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Resolve to stop confusing activity with progress
Dec. 2, 2019—The holidays are a great time to reflect on your calendar. If you are like me, your calendar is packed with activity. I like being busy, and much of my action reflects a drive toward important goals. Cindy Kent, Executive Vice President & President of Brookdale Senior Living, cautions us to look closely at how...
Four tips for successful change management
Nov. 2, 2019—The only thing that is constant… is change. That pithy line rings true for nearly every seasoned leader I have encountered. Sometimes change is forced on us. Other times, it is chosen. Regardless, few leaders find it easy to navigate. Studies of major corporate transformations show miserable success rates. Even the simplest changes can undo teams...
Mentors are useful. Sponsors and champions can do more for your career
Aug. 7, 2019—I regularly hear from young professionals searching for mentors. They typically view that person as a wise leader with a big network who can help them transition into a new role or company. My advice is to look for more. Mentors are great and play an important role in any career. Everyone should have several...
How do you recover from major setbacks?
Nov. 12, 2018—Everyone faces rough patches in life. For Lynn Good, 2002 was a career-defining year. As a partner of the 89-year-old accounting giant Author Anderson LLP, her career couldn’t have been better. All of that changed on March 14, when the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment of a single count of obstruction of justice related to...
Don’t ignore the signals of change
Jul. 24, 2018—The only thing that is certain is change. We all see change transforming our firms, community, and lives. Many of us eagerly embrace the opportunity and adventure of change. But when times are good, and we are enjoying a fruitful season, something inside of us often resists change. We allow our desire to stay in...
Helping others become their best self
Mar. 13, 2018—Periods of rapid growth create opportunities for leaders to foster leadership within their organizations. Over the past year, that has been the case for financial services – particularly those firms focused on mergers and acquisitions (M&A). With the U.S. economy approaching full employment, coupled with low interest rates and global economic growth, M&A activity has...
Leaders pay it forward
Jan. 29, 2018—Settling into the January routine, I can’t help but think about the new year and how I can improve. Many of my holiday aspirations include getting more exercise, learning about new tech trends, and taking parts of my game up a notch. As leaders, we might be thinking about how to bring bigger ideas to...
Closing the Talent Gap
Dec. 22, 2017—These are historic times. Last week, the U.S. employment rate weighed in at 4.1 percent — the lowest point in nearly 17 years. Tennessee’s statewide unemployment rate has been in record territory for the past few months, currently sitting at 3.0 percent, the lowest it has been since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics began...
Career-stalling behaviors to avoid and the leadership challenges ahead
Dec. 21, 2017—What are the career-stalling behaviors that might impede your ability to lead? I put that question to two human resource executives who recently visited Vanderbilt – International Paper’s Tom Plath and P&G’s Rich Postler. Both noted that with four generations in the current workforce, leadership is all the more challenging. Leaders need to meld together...
Safeguard your kids’ toys against hackers
Dec. 20, 2017—Technology is having a huge impact on the toy industry. Today, many toys include some technology-enabled interactive element, from video displays to web-based connections that facilitate communities and other features. These new bells and whistles may excite children—and help toy retailers appeal to an increasingly tech-savvy generation—but they often come with many new IT security...