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Articles from Rand Golletz | Selfgrowth.com
- Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Lessons For You - by Submitted on Sep 09, 2012 from Rand GolletzJim Harbaugh has been successful at every level in football. In college at the University of Michigan, he was an All-American quarterback. As the leader of the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts’ offenses, he was known as a modestly talented but gritty, independent and inspirational ...
Views: 3776 - You Cannot Mandate Commitment - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2012 from Rