The right choice is often ‘both’.
Life throws a lot of paradoxes at you. For example, you need to work as hard as humanly possible but you also need to have a life. You need to listen to customers but you also need to...
Seven practices to help you stay energised and focused
There’s traditionally been a lot of focus on morning routines (what you do right after you wake up) and evening routines (what you do before bed) as ways to increase...
The opposite of a good idea is… also a good idea
When it comes to strategy, logic isn’t always your friend. Since most of your competitors have access to similar information, if they all followed the most logical...
Great managers do this to set their team up for success.
In a previous essay on delegation, I suggested two principles that can help you delegate more effectively: (i) delegate problems, not tasks, and (ii) coach, don’t...
This simple format can help you get what you really want.
When you’re a founder, you sometimes have to ask people for something they may not want to give. Perhaps, you’re asking your investors to invest in a bridge...
Your board members can help you—if you ask.
How valuable do you find your board meetings? If you use them only to present results, share your learnings, or provide reassurance that you’re on top of things, you...
Putting the gun in their hands can uncover their true colours.
Imagine you’re CEO of a small company. Your sales director has a variable bonus linked to new sales. During the year, the business strategy changes to...
If your feedback cycles are too slow, try this.
The 360-degree feedback process can help employees and managers get a better sense of how they are perceived by others across their organisation. However, putting it into practice is...
How to pursue your inspiring vision without crossing the line.
We all have narcissistic tendencies, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some narcissistic traits — such as having a clear vision or the ability to...
Going with your gut instinct isn’t going to cut it.
Ten years ago, I learnt a critical lesson about recruiting while I was sitting on a bus.
I noticed the guy next to me was reading a popular book about startups, so we...