Checking Your Six & Firing A$$holes
April At C-Level
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April can bring good news: Tiger Woods won the Master’s green jacket again. First win after almost a decade respite. Tells you that comebacks are possible, and that it’s never too late.
But if you aren’t keeping your eye on the ball, it can be too late, too quick.
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Take stock right now and ask yourself how you–and those you lead–are doing with your 2019 goals and objectives? Have you started those initiatives? Are you a third of the way to completion? If so, great; if not, why not?
Or maybe you don't know. If that's the case, there's no better time to do a quick check. Ask for and insist on credible status updates that are helpful to you and those you lead. Do it now, because a little later comes a heck of a lot sooner than most of us realize.
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Our 2019 Survey of Senior Leadership is complete, and another big thanks to those who participated. Your inputs gave us good insight into what your concerns are as we hurtle towards 2020. Download now—it’s free.
Developing current and future leaders along with operating cost management continue to be regular favorites, though the comments spoke more to future leaders this year. New to the game are your personal concerns around AI, IoT and Ma-chine Learning, and the need for an Accountability Culture.
94% of you said you would maintain or increase headcount in 2019, hence the appearance of Recruitment & Retention in both business and personal challenges.
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Bob Fires Assholes ...and you should too!
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By D. Kevin Berchelmann
Jim offered that Bob was direct, decisive, and had a low tolerance for incompetence. No real shocker, given Bob’s role. Then, he gave the “pièce de résistance” (that’s a copy-paste, I had no idea how to write that).
“Bob fires assholes,” he said.
So, that had me putting my pen down. “Do tell,” I replied.
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By Kevin Ross
As the leader of your team, who’s got your back? Are the people who work for and with you watching out for you, or do you find yourself covering your six to keep from being stabbed in the back?
“Covering your six” is what pilots have wingmen for. In aerial combat, wingmen fly behind and above (or below) their lead to make sure no one sneaks up on them. Pretty easy to apply that as an analogy in the corporate world: who’s going to watch your back in the dog-eat-dog of self-sufficiency and watching out for yourself?
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