Exceptional leaders often excel as skilled storytellers, and for good reason. Once a company hits a certain level of organizational complexity, one of the most important tasks the CEO has is to craft intellectually coherent and captivating narratives about the firm, its purpose, and its performance. Failure in this task means undermining the very existence of the company; a sin…
Early stage, venture backed, startups have raised about $75 billion USD through Q2 2023. That’s a decline of 34% but more than the $50 billion USD Pitchbook forecasted for 2023 at the end of 2022. Why? Economic uncertainty, inflation fears, unclear interest rate trajectory, and bank weaknesses continue to spook…
We all don’t like parts of our jobs at times. Your boss may get on your nerves. Your work commute may get tiring. Your projects may be stressful. Your workload can feel overwhelming. I don’t know a single person who likes expense reporting (including me). But how can you tell…
Happy employees mean more engaged and productive employees. I’ve written many times that what’s happening inside an organization will be felt on the outside by customers. A good employee experience (EX) will positively impact the customer experience (CX). And of course, the opposite is true. A “ripple effect” of employee…
Despite the progress made by women in business over the past several decades, women entrepreneurs still have a more challenging time raising capital than their male counterparts. According to PitchBook, in 2022, companies founded solely by women garnered just 2.1% of the total capital invested in venture-backed startups in the…
Inclusive teaming is essential to create a fertile ground for collaboration and innovation. Focusing on teams is one of the ways workplaces can aggressively progress toward increasing feelings of belonging and inclusion. Consider the example of a large group like the United Nations, which comprises 193 countries (team members) working…
The surprise announcement that Rupert Murdoch will step away from his corporate leadership roles at his media empire underscores some key lessons for business leaders about the importance—and potential consequences—of succession planning. Indeed, the appointment of his son Lachlan to succeed the senior Murdoch in November raises issues that can…
Conceptualization, big-picture thinking, crowdsourcing ideas, and/or collaborative planning sessions often result in next steps. It is not unusual for those identified next steps to get lodged in a variety of progress impeders like process, apathy, time restraints, or lack of clarity. One of the greatest impediments is requiring perfection, supporting…
(This article is part of a series on Artificial Intelligence for Board Members and Senior Executives.) According to McKinsey, organizations that are going "all in” on AI attributed at least 20 percent of their 2022 EBIT to use of the technology. Read that again. One in five dollars of pre-tax…
The number one reason employees complain about their jobs and eventually say, “Take this job and shove it,” is because of an abusive boss. A SHRM study found that bad bosses cost companies $223 billion dollars in turnover between 2014 and 2019. Instead of seeking advice, asking for input or…
When a Hint of Shade Speaks Louder Than Words In a media landscape with constant updates and social media buzz, the phrase "silence is golden" might seem out of place, especially when it plays a key factor in a celebrity drama that has been dominating the culture news cycle since…
In a declining economy, startups face an uphill battle when it comes to securing funding.…
With all of the recent news about artificial intelligence (AI), it got me thinking about…
A while back, I took a couple of my grandchildren on a tour of the…
Startups face numerous challenges on their journey to success, and failing to overcome any one…
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