Tim Cook Named His Successor — Have I Named Mine? A Strategic Planning Question
Questions this post answers On April 20, Apple announced that Tim Cook will hand the CEO job to John Ternus on September 1. That’s eight…
Ideas & Perspectives
Insights: Leadership
Does My Struggling Leader Need a Coach or Another Training Course? A Strategic Planning Question
Questions this post answers You have a leader who isn’t working out, and you’ve decided to take action. So you start looking at programs. There’s…
How Strong Is Your Inner Circle? A 90-Day Diagnostic
This series has made one argument from four directions: the top job cannot be done alone, and the room you build around yourself decides how…
C-Suite Alignment Matters
You hired your C-suite because they are exceptional at what they do. But that can also become the problem. When the VP of Marketing is…
Stop Surrounding Yourself with Cheerleaders
There’s a version of an inner circle that feels wonderful and does nothing: everyone in it thinks you’re right. It feels like loyalty. It works…
Your Transformation Plan Was Fine. Your Leaders Weren’t.
McKinsey has been studying why transformation efforts fail for decades. The number hasn’t moved much: roughly 70% of them stall, collapse, or quietly get absorbed…
The People Who Don’t Work for You Matter Most
There’s a moment most CEOs hit at least once a quarter. A decision that’s yours alone. You bring it to your leadership team — and…
Job Hugging: When Stability Is Actually Rot
Your retention numbers look great. Your senior team hasn’t turned over in two years. Your #2 and #3 show up every day, clear the work,…
Your C-Suite Should Be Your First Inner Circle
You hired them because they’re exceptional at what they do. Marketing. Finance. Operations. Legal. But here’s the problem: being great at their function doesn’t mean…