As I mentioned in a previous post I stole this line from Mythbusters, which was one of my favorite shows. The thing about failure is that it is a data point. There's this famous quote from Thomas Edison: I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't workThomas Edison When you look at … Continue reading Failure is always an option
Photo by rob walsh on Unsplash I'm working on writing a book and one of the eventual chapters will be titled Responsibility = Results. This idea, along with three others, represent my guiding philosophy of how you be a successful leader and how you run a successful company. The full list of these ideas are below: Responsibility = … Continue reading Responsibility = Results
from Boston Globe This is not a political post, though it may seem that way. At a recent debate Elizabeth Warren took Mike Bloomberg to task for allegations of sexual harassment. Mike Bloomberg made an ill-advised statement that "they maybe didn't like a joke I told." Now I'm not here to litigate whether his joke … Continue reading Communication is a two-way street
If you’ve read Peter Drucker then you know that being an effective executive is one of the goals of every manager and leader. My understanding is that effective is defined as the ability to get things done. You have an idea of the actions you want your direct reports to take, now you need to … Continue reading It’s better to be effective, than to be right.
This past week I had an enlightening conversation with two different employees. Enlightening in that it revealed their two different styles. With both I was discussing some technical aspect we needed before we could move forward with our new system implementation. The first employee listened to what I was saying, said they understood, then proceeded … Continue reading The correct answer is: I don’t know
This past Thursday I completed my 12th year with my company. That's a long time. I started at the store level, worked all three shifts, was the stockperson, did accounts payable, was the manager of our Austin stores, and finally moved laterally to product buyer (who also does web, social media, marketing, and merchandising). I've … Continue reading Anniversary Blog – 12 years
When reviewing the literature about leadership a common theme emerges: responsibility. The best leaders all take responsibility. Each book gives it a different name and uses different examples, but it always comes down to responsibility. Here are three ways great leaders accept responsibility and make their companies better. 1. Taking Blame/Passing on Praise The best … Continue reading Leadership is about Responsibility
Most of my posts deal business after you've achieved a position of leadership. But how do you get there in the first place? Leadership is earned not given. I'm not sure who said that, but I'm sure someone has. Most employees, however, want the TITLE before they lead. Which brings up a catch-22: management wants … Continue reading Leading before you’re a Leader
If you're running a small business, you'll generally be the one doing the hiring. In fact, you'll probably be working side by side with this employee. The good thing about this is you get to choose the person, so you'll probably choose someone with a similar work ethic and temperament . The bad thing is, … Continue reading 3 Tips for Better Hiring
One of the areas I think most businesses need improvement is in the area of "feedback". There are basically 3 types of feedback: positive negative none I'll start from the bottom up. "None" is the type of feedback most managers give. I've worked for only a limited number of places, but each of my managers … Continue reading Keep it positive
Joe Robles 