The Leadership Journey

“ We will be stronger.  Let’s not waste a crisis.” As the world battles the COVID-19 crisis, leaders heading businesses are making difficult, high stakes decisions under volatile, uncertain and ambiguous conditions. Garry Ridge, Chairman and CEO of the beloved WD-40 company, is responsible for developing and implementing high-level strategies, plus the oversight of all relationships and part...

People don’t quit their job – they quit their boss and the company culture.  In our current world of 3.6% unemployment, your most valuable skill is your ability to attract and retain top talent.   So, how do you keep your best people?  Recent Gallup research found that at least 70% of the variance in team engagement is explained by the quality of the manager or team leader.   Your skills in...

The work you do every day as a leader matters and it impacts all of your stakeholders, for better or for worse.   Besides having performance goals raised every year, creating high performing teams, recruiting and grooming new talent, all while growing the bottom line – you’re also asked to have high emotional intelligence and social skills!  Oh, and let’s not forget the important requests co...

With a seat at the leadership table, a strategic budget and Board support… you will unleash a marketing super power. According to Board advisors, when a company brings in a new President from outside their organization, one of the first two positions that President personally fills is the Chief Marketing Officer role. Having an enterprise minded CMO who understands what is available in the changin...

Corporate Directors’ Forum shares their Diversity Strategy Even with continuous, unassailable evidence showing that companies with diverse leadership teams have better innovation, cultures and financial performance, U.S. businesses are significantly lagging on the diversity front. While many leaders realize they must take action, many aren’t sure where to begin. What strategies need to be in place...

Why should you care? California made the first move in 2018 by passing bill SB 826 to insure that publicly traded CA companies reflect gender diversity on their Boards. Currently, women hold 17.7% of Board seats in Public Companies, which is remarkable given research shows that companies who embrace diversity were 43% more likely to report above average profits. Currently, at least three other sta...

76% of Senior Executives report they’re miserable in their roles…here’s how to change that.   For the first time in 50 years, job candidates control the market! Why are many executives feeling dissatisfied in their current role? Much of it is because senior leaders and executives become so busy setting and executing strategy with their teams, they don’t take the time to design their own...

What Directors and Leaders Should Know Now The premise of blockchain is brilliant: a decentralized ledger that eliminates the possibility for failure by taking centralized components out of the picture. Specifically, what blockchain technology is meant to do, is automate trust.  Proponents predict blockchain will bring earth-shattering changes to traditional finance, politics, data storage, and an...

5 Proven Ways to Outperform the Competition Is your company’s leadership truly dedicated to innovating?  Are leaders rewarded for creative fails? Do you recognize the innovation blockers?  Recent research from Washington University Olin School of Business is predicting 40% of Fortune 500 Companies will be bankrupt in the next 10-15 years. Continually investing in, encouraging and rewarding innovat...

5 Proven Practices for Rapid Growth An interview with Verne Harnish, CEO Scaling Up, Founder of the Entrepreneurs Organization and their premier CEO program at MIT, bestselling and award-winning author and Forbes contributor. Growing a business is exhilarating. Regardless of whether you’ve founded your own company or are leading others to success inside of a large organization – fasten...

According to current research, at best only 30% of Corporate Change Initiatives succeed. You’ve seen the stats… 80% of people quit their New Year’s resolutions by the 2 nd week of February. Here’s what I use with my clients to stack the odds in their favor to achieve their goals and accomplish lasting change both personally & professionally. Accomplish Your Goal Using These Four Practices: Get...

Where has AI had the most traction and success and what does the future hold? Gioia Messinger iOT pioneer, Founder of Arlo , the #1 DIY smart home security system on the market today, weighs in on AI taking on jobs that are dangerous, dirty and dull.  A serial high-tech entrepreneur, senior executive and in-demand consultant, Gioia’s experience and understanding of the internet of things makes for...

CEO Lenny Comma on the payoff of social investments and the value of connection to employees Millennials are leading the charge and demanding that organizations and their leaders play a meaningful role in creating positive social change.  Not only that, 76% of investors also expect companies to take a stand on issues – like the environment, gender equality, diversity and globalization. What...

