Have you ever sat through a meeting that felt frustratingly circular? People rehash the same points, get lost arguing emotions instead of facts, or fail to generate any fresh ideas. Meanwhile, the clock ticks and you leave without making a decision. Edward de Bono felt your pain. That’s why the lateral thinking legend invented the … Read more
When Indra Nooyi returned to her native India in 2007, newly appointed as PepsiCo’s CEO, she noticed something deeply moving. At every turn, people congratulated not Indra herself but her mother, recognizing her role in nurturing Indra’s journey to success. This awakened something in Indra. She realized that behind every leader, there are often unseen … Read more
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and the Genius of Reverse Engineering When Boeing set out to design the 787 Dreamliner in the early 2000s, they wanted to create an airplane that would provide exceptional passenger comfort and long-range capability at greater fuel efficiency than any previous wide-body aircraft. Essentially, they asked – what would the ideal next-generation … Read more
What is a Chairman…and is it Something I Want? If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you will know that I am constantly discussing how to become the Chairman (or Chairwoman, but for purposes of keeping this blog succinct, let’s use the term Chairman) of your business. However, for many business owners, … Read more
You spent three hours with her on the phone and then another two planning the perfect night. You read and re-read her texts, searching for signs of how she felt about you. You said every word out loud as you read… even the emojis., sounding them out in your ears for nuance and tone. What … Read more
“Business is there if you go after it.” — Estée Lauder Born Josephine Esther Mentzer, she was drawn to her uncle’s chemist shop as a young girl, fascinated by the potions and fragrances that he worked with. This fascination laid the foundation for her lifelong passion for cosmetics and one outstanding model of business success. … Read more
“Sometimes, just knowing that you’re the one that smiles easy makes it easier to smile.” Joy: That profound, contagious emotion, has the power to transform workplaces into thriving hubs of creativity, innovation, and productivity. It’s not merely a “nice-to-have” but a business imperative that every leader should prioritize. Here’s why happiness matters in the workplace, … Read more
If you expect your journey as a business person to be a pleasant mountain hike — think again. For most entrepreneurs starting out, the business journey is more like a jungle expedition…on foot. Sometimes you’re crawling, sometimes you’re sprinting, and you never know what’s lurking in the bushes. Because the unexpected can happen so, well, … Read more
You’ve known for weeks this isn’t working out. But you can’t bring yourself to cut the cord. After all, you’ve invested so much into this. You had dreams. And the thought of starting over scares the crap out of you. It’s called the “Sunk Cost Fallacy.” The “Sunk Cost Fallacy” is a cognitive pattern that … Read more
You’re at a concert. The curtain rises. The maestro bows and takes his place. As he opens the folder that holds his sheet music, you can tell he’s starting to panic. The folder is empty…. He lifts his baton, and the orchestra starts to play. For a minute or two, it sounds fine. And then… … Read more