leadership
Heading Into the Wind
By Tom Cramer
When the commander of an aircraft carrier gets the order to launch his planes, he immediately checks with his navigator to determine his heading. He then turns his ship so that he is fully heading into the wind so that his pilots will have the best chance for a successful launch. The View from the Cockpit In one of our earlier posts, we spoke of looking at your position as sitting in the cockpit. It is worth returning to that aviation metaphor to review the mindset of flying off into the wind. It …
Always Be Selling
By Tom Cramer
In my conversations with the members of our group, I find a series of topics that are raised consistently and across all industries and markets. One of the more prevalent concerns is that of “being out of your comfort zone.” What I have found is most of us get into business to follow an idea or concept based on a specific strength or experience or idea or all of these. That is the natural course, but then we all find that business involves many areas in which we feel lost, incompetent, and …
Who’s in the Cockpit? (Part 3)
By: Tom Cramer
In our earlier discussions concerning the modern C-Suite, we discussed in Part One the evolution of the leadership roles of senior corporate executives. We looked at several of the key functional areas of leadership in Part Two. Adapting Your C-Suite to Reality We fully understand that many of you read those articles shaking your heads a bit, thinking how wonderful it would be to have a full team of professionals helping you fly your plane. It is a simple fact that for smaller and middle-sized businesses, the senior leadership is often …
Who’s in the Cockpit? (Part Two)
By Tom Cramer
As we discussed in Part One of this series, the role of and the makeup of the C-Suite is constantly evolving. The basic needs of leadership and technical specialties and skills are increasingly essential to survival and success. However, the ability to respond to a changing business and work environment is more vital than ever. One empirical proof of this aspect of the change in the C-Suite is the job descriptions provided to executive search firms for various C-level executives. The experience and skills are still listed. Increasingly, those will be almost …
Who’s in the Cockpit?
Part One In just over a century the field of aviation has evolved from near-reckless adventurers flying rickety single-seat planes by “the seat of their pants” to incredibly sophisticated behemoths flown by professional crews following rigorous procedures. This evolution has made flying one of the safest modes of transportation in history. Likewise, in just over a century the world of business has morphed from small businesses run by entrepreneurial individuals seeking to eke out a profit in their own little niches. Today we see the mega-corporations managed by professionally trained executives following disciplines that utilize …
Balancing Your Perspective
By: Tom Cramer
Split personalities are normally thought of as a problem or the key element of a crime drama. However, the successful business owner and manager is forced to develop something of a split personality to successfully accomplish their unique jobs. Dealing with the wide range of issues, challenges, and decisions faced day after day requires the ability to rapidly switch perspectives from strategic to tactical, short to long term, and people versus mission. Fighting the Tyranny of the Urgent One of the best ways to …
Checkpoints for Yearend and More
By: Tom Cramer
No doubt about it. These are challenging times for leading a business enterprise. CEOs, founders, and professional managers of small and mid-sized companies are feeling pressed on many sides while recovering from the pandemic, dealing with a new management environment, and wondering what new concerns the economy will deliver in the coming year. The Leadership Turf The stark reality is that managing a successful enterprise has always been and always will be a tough job. It may not be what you thought it was going to be when you …Managing in a New Environment
By: Tom Cramer
Many experts in the field of management and human resources are writing and speaking about the unprecedented management environment they are witnessing. Something of a perfect storm over the past decade has encompassed the growing role of a “new mindset” among younger workers, the impact of the pandemic, and the adjustments required in a post-pandemic environment. Beyond the Great Resignation These and other realities are forcing successful managers and leaders to recognize two essential facts. First, the situations they face today are different from those of just a few years ago, and often …
How CEOs Can Beat Your Competition in 2020
With such a competitive business landscape, generating ways that you can use to leverage your resources and stay miles ahead of your competitors can be challenging. As the new year quickly approaches, now is the time to begin reflecting on what worked and did not work in 2019. According to leading CEO peer groups and CEO development consultants, these are the top 3 things you should be looking to do starting January 1st to put some distance between you and the competition throughout 2020.
- Get Hyper-focused. Often business leaders strive to accomplish a plethora …
