15 Seconds of Fame…
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
“15 Seconds of Fame” – It’s been said that at some point in everyone’s life they’ll have their 15 seconds of fame…Your 15 seconds of fame may come to you in good times or in bad, it may happen as a result of tremendous diligence and hard work on your part, or it may simply occur as a matter of chance. Regardless of the reasons or circumstances surrounding your moment in the sun, my question is this…what will you do to maximize the opportunity when it presents itself? In today’s post I’ll share some thoughts on how to leverage your 15 seconds when it arrives…
Employee retention discussions are often reserved for burgeoning economic times when competition for talent is high. Therefore it holds true that during tough economic times, when unemployment is high, employee retention quite frequently just gets ignored. Today’s Myatt on Monday’s question comes from a CEO who asks: “In a post earlier this month (”
Kudos to the top 7 C-level executives at Goldman Sachs for agreeing to forego their bonuses this year…Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, Presidents and co-Chief Operating Officers Jon Winkelried and Gary Cohn, CFO David Viniar, and three vice chairmen: J Michael Evans, Michael Sherwood and John Weinberg all voluntarily refused their annual bonuses. Only 11 days ago I authored a post (”
Are you a “hero leader?” Do you like to swoop-in and save the day? Do you see yourself as the white knight who can solve any problem or challenge? If you do, you have what I refer to as ”hero leader syndrome.” Any leader’s belief that he or she can do everything better than anyone else (even if it’s true) is a root cause of inhibiting workforce productivity. Creating unnecessary dependencies between leaders and team members, while often unintentional and/or well-intended, is nonetheless a far too common practice for the “hero leader.” In today’s post we’ll take a look at the myth of the hero leader…
Is Starbucks and economic bellwether, have they just been mismanaged, or are consumers simply becoming more savvy? Why do I ask, or perhaps more to the point, why do I care? Whenever an industry giant stumbles there are lessons to be learned. If you couple Starbucks recent earnings announcements, with massive store closures and other corporate re-engineering initiatives, there can be little doubt that Starbucks is in trouble. Put candidly, Starbucks has gone from an industry darling to just another turnaround. So, in today’s post I’ll share some insights that all CEOs can apply to their businesses in hopes of avoiding a Starbucks like event…
In celebrating Veteran’s Day each year it is virtually impossible not to think of our founding fathers and the sacrifices they made when they fought to establish our country’s independence. Those thoughts of respect and admiration in turn always lead me to think about of our troops currently fighting to protect our way of life and preserve our freedom. The more you begin to ponder the heroism of our military (past and present) the more you begin to consider the traits possessed by our nation’s warriors. I believe the same characteristics that are present in the heart of a warrior are also present in the most successful executives and entrepreneurs.
Managing Outlook is nothing short of a pain in the *** if you don’t pay attention to it. In coaching top CEOs and entrepreneurs I find that one thing they all have in common is an over abundance of e-mail. When e-mail was originally labeled as the “Killer App” it was because e-mail was thought to be the ultimate productivity enhancement tool. Regrettably, I believe e-mail has become the “Killer App” for most executives because it actually kills their productivity. The truth of the matter is that e-mail in-and-of-itself is not the problem, rather it is how you utilize it that determines whether or not e-mail is an asset or a liability. In today’s post I’ll share the same tips and techniques that I use myself to handle the constant deluge of e-mail…
It’s bonus time again baby…Let the games begin. Some things never change, but just once it would be nice to see fiscal responsibility take precedence over the blatant greed and disregard displayed by the likes of Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. Some of the recent bonuses doled out by these financial institutions who were recent recipients of billions of dollars via the bailout are nothing short of ridiculous. Given the current state of the economy, massive layoffs, and the overall financial uncertainty in the lives of many Americans, do these types of actions do anything to restore trust in corporate America? The answer is no…In today’s post I’ll share my thoughts on the bonuses which are being paid out by these two institutions…
What a ride…but as with all rides they must inevitably come to an end. With any political race, as is the case in any competitive endeavor, there must be winners and losers. While I know that most of you who frequent this blog were not overly enamored with the candidate Barack Obama, the votes have been cast, the election is over, and the candidate is now President-Elect Barack Obama. Those of you who know me understand that I enjoy vigorous debate, and I’m not even opposed to a bit of bombastic contentousness in the spirit of supporting values and positions held dear. That being said, I’m also an old soldier who understands chain of command, and that come inauguration day, our nation will have a new leader and Commander-In-Chief. While I’m clearly not happy about the outcome of the election, I will now cease my opposition, and lend my support for as long as it is earned. We all must now hope for great things from our new President, but we must also hold him accountable to uphold the standards of the office he holds and the country he represents. May God Bless America…
“CEO Branding” has never been a more important or relevant topic than it is in today’s highly charged business and economic climate. Working with some of the top CEOs in the country I can tell you from first hand experience that to the one, chief executives at the top of their game all place CEO branding near the top of their priority list. With the public’s overall perception of CEOs as a class being at near all time lows, there is much work to be done in the arena of CEO Branding. The simple truth of the matter is that what was once the most coveted title in the world, now rests just above villain status in the minds of many. In today’s post I’ll address the benefits of CEO Branding both for the chief executive and the corporation they serve…