21 Apr

Lessons in Leadership: Observations from My Career I have encountered numerous managers who exhibited substandard leadership qualities throughout my career. Beyond their poor treatment of staff through threats and intimidation, many struggled to effectively motivate their employees or understand the reasons behind high turnover. One manager, the founder and owner of a profitable software company, was undeniably intelligent, having developed a valuable program for checking the integrity of internal systems. However, he could not manage professional employees. His first-line managers, including me, operated as a dysfunctional team, receiving minimal guidance and support from him. One even admitted that he hoped I would...

14 Apr

I recently received a call from a sales professional seeking assistance with her strategy to beat her primary competitor, referred to here as ACME, on a significant sales opportunity. ACME frequently emerged as a finalist in many of her sales opportunities, compelling her to exert considerable effort to secure the sale. During our discussion, I inquired about her approach to competing against her top competitor. She responded: "What do you mean? I just informed you that ACME, whom we have been discussing, is my top competitor." I clarified that while ACME was a formidable competitor, it was not her foremost...

09 Apr

As a former accountant, sales manager, economics instructor, and someone who spent many years calling on large financial institutions and major corporations in the anti-money laundering field, I have always been fascinated by the concept of risk. Risk may be defined as the measured avoidance of negative consequences of an action. Whether it's losing money on a financial transaction, loaning money, or jumping out of an airplane, risk is an inherent part of our lives. Risk assessment is a fundamental part of our decision-making process, often done unconsciously. We first learn about risk, at a young age, when deciding whether to...

02 Apr

This is paraphrased from a famous line in a song written by Bob Dylan. The song suggests youthful idealism often gives way to realism with age. Many think they're brilliant when young but learn more as they grow older. I found this true in my career—from thinking I was brilliant in my 20s to becoming wiser in my 30s, 40s, and 50s. Life's complexities often show fewer black and white absolutes and more nuances. Adapting to technological changes means embracing new ideas and continually retraining. Rapid advancements require us to understand new technology's benefits and drawbacks. Success comes from being adaptive,...

24 Mar

Some people struggle to get started in the morning.  I never have had that problem.  I've always approached mornings with a clear sense of purpose, direction, and inspiration. I wake up early, feeling eager to commence the day's activities.  I seek challenges. Before having coffee, eating breakfast, or getting ready, I already know what I want to achieve that day. Often, I dream about the day's challenges while I sleep, which helps me mentally prepare. I create a "To-Do" list daily, checking off completed tasks and carrying over unfinished ones to a fresh list for the new day. Keeping this list...

17 Mar

You are the CEO of your personal brand. What does this mean, and why does it matter? In today’s world, whether you’re building a career in a corporation, as a skilled car mechanic, a talented beautician, or a dedicated elementary school teacher, managing your personal brand is essential to distinguish yourself from others. Think of yourself as a business. You market and sell your value—your skills, talents, and contributions—to employers, clients, or consumers. In return, they compensate you for that value. You also engage in transactions and purchase goods and services from others. Who runs this business? You do. As the...

11 Mar

I love sports and often use sports analogies. Now is the time of Major League Baseball's Spring training. At every team's camp, at least one or more young men try to earn a place on the team's roster. Here is a hypothetical situation: Your team has two people at camp competing for one position, let's say third baseman.  So far, one young player, Smith, has had a terrific Spring.  His batting average is .453, he has stolen three bases, his fielding has been perfect, and his attitude has been exemplary. Smith was undrafted out of college, where he played for three years and...

04 Mar

My background has primarily been selling enterprise-wide financial, human resource, medical, anti-money laundering, and manufacturing solutions.  In most cases, the prospective buyer has strategically decided to change their infrastructure. The highest-level executives typically make these decisions in an organization.  So, when deciding who to sell to in the organization, it is a mistake to ignore the importance of reaching the "C" Suite executive. They are the ones who approve all decisions and expenditures. The approver is sometimes called the "economic buyer" or the "key decision maker."2 Lower-performing sales pros often make the mistake of focusing solely on their user buyer contacts and...

24 Feb

This past week, I had a case of influenza. It reminded me of an incident many years ago when I began my career as an accountant. I joined the cost accounting department for GD Searle & Co., then an independent, more than one-hundred-year-old, family-controlled public biotechnology company, now a Pfizer subsidiary. The CEO at the time was Daniel Searle, a great-grandson of the founder. Searle was known for releasing the first birth-control pill, Enovid, and for developing Metamucil, Dramamine, Celebrex, and aspartame. The leader of my cost accounting team was Glen, who was in his forties.  Glen had worked for Searle for...

17 Feb

“Catch-22” was a popular fictional book and later a movie published by Joseph Heller in 1961. In Heller’s book, an Air Force lieutenant desired to be exempted from a bombing mission because he claimed he was insane.  But, claiming he was insane to avoid a dangerous mission demonstrated that he was sane.  Therefore, he could not be exempted from the mission because he was not insane. Merriam-Webster defines “Catch-22” as “a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule.”1  A typical example is a job-seeker not being hired because they...