“You are what you do, not what you say you are.” Simple truth from Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s wonderful book “Let my people go surfing” I’ve known many CEOs launch on an exercise to define their company values. And sadly for most of them, those values rarely make it out of a Word doc (other […]
Leadership
A CEO’s fundamental duty is to create an environment for their team to flourish
One of the core responsibilities of a leader, if not the core responsibility, is to create a work environment where those who want to grow, and are prepared to commit to it, are able to do so. It doesn’t necessarily need a vast L&D budget (though some is always helpful!). But it does require a […]
Have you ever smelled the Sistene Chapel?
There’s this scene in the wonderful film, The Two Popes, when outgoing pope Benedict asks incoming Pope Francis to take his confession. His primary sin was living in his books and not with the humans that his church is supposed to serve. I read a lot. I think it’s important, and it teaches and provokes […]
Generating activity makes problems harder
“Generating activity is not a problem; in fact it is easy. The fact that it is easy makes the real problem harder to solve. The problem is getting the right things done – the things that matter, the things that will have an impact, the things a company is trying to achieve to ensure success. […]
Ask not what purpose can do for your profit
With a nod towards JFK… Ask not what purpose can do for your profits, but what your profits can do to serve your purpose. There’s a lot of talk about how purpose makes your company more profitable. With all due respect, that’s a pile of horseploppy. Purpose can enhance your profitability. But I also know […]