CEO

No business can succeed without a strategic plan. Yet, based on my fifty years of experience leading companies like Reebok and HBO Video, I’ve come to realize that often the biggest hurdle to creating a plan is figuring out exactly what business you’re in. Below is my step-by-step formula for building a strategic plan that

Recent IT and technology advancements such as cloud computing and storage allow business owners access to unlimited IT capacity, which is impossible with hard storage methods. As IT systems become more complex, the continued optimization of cloud services will allow these companies to scale faster, be more flexible, and accelerate business operations. While implementing emerging

In every organizational relationship, there’s an accountability equation at play. Accountability matters because it functions as the invisible thread that enables effective interactions with others.   But in its traditional sense, accountability is thought of as having to answer to or justify your actions to someone who has power over you. This person assumes the role

For the first time in about two decades, workers have begun to feel less safe at work. According to Gallup figures from 2020, the number of employees who report being satisfied with their employers’ safety measures has plummeted by 9%. That’s not what you want if you’re trying to compete in today’s hyper-disrupted market. When

In April, I wrote a piece titled Go Team!, which covered Eliud Kipchoge’s quest to break the two-hour barrier for running a marathon and the team that helped him as part of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. Finishing at a blistering 1:59:40, Kipchoge achieved the goal and challenged us all to shed our self-limiting beliefs no

How many of us have heard the advice that we need to “get out of our comfort zone” in order to be successful?    My survey of hundreds of entrepreneurs asked whether they felt it was important to get out of their comfort zone to be successful. The overwhelming majority agreed. This means that they’d bought

Think of companies that once offered a useful product or service, for example, Blockbuster. Now think of how you watch films at home. How do CEOs, professionals, and companies stay in the game and keep hitting home runs? Being nimble is a critical success factor for companies, CEOs, CMOs, CFOs, and every member of the C-suite.

Leadership is about getting results. The whole point of leadership is to produce outcomes that didn’t exist before. And those outcomes are much more likely to happen when the leader and those being led are fully committed to making those outcomes happen. That commitment has to start with the leader.    Few things motivate a group

“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic” – so said management guru Peter Drucker, in a truism that speaks volumes in a post-Covid age.  The US labor market stands at a crossroads right now, with new and volatile crosswinds – including surging job openings,

Editor’s Note: the Patriots in Business Award presented annually by Chief Executive and Thayer Leadership recognizes outstanding businesses that lead our nation in supporting active duty military members, veterans and their families and exemplify the values of Duty, Honor and Country through their business practices and throughout their community and industry. Through their initiatives on hiring, training, supporting, and

Automation tools can propel new opportunities in your business by freeing up employees’ time to spend on higher-value tasks. As a result, those employees feel more empowered and engaged. Learn about these advantages and other ways automation can help you take care of employees and better serve customers. Leaders spend time talking about the value

A comprehensive Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) strategy should be part of the blueprint for any leading organization, but successfully implementing it can be a challenge even for leaders with the best of intentions. An effective strategy will address the inherent disparity or unfairness in the typical hiring process and lead to better representation for traditionally

Many view CEOs as the brains of an enterprise – the passion-driven, logistics-obsessed leader who is always thinking ten steps ahead and dreaming up new ways to make the company more successful. But what happens when CEOs get bogged down by the day-to-day pressures of running a company? How can they maintain their creativity and

As the skills crunch continues to challenge many industries, employers are trying something new to get people into their vacant seats. Many are no longer requiring job-seekers to have college degrees. Rather, they are looking to skills-based hiring to meet their needs. And, while college degrees will likely always be the path to greater economic and career

Editor’s Note: MIT’s McAfee will keynote our Sept. 28 CEO Talent Summit (hosted virtually) along with former Medtronic CEO Bill George and Verizon CHRO Samantha Hammock. It’ll be a great session to help you develop the workforce strategy you need for the unpredictable year—and years—ahead. Join Us! More Information > The last time I talked

In August 2020, employees at Citigroup executed what should have been a normal operation for the bank: sending Revlon creditors a routine interest payment. Instead, the bank accidentally paid out more than $900 million—the full value of the principal—to lenders. Ironically, it was a simple mistake that could have been easily avoided, what CEO Jane

Organizational teams of any kind would be wise to heed the best practices of CEO peer advisory groups/forums. Watching the best of the best is like being treated to an evening at the Boston Symphony or a highlight reel featuring top plays on any given Sunday in the NFL. Among everything that must go well

The employer brand space may still be in relative infancy, but thanks to recent business trends, it’s growing up fast. In 2021, 69 percent of businesses reported employer branding to be one of their top priorities. Accordingly, leaders are beginning to prioritize the need for a strong, lasting employer brand strategy to drive candidate attraction, worker

As more and more people, especially Millennials and Gen Z, say they value experiences over big-ticket purchases, the trend has inevitably found its way into the workplace—rewards equal motivation and productivity. A Gallup study found that 85% of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged at work, costing the global economy $7 trillion in lost

I have always wondered if a person is born a leader or becomes one. The answer is complex, but putting it in a nutshell, it mostly depends on the characteristics that a person has inherited, the ones built over time, and other skills. Emotional intelligence is one of the most important aspects that makes someone