PrimeGenesis Blog
New/revised chapters for "The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan"
The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan (Wiley, 2006 & 2009) continues to help leaders accelerate their onboarding and to sell well. In light of that, the publisher has asked us to write a 3rd edition. We have already identified some ways to modify...
Play to enlightened self-interest
No one cares about you ...unless it's in their best interest to do so. de Tocqueville put it well: "an enlightened regard for themselves constantly prompts them to assist each other" - Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America It's generally...
Pull vs. Push Onboarding
As a new leader, the more they onboard you and the more room you give them to do it, the better. People generally don't like change; and they really don't like change forced on them. So, the more you can let them pull you in, the more comfortable...
Tow truck drivers and bad bosses
Why is a bad boss like a tow truck driver? Both think they can ignore the rules of the road if they just put their blinking lights on, and neither thinks they have to fix the wrecks they drag behind them. But not you. You know that the people that follow you...
The Board Two-Step
Ken Chenault's approach to board management + Bryan Smith's approach to persuasion = the board two-step. Bryan Smith lays out five levels of persuasion Tell - The traffic policeman on the corner tells you to detour right. Not a lot of discussion. ...
Friendly, Competent Onboarding
Harvard's Amy Cuddy makes a compelling case for making a first impression as being friendly and competent. Of these, friendly is far more important. Her thesis, explained clearly and coherently in the Nov-Dec 2010 Harvard Magazine, is that our first...
CEO Success – Howard Fluhr
One of my heroes gave the talk at the opening dinner of this week's CEO Boot Camp. I've known Howard Fluhr since we started running CEO Boot Camps in 2005. He was nearing the end of his 12 year run as CEO of the Segal Company then, and continues on...
The tragedy of the common shareholder
Maximizing shareholder value is not working. It's driving so many short term decisions that we seem to be destroying our collective futures. It's the tragedy of the common all over again. The tragedy of the common occurs when a society shares a...
4 CAMS of Leading Through a Crisis
Alix Partners' Peter Fitzsimmons' suggests that turning around companies requires a focus on 4 CAMS: Cash, Achievable plans, Meaningful actions, and Stakeholders. Cash - Get your hands around the cash and manage its flow. (Too many organizations fail to...
30 Day Imperative when Onboarding
How much should you breathe in before you breathe out? When onboarding into a new job, as much as you can by day 30. You can no more lead before you listen than you can breathe out before you breathe in. Walking into a new role and giving directions...