As Q4 concludes, businesses must evaluate seven critical areas: financial performance, strategic planning, operational readiness, customer focus, people and culture, compliance, and leadership. Key tasks include reviewing financial forecasts, aligning goals, optimizing processes, engaging customers, assessing staff needs, ensuring compliance, and communicating future directions to stakeholders.
Understanding the two levels of trust that shape every organization We talk about trust constantly — building it, maintaining it, or trying to repair it. But not all trust is the same. In fact, there are two distinct kinds: Capital T Trust and lower t trust. Understanding the difference can transform how leaders approach culture,…
The Symbolic Power of the Koru: Lessons for Business Development In the natural world, few symbols carry as much beauty and meaning as the Koru. Inspired by the unfurling silver fern frond of New Zealand, the Koru is more than just a striking shape—it is a powerful representation of new life, growth, strength, and peace….
I read a great article on how to reshape the traditional bonus. I can’t find the original article, but the study it was based off of was summarized in the Wall Street Journal. The article went something like this: a bonus is designed to incentive improved performance, and is paid only after certain milestones are…
Early in my career, I had worked with some amazing folks. Industry giants, actually. People who would teach me a lot about business, about what it meant to be a leader, and how gave me opportunities above and beyond my experience or years. Folks like Jim Yager of Barrington Broadcasting, and Bob Pittman, Bob Sherman,…
During the first year of leading the Startup Leadership Program, we included the obligatory class on marketing. In the second year, we broke that down into acquiring buyers (entrepreneurial selling) and acquiring users (more akin to traditional marketing). We talked about SEO, retargeting of ads, and virality. It was good stuff, but somehow didn’t seem…
As corny as it sounds, I already have my dream business mentor: my father. He runs a small family business in Rockford, IL. He makes metal parts, which is far from my traditional interests or ambitions. However, there’s commonality that I relish. He doesn’t have a love for formal financial statements; instead, he understands that…
As a child, we dream about being astronauts, our backyard tree house becomes an outpost in the Wild West fight between soldiers and Indians, and the only limit to what we can accomplish is chime of mom’s dinner bell (or text message). Somewhere along the way, we start becoming aware of our limitations: our intelligence,…
Our private equity partner team signs their emails with four truths: communicate fearlessly, compress time, work tirelessly, and love what you do. These truths have been good to me, helping me achieve success and accomplishment. It’s become apparent that following those truths will lead to good, but not great. If substantial success, the definition of which…
A note to the graduates of the Chicago Startup Leadership Program (SLP) 2013, written March 21, 2013. During grad school, rather than wishing students “good luck” on tests, the faculty at Booth would often print the phrase “do well” next to the honor code. Luck is random; acquiring skills to be in a position to take…