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Leadership and the Hurricane
August At C-Level


Ah, August. Summer's winding down (though you couldn't tell from the temperature), people are cramming in vacations before it's too late, and kids are - or are about to be - back in school.
 
This month, the Dow set another record high, Google learned more about diversity, Charlottesville tragically showed us the results of closed-mindedness, we lost the Nutty Professor, and we had a spectacular solar eclipse.

And Harvey is still kicking the living crap out of the Texas Gulf coast and parts of Louisiana. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been tragically affected by the flooding and destruction. You can help! Please give to the relief effort in any way you can; you can click here to help those impacted by donating through a worthy organization.
Next up: Labor Day.
 
For you trivia buffs, this is the 124th national celebration of Labor Day. What started as a labor union event to bring attention to the contribution and struggles of the Gilded Age workers grew into a public holiday (originally Labor's Holiday) celebrating the social and economic achievements of the American workforce.
 
That's right, not just another 3-day weekend.

With that in mind, I'd ask that you take a few minutes over the weekend to consider how you, as one of your organization's leaders, are celebrating the achievements of your workforce. The most engaged employees are those who feel appreciated doing worthy work. Appreciation comes in many forms, so don't assume everyone is motivated by the things you like. If you don't know your team well enough to know what makes them feel appreciated, ask them!

If we can help, let us know.
Dude, Take the Survey...

Triangle Performance LLC's 2017 Survey of Senior Leadership began last month! This will be our tenth year for the annual survey; the participant rate continues to grow, as does the validity and direct applicability of the data presented. We were a little slow getting out of the starting blocks, but you should be receiving the survey link in an email in a couple of weeks. Or, you can click here to take the survey now.
He Speaks!


Be a Brazen Leader! [brey-zuh n] adjective 1. bold and without shame. 2. shameless.

Bold and without shame. I cannot think of a better way to describe successful leadership today.

Invite Kevin Berchelmann for your next keynote or workshop, and show your audience just that: how to Be Brazen, and be successful in the ever-changing world of people and organization leadership. More than just business entertainment, Kevin gives actionable advice that people will use immediately.

He's an award-winning consultant, entrepreneur, executive coach and in-demand speaker.

The Brazen Leader - it's not just his blog title, it's a way of being.

Featured Articles
Diversity in Tech: Dudes, you're failing!
by D. Kevin Berchelmann

In Guy Kawasaki's book, Reality Check, he claims "Silicon Valley is a meritocracy like nowhere else." Bullshit. Look at the lack of women, minorities, over-40. If it's a meritocracy, then explain statistically impossible under-representation. Tech companies aren't examples, they're poster-children for how not to "do" diversity.

Continue Reading...
The Sun is Late...
... or, what to do when a plan doesn't come together.
by Kevin Ross

I can honestly say I've learned more from my mistakes than my successes. I doubt I'm alone in that. What's that old saying? "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" Obviously, none of my mistakes were fatal and none ended my career... yet.

Continue Reading...
Leaders & Laggards
In this section, we take a look at recent news and events, and make a gut-reaction determination for three categories:
Leadership
Leader
Demonstrating Clear,
Personal Leadership
Leadership
Milquetoast
Mediocrity in Leadership
Usually an Opportunity Not Taken, or Similar
Leadership
Laggard
Leadership Has Its Idiots, We Show You Who They Are
"#*&% you and the horse you rode in on!"
 
Automatic Data Processing (ADP) CEO, Carlos Rodriguez, isn't easy to intimidate. Instead of playing nice with its newest activist investor, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, Rodriguez fights back with a combination of facts and a little machismo.
 
Rodriguez compared ADP's investor returns (200+% over the last five years) with Ackman's hedge fund (not quite 30%) and rebuffed Ackman's hostile overtures. Then he called him a "spoiled brat". 


Read More...

"We don't like your opinion, so you're fired."
 
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google Inc., missed a golden opportunity to have a real discussion about diversity in the tech industry when he summarily fired a Google employee for criticizing the company's diversity policy and opining on the differences between men and women. It's possible someone's feelings got hurt.
 
Rarely does firing your critics encourage your remaining employees to tell you what they really think. 


"It couldn't be my fault. I'm incompetent and not allowed to make decisions."
 
That was the excuse Jae-Yong Lee, Vice Chairman of the world's biggest smartphone and memory chip maker, used as his defense during his trial for bribery and embezzlement. Seriously.
 
While Lee might be incompetent, he was still found guilty of trying to buy the South Korean government's support for a scheme that would strengthen the Lee family's control over Samsung's 60+ company conglomerate... to the tune of $17M in "donations" and an $800,000 pony. 


Read More...


Triangle in the News
Leadership is Dead! Long live Leadership... 

Article by Kevin Berchelmann published in The AMA Quarterly (the link is to the non-subscriber blog version of the printed article).

Read the Article
CFO Magazine

Kevin Berchelmann was featured on CFO Magazine's website for their "Square-Off" special, Here's Why Executive Pay Gets a Bum Rap.

Read the Article
Sales Operations 101: ...Pro Tips

Kevin Berchelmann was featured via Smartsheet for their recent feature on the Sales Operations function.

Read the Article
Oil + Gas Monitor 

Kevin Berchelmann's article Oil & Gas Executives, Talent and $30 Problems 

Read the Article...
Nearshore Americas

Kevin Berchelmann was interviewed by Nearshore Americas for their article on Successful Supervisory Development in Contact Centers.

Read the Article...
Our Thoughts