This past month, I was invited to deliver a leadership presentation to a group of international business students at Stony Brook University at the request of a business colleague I have known for over 25 years.  These exchanges of content are an enduring commitment we make to the community.  Our hope is that the fundamental [...]

Young Presidents’ Organization recently released their quarterly Global Pulse CEO Survey in April. Optimism is rising among U.S. CEOs regarding 2010 sales and business conditions, producing a 4.1 point increase in the U.S. CEO Confidence Index. However, expectations for hiring and fixed investments are more muted. Interestingly enough, 58 percent of U.S. CEOs still expect [...]

I often hear colorful stories from colleagues and clients about young people in their organizations.  In response to making copies, while wearing flip-flops, “You should hire someone to do this kind of stuff so you don’t waste my talent.’”  What about the young woman who didn’t understand why everyone kept saying she had to ‘pay [...]

I just spent the day engaged in one of the most important activities a business leader can perform in these difficult economic times. No, I’m not looking at ways to cut expenses. On the contrary, my goal is to expand the learning opportunities for my team. Invest in your best assets. Expand? While it may [...]

With less than 10 weeks remaining in 2009, there are undoubtedly millions of people who will be happy to see this year come to an end. It’s been a rough one, not only for the global economy, but for U.S. employment in particular. Unfortunately, there continue to be major challenges ahead of us, even as [...]

As a business leader, you realize how important communication is to the success of your organization. But what is even more critical than communicating itself – particularly in today’s challenging economic climate – is the way you engage with your colleagues and team and how you present your message. It’s what I call “purposeful communication.” [...]

We’ve been talking about the slumping economy for some time now, and it’s not getting any better. A recent report from the respected Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers said that U.S. consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in more than 25 years in early April. The government also reported in April that U.S. [...]

The troubling signs are everywhere – layoffs, plummeting home real estate values and declining consumer confidence. However, this is the time that smart business leaders identify opportunities to grow their business. Take a careful look at how your enterprise is functioning and analyze how you provide value and service to your customers. Organizations that  deliver [...]

It’s a dreary, cold Friday in New York, and one of your employees—a 26-year-old assistant editor—calls in and says he’s going to work at home today.  At 3 p.m. on a spring Tuesday, your 39-year-old manager announces she’s leaving the office to watch her son’s lacrosse game. For the country’s 77.5 million baby boomers, who [...]

Last year at this time I wrote a column about the important — and humbling — lessons I learned losing my club golf championship on the last hole. Well, a few weeks ago I got in the B1 (18 handicap flight) at my club and I made it to the finals again, but his time [...]