I read a book a very long time ago that I was looking through again the other day. The book's name is The Nordstrom Way - The Inside Story of America's #1 Customer Service Company, written by Robert Spector and Patrick D. McCarthy. A couple of paragraphs from the first chapter caught my eye and reminded me why I got so much from this book so long ago. Read on ... Donald E. Peterson, the retired chairman of the … [Read more...]
Having Vision Is Not The Key When It Comes To Great Leadership
Some Thoughts On What Successful Leaders Do Well
I've said it many times. "Good leaders are very hard to find." What do I mean? People in leadership roles who get and practice leadership fundamentals, enabling the organization to accomplish its mission and realize the vision, are few and far between. Why? I don't profess to know exactly, but I think it's mostly because it's hard. Good leadership usually requires "change." We all know how difficult it is to … [Read more...]
“Culture” Is Everything
An Organization's Success Or Failure Is Almost Entirely Dependent Upon The Culture That's Created By Its Leaders
The success or failure of an enterprise is almost entirely dictated by how well the organization's senior leadership creates a healthy culture. That’s a bold statement, but it's painfully true. Read on … A while back, I wrote a series of posts on the topic of Leadership Fundamentals. I took much of what I’ve learned about leadership and put it into a series of posts. They are ... Don't Play The Blame … [Read more...]
Avoiding A “Path Of Least Resistance” Culture
Culture Is What Happens As A Result Of What We Do, Not What We Say
You've heard the phrase "path of least resistance" right? Have you ever thought of what this means in the context of organizational culture? I believe culture to be the most critical issue we face as senior leaders. I also believe that organizational culture is something that's hard to define. It's easy to spot a healthy culture (or unhealthy culture for that matter) but it's difficult to define "culture" or to … [Read more...]