Here’s how to shake it off, get on board and start outperforming your peers by 33%. Diversity is a hot topic and yet, with almost all leaders at the highest levels in organizations looking to make progress, there are constant demands to do more and faster. Instead of shrugging off criticisms, smart leaders are overcoming bias to solve this together, even partnering with critics and they’re winning...

Alexander McCobin talks to us about seismic change in corporate culture. Alexander McCobin has the business world’s ear, and they’re paying attention.  If you’re not familiar with his name yet, you will be.  Alexander and his team from Conscious Capitalism are connecting with CEO’s and leaders all over the planet and helping them create a brave new world.  And it’s working. Just recently, Larry Fi...

No matter the industry, we’re living and working in a time of unprecedented and accelerating change. In this fast-paced landscape, you have two options: lead innovation to stay ahead of the game or fall stagnant and be left in the dust. Click here to LISTEN TO THE PODCAST. Seemingly overnight, we’re witnessing industries being disrupted by new technologies, ideas or competitors that complete...

With the right encouragement and tireless reinforcement by your leadership team, you can build a team dynamic that creates a culture of competitive advantage so contagious – it goes viral! Our guest Garry Ridge, CEO and board member of WD-40 Company, is responsible for developing and implementing high-level strategies for corporate operations as well as oversight of all the company’s partner...

Grit, Resilience & Allies: Lessons from Women Leaders in the C-Suite! What can we learn from the trailblazing women who navigated their way to the highest levels in Global Corporate America? In this podcast, Joann Lublin, Wall Street Journal Management News Editor and author of Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World , gives us insider information...

What can the “Win at all Costs” cultures at Wells Fargo and Uber teach us about dangers to watch for in performance-based cultures? Michael Berthelot, Director of Fresh Del Monte Produce Company, and adjunct Professor at UCSD for the Rady School of Management had two of his current grad students dive into the timelines during the falls from grace of Wells Fargo and Uber. In this podcast, Michael i...

Any google search will tell you the odds are against you sticking to your New Year’s resolution or any big goal.  Why? Because changing behavior is hard and most people take on change without setting themselves up to win. The good news is, there is a formula you can use to beat the odds and land in the winner’s circle. The #1 reason goals and New Year’s Resolutions fail is because your world is de...

Dr. Maria Urso’s tips and tricks on how to eat well, indulge your cravings and avoid hitting “the wall” at work Is what you eat impacting your performance at work? Do you hit a wall around 2pm that no combination of candy bars and caffeine can break through? Are you feeling guilty about indulging your cravings over the Holidays and have a resolution to get healthy? In this podcast, our guest Dr. M...

Award-winning financial crime reporter, New York Times editor, and author David Enrich held our Corporate Directors Forum audience spellbound! In a room of over 200 attendees at the CDF event – in partnership with University of San Diego Law School – Enrich regaled us with insider information on his terrific book The Spider Network: The Wild Story of a Math Genius, a Gang of Backstabbi...

It’s not enough to bring experience and expertise, more and more I’m seeing that besides having the talent to lead people to performance, my executive clients need to manage their energy within demanding roles. That means eat right, sleep enough, use your vacation time and work out! That’s why I invited Todd Durkin an internationally recognized strength, speed and conditioning coach, personal trai...

It’s time to say goodbye to the overused maxim “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”. Scientific Research and the most productive people on earth, continually reveal the path to true success, is to take care of your head, body & heart. And, that’s where Caroline Jones founder of Restival, recently named a top 2017 Eco-Luxe Retreat by the Wall Street Journal, comes in! After spending years doing high-end...

In the wake of repeated cyber attacks on Equifax showing how in demand and vulnerable, our data is to the bad guys…cybersecurity has made it to the top of every executive, business owner and Board members list. What can you do to protect yourself and your business? I reconnected with David Finn noted cybersecurity expert, COO, of AppEsteem and former Executive Director of Microsoft Cybercrim...