Executive Careers

They weren't happy to see me when I rang the fire station doorbell the other night. I was semi-desperate. On the other hand, I wasn't on fire.

John Lund | Blend Images | Getty Images Do you spend your days putting out fires???

How do you react at work when people bring you problems that seem trivial to you, but urgent to them? That's a moment of truth.

"Most people call fire trucks just for nothing, petty things. It's just ridiculous for them to even call," said one firefighter about the worst part of his job.

You know the feeling because it happens every day: someone or something unexpected comes along, and hijacks your schedule.  » Read More

Darren Robb | Getty Images Are you chained to the wrong job?

My evil secret.

Skip business school, I advise those who want to accelerate a management career; instead, spend a few years in a mental hospital.

You could even work there.

It's good to know something about irrational behavior because there are days when everyone at work seems, more or less, insane. Usually what that means, of course, is that we just don't understand them.

What's more surprising—we often don't understand ourselves.  » Read More

When giving thanks, be specific.

The CEO wanted to express his appreciation.

"Thank you, everyone, for your hard work," he told several thousand employees.

Some must have wondered, "Everyone???"

Well, one can't really say, "Thank you all, except for Kelly in Purchasing, Scott in Sales, and the entire Engineering Department—what exactly do you guys do all day?"  » Read More

Photo: Ojo Images | Getty Images Is your team clear on your strategy? Setting the right pace to match the culture of the organization makes all the difference between a successful landing and a near miss—or worse yet, a crash.

Touching down on the skyscraper-surrounded runways of Sao Paulo, Brazil, you get an instant appreciation for having the right velocity on approach. Add in a little bad weather and some turbulence, and there is no margin for error.

The same can be said for the corporate flight path known as strategy.

It’s not enough to know the general direction of where you want to go.

Setting the right pace to match the culture of the organization makes all the difference between a successful landing and a near miss—or worse yet, a crash. Execution means knowing both the speed and the length of runway that you need.

Strategy tends to be overused in the corporate lexicon.  » Read More

When I founded my creative communications agency in 2001, three of my five core values were as follows:

• Regard clients, vendors, affiliates and business partners as deserving of an equal level of respect;
• Value all people as individuals – with individual goals, desires and lives;
• Inspire someone else every day.

Am I naïve to believe these core values should remain intact and unchanged?

Does my company, established on a foundation of creative thinking and professional courtesy, possess values that are still relevant in the today’s hyperactive electronic age?  » Read More

What's got you feeling so stressed?

My wife is willing to give me 20 points for stress. "But that's it, buddy," she says.

We're moving next month. According to the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, "change in residence" weighs in at 20 points. It's more than a minor violation of the law (11 pts), but less than imprisonment (63 pts).

That makes sense.

Imprisonment involves being locked up—after moving.

Most stress is about change, whether good or bad. Losing your job is stressful (47 pts), but so is an "outstanding personal achievement" (28 pts).

When work changes, leaders illuminate the future. They offer hope.  » Read More

Altrendo | Getty Images Visions of pulling your own "Greg Smith?" Before you walk out in a blaze of glory, stop and think about an exit with elegance.

Greg Smith’s loud, public and angry resignation from Goldman Sachs

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[GS  Loading...      ()   ] in the op-ed section of The New York Times sent shock waves throughout corporate America, not because he left, but because of the way he left.

Can he live to work another day?  » Read More

Getty Images

Everyone can interview badly.

That is an accepted fact. However, we rarely talk about the interviewer and how they may need to improve.

Even the most senior leaders in a company are capable of conducting bad interviews.

In fact, by being bad interviewers these executives can do damage to a company’s reputation, not to mention inadvertently lose potential talent.  » Read More