June 2023

Last month, I announced that my new book The Growth Leader: Strategies to Drive the Top and Bottom Lines will be published by Fast Company Press on October 24.

In case you missed it, you can read about that here.

Individual Leadership: Start with the Point

My favorite line from the show 30 Rock is when Alec Baldwin, as network vice president, says to Tina Fey, the head writer, “Don’t worry about getting to your point, I’m going to live forever.” How often do you feel this way as you listen to others share their thoughts, ideas, and updates?

When I work with leaders and teams on executive communication skills, I always suggest beginning with the point. It’s tempting to share background and context first, then draw toward a conclusion. But that takes too long. When presenting lots of information, the key takeaway is often lost. Instead, start with the point and make it perfectly clear. Then share other relevant information, and your point won’t get lost in the shuffle.

Organization Leadership: Choosing What Not To Do

When I see companies falling short of their highest value goals, it’s frequently because they’ve taken on too much. They’ve diluted their focus and spread themselves thin taking on too many priorities. It can happen quickly with overly ambitious plans, or over years of making every good idea into a project that sucks time, energy, and resources. The result is that they advance dozens of objectives by inches instead of the critical few by miles. 

Harvard professor and strategy guru Michael Porter said, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” If you want to achieve the results that matter most to your organization’s health, you’ll have to concentrate your focus. What can you choose not to do to ensure your business thrives?

World Leadership: Tipping Point

We are seeing gratuity requests show up more often, and not just in the traditional places like food service or personal care. They show up where minimal or even no interaction occurs, like self-check-out kiosks. The amounts are increasing, as well. 20% has been a standard tip for good service in a restaurant, but is the service comparable at self-check-out kiosks, at a convenience store, or fast food at a stadium? This is not a commentary on whether people deserve to earn more money or whether you should be generous with tipping; the question is: how do your customers feel about it?

Rachel Wolfe at the Wall Street Journal wrote a great series on the rise of tipping, with the most recent article here. My personal favorite was Tipping at Self-Checkout Has Customers Crying ‘Emotional Blackmail’. Clearly there are many people noticing this trend, with strong feelings about it. Wolfe writes, “A range of business owners adding the option for gratuity to transactions say these nontraditional tips help them stay afloat in a competitive job market.”

This is a complex and multi-layered topic. And if your business is using or considering using tips to increase employee compensation or attract talent, you shouldn’t neglect how it may impact customers.

Perspective: Prepare To Be OOO

I’ve known plenty of executives who took vacations and weren’t missed at work. Mostly because they didn’t really go away. They may have been out of the office but very present on email, calls, and videoconferences. That’s no way to take a vacation. 

I’ve joked that I’d never go to market as a consultant who helps leaders manage vacations. But through my own experience and working with dozens of senior leaders wrestling with issues around vacations, I’ve gained some pragmatic perspective and written a few articles for HBR on the topic. Take a quick read before you head out on yours this summer. I plan to re-read these and take some of my own advice.

Read This Before You Head Out on Vacation

Don't Obsess Over Getting Everything Done Before a Vacation

The Professional's Guide to a Stress-Free Vacation



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