According to a recent Gallup poll in 2014 companies promote the wrong person to a management role 82% of the time. In my book "Theory You" I noted that was one of the main reasons for writing the book. If we want to examine the problem there are several contributing factors that involve both the [...]
In response to a recent blog re: do as I do as a management tool one of the readers posted a message that struck a chord. Her response was: "management is really about common sense". I agree wholeheartedly with her viewpoint. When I taught management courses at Northeastern University I always took a few minutes [...]
I have often been puzzled as to why managers forsake their training, disciplines and processes when they are confronted by a serious problem or crisis. The time when the above are most valuable is when one is confronted with a crisis. Crisis management should be the optimum time to utilize the skills we have developed [...]
In the past month I've had several instances where people have talked to me about a similar problem. Managers expect their subordinates to do as the manager says but not to do as the manager does. The instances have included wardrobe, promptness, and policy. In each case the manager violated the rules he had established [...]
The NFL ratings decline this year should signal they have a problem. The big question from a management point of view is will they honestly examine their problem and seek a solution? Do they have the leadership who will address the problem? While a lot of theories have been put forth as to why the [...]
The NFL owners met last week in Houston at their quarterly owner's meeting. One of the key items on the agenda was the league's "unusual and precipitous drop in TV ratings". According to Jarrett Bell of "USA TODAY" NFL games were down 11% for the first six weeks of the season when compared to last [...]
About one year ago I was in my car listening to an interview on NPR. The woman being interviewed was quite adamant that people seeking jobs should learn to conform if they wanted to get hired. She made the point that employers were not interested in hiring the so called square pegs. The interview struck [...]
In my book "Theory You" I talked about a principal observation I made while working around the globe; executives poor at managing themselves were equally poor at managing others. There were certain executives with whom I worked who were oblivious to the problems they created by their personal behavior. One issue they all had in [...]
We see more and more in our society behavior by individuals that scream out "the rules don't apply to me". This is not a new phenomenon although the prevalence is certainly on the increase and is pervasive in business thus adding to the challenges managers face. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of The United [...]
I was recently asked to consult with a manager at a small firm re: the management style of the CEO. The manager was concerned about the number of resignations at the firm. In each case he believed the reason for the departures was the management style of the CEO. I asked him to describe the [...]
