“Everybody needs a coach. It doesn’t matter whether you are CEO, a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast or a bridge player, we all need feedback” so says Bill Gates & Eric Schmidt in this 1.25min TED Talk. Perhaps a bold statement. And yet, doesn’t every professional athlete and every famous performer have one? … Read More
leadership coach
Leadership Quote: The Quality of a Person’s Life…
This month’s leadership quote: “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” –Vince Lombardi Head Coach, 1959-1967 Green Bay Packers Why Vistage Works Elisa K. Spain
Leadership Quote: Compete With Things To Come…
This month’s leadership quote: “Compete with things to come – not with things that were.” -Carlos Rizowy So easy to look in the rear view mirror and ask ourselves, what’s coming? And, what Carlos reminds us is that what we see in the rear view mirror are only the things that are present now. … Read More
Consensus Equals Beige
When a leader asks for input and then makes a decision, the result is vivid color, i.e. a better decision. It is a better decision for lots of reasons. First and foremost, your team feels valued when they are asked to participate in the decision process. Second, there is value in the wisdom of crowds, … Read More
The Introvert's Guide To Leadership (& The Extrovert's Guide To Leading Introverts)
Some say 40% -50% of the top large company CEO’s are introverts, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Charles Schwab and Steve Spielberg. Amongst entrepreneurs, the numbers are higher. Why? Because entrepreneurs frequently are the expert at their chosen business and experts most often are introverts. So what does this mean for those of us who … Read More
Questions Of Culture – What Are Yours?
Despite the sticky unemployment numbers, businesses are hiring. See 9/20/11 Blog “The Economic Shift” for a discussion as to some reasons for this dichotomy. Now, back to the point of this post… I am seeing a lot of discussion about the questions to ask in an interview to learn the fit of a potential hire. Two of … Read More
Vistage CEO Confidence Index Q42011 Results
After precipitous declines during the prior two quarters, CEO confidence bounced back at year’s end with the largest quarterly gain since the start of the recovery in 2009. The Vistage CEO Confidence Index was 98.8 in the 4th quarter 2011 survey, up from 83.5 in the 3rd quarter, and reaching the highest level since 105.2 … Read More
Laws Of Success: It's All About The Ride
Years ago, I was sitting on a bench at Union station. An old man sat down next to me and we engaged in conversation. I asked him where he was headed and he replied with glee, “San Francisco!” Wow, I said, that is a long way to go on the train. His reply: “There is … Read More
Want Greater Success? Nurture Your Butterflies
Good leaders always strive to have butterflies in their stomach, says Kathleen L. Flanagan, president and chief executive of Abt Associates, a $450mm consultancy firm. When we are out of our comfort zone, we have the greatest opportunity for success. It’s when we become complacent and run on auto-pilot that we as leaders are most at … Read More
In The Search For Self-Improvement, Don’t Forget To Celebrate Your Genius
The notion that we can constantly make ourselves better, in theory, is a great idea. But when does it become too much? For me, the best way to answer this question is to notice our strengths and work to enhance them. In my Vistage work and as a leadership coach and advisor, I refer to … Read More
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