We as leaders are told all the time that everyone is always watching us. A smile, a frown, silence, all are interpreted as “a sign”. And since most of us think in terms of impact on ourselves, our followers interpret these “signs” as a sign of something that impacts them. […]

These days, most companies have stated core values. Many CEOs intentionally initiate conversations within their companies to ensure these values are front and center in their dealings with customers and employees. When difficult decisions are before us, we often ask ourselves, “what is the right thing to do?”; “how does our value […]

As my regular readers know, I collect quotes, share them here and on my website. Typically I publish one quote a month, but this month you get a bonus quote. In the last few weeks, I have been writing about listening. The quote below from Steve Jobs is a wonderful […]

This month’s leadership quote: “The best way to keep a good employee is to fire a bad one.” –Bob Thomson   Why Vistage Works Elisa K. Spain

My husband and I are both foodies; we love to cook and to experience food events. Recently, along with another couple, we signed up for an “underground dining experience”. We had attended one of these in the past with a young chef who was relatively new on the restaurant scene […]

As reported earlier in April, CEOs nationally continue to voice optimism about their future financial prospects and plan to increase their investments and expand their labor force. Although the Vistage CEO Confidence Index retreated from the decade high recorded at year-end 2017, it remains quite favorable. Here in Chicago, while CEO’s […]

Today’s post is offered by guest blogger and fellow Vistage Chair, Steve Larrick.  As leaders, we develop our own styles, and ways of getting things done over our careers. What works against us at times is that early success in leading others and in getting things done convinces us that […]

This month’s leadership quote: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” –Steve Jobs Why Vistage Works Elisa K. Spain

As leaders we are problem solvers. In fact, problem solving is a key strength required in a leader. And yet, sometimes, the best solution is to simply listen. When I first began working as a leadership coach, I believed that my role was always to motivate my client toward action. […]

For CEOs, the answer to this question is usually easy, the personal and professional gains a CEO expects from coaching usually have a direct correlation with results in their business. For a senior executive, the question is more complex, because in addition to the relationship between the coach and the executive, there is […]