerful effect and requires us to stay Flexible.
Momentum is an effect all of us are seeking in business. Colleagues and clients can both see and sense it when it takes hold. When everything in business is moving forward briskly, well communicated and with ease life is wonderful. It makes sales and delivery both much easier. Funny thing about momentum – you never…
“Critical” is often assigned to tasks that are no where near critical.
It occurred to me across many meetings over the past few weeks that the word critical was being used with reckless abandon. 5 minute tasks that didn’t need to really be done were being called critical simply because someone wanted to make sure they were completed. “Critical” is an important word that should be reserved…
How important is talent in the face of other employee skills?
There’s a completely stupid LinkedIn post making the rounds about “10 Things that Require Zero Talent.” It has things like Being on Time and Attitude and Passion on it. The typical things that summarize a person’s personality. Some people go above and beyond and some don’t….sure it isn’t about talent but some talented people do…
Some more thoughts on certifications and self-selected groups.
Yesterday I wrote about the initials that people put after their name. It made me think about who chooses to attend certification classes: people with a personal stake in advancing themselves through the certification. If we apply the Pareto Principle: 80% of these people will be selfishly trying to use it and 20% are taking it…
Do you really need those special initials after your signature?
In my field there are a lot of designations that people can achieve that they then proudly display after their name: MBA, SIOR, MCR, CRE, PMO to name a few. I always find it interesting to ask people for their motivations. Sometimes it’s selfish: to make themselves look better to clients or bosses. Sometimes it’s…
There’s a big difference between being successful and making a lot of money.
I see a lot of people who equate money as the only measuring stick in the game of business. The more money you make, revenue you bring in, funding you raise, or profits you earn proves your success. This is plain silliness. I finally watched The Big Short a couple of weeks ago. Nearing the…
Do everyone a favor, stop acting insane today.
As the saying goes, doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. But everyone does it occasionally. Stop it now. Is there anything more frustrating than receiving the same email over and over and over and over about a topic that is simultaneously inconsequential, unimportant, unnecessary,…
Stop worrying about some fluid future and worry about tomorrow.
The most disruptive tools of the past decade start with a utility that can be applied immediately and give an advantage to early adopters. I can’t think of anything that is focused on a feature 5 years into the future that has been successful yet (the only exception I can think of is still on…
What are savings within the CRE space?
Over the past few years most of the companies that I have worked with have had a CRE Savings Target that we needed to help manage against. Typically it is based on a straight percentage savings without much detail about services and delivery that could/could not be impacted. The single most frustrating aspect of any…