Seeing kids boarding buses to go back to school at this time of year reminds me of the value of education. Taking advantage of developmental and educational opportunities is one of the best ways to advance your career. Sadly, most of the benefits offered by employers, universities, and communities …
Accelerating Your Career
What is Your Organization’s Growth Strategy
Supporting your organization’s growth strategy is a good way to accelerate your career progression. Take the time to understand how opportunities are identified and funded in your area. Then you can determine how to best add value to the process. Association with successful growth and enterprise …
Lead with an Enterprise Mindset
Speaking to a group of Fortune 500 managers, I was asked to share keys to leading with an enterprise mindset. In my experience there are three keys to leading with an enterprise mindset – 1) adopt an infinite mindset; 2) consider multiple perspectives or lenses; and 3) become a solutions …
The Three Yes Rule
I sat at my desk, feeling a mix of disappointment and anger. In less than twenty-four hours I saw months of hard work squandered and $1 million dollars evaporate. I painfully learned what I call the “Three Yes Rule” of strategic execution. I was working in the enterprise strategy department of …
The Power of Questions
My grandmother Martin, when commenting on the difficult adolescent years, would often say, “teenagers have all the answers, it is the questions they are minus.” Good questions can foster creativity, provide insight, and focus the mind to address problems. The ability to construct, ask, and …
The Who, What, How, and Why of Value
Clearly and concisely communicating how you add value is a cornerstone of success. No matter the situation - looking for a new job, growing your business, or volunteering for an organization – the ability to denominate your value is important. But this is one of the weakest skills I’ve observed in …
Build Broad-Based Coalitions to Become a “Triple Bottom Line” Leader
Building broad-based community coalitions is a key skill, especially as you rise to the upper levels of an organization. But in my experience, leaders fail to recognize the importance of this ability early enough and wait too long to proactively develop. The result is being passed over for …
The Power of Podcasts
Continually expanding functional knowledge, monitoring industry trends, and gaining insights are keys to business and career success. In the early 1980’s, when I worked as a bank analyst and loan officer, the internet was in its infancy. I spent many hours at Boston’s Kirstein Business Library …
Think Like a Business Owner
Thinking like a business owner is a great way to add value to an organization and get noticed by senior leaders. An owner understands how the company makes money and the upstream and downstream impacts of their decisions. Two tools you can use to improve your “ownership” skills are the business …
Do These Two Things to Achieve Career Success in the New Year
Focus is the most important part of creativity, innovation, and career success. If you work in a mid or large-sized organization the beginning of the year is chaotic. There are multiple iterations of what human resource leaders call the “goal cascade” phase of the performance management process. …
Time for Reflection, Rest, and Renewal
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” - Margaret J. Wheatley Rest and reflection are two of the most powerful tools for success. They lead to renewal. Stephen R. Covey called it “Sharpening the Saw”, Habit …
Expected Value of Your Job
When do you know it is time to change jobs? This is one of the most asked questions I get from clients. I share the concept of “Expected Value” to help them evaluate their current job against other opportunities. The expected value of your job is the sum of its present value, future value, plus …