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 [...]
In a recent study conducted jointly by Harvard Medical School and the highly respected Massachusetts General Hospital it was determined female doctors earn less than their male counterparts. The study was one of the largest analyses of salary data ever conducted for any profession. Data on 10,000 physician faculty members at 24 medical schools was [...]
SQUARE PEGS Square pegs are a controversial element in most organizations. Traditional organizations want everyone in the organization to be a "round hole". They have little tolerance for square pegs. However, the creative organizations are the opposite. They not only tolerate square pegs but appreciate what square pegs can contribute to the organization when managed [...]
In my book on management "Theory You" I included a chapter titled "Leaders Should Behave As Leaders". There is a tremendous commitment to being a leader whether we are referencing a person such as a CEO or a company. In my teaching experience there were several cases we discussed in which a company shirked from [...]
Today is Equal Pay Day. President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation naming today as Equal Pay Day. However, it is not a day to celebrate. The United States has one of the largest Gender Gaps of any industrialized nation in the world. Even our celebrated national women's soccer team, despite several Olympic gold medal performances [...]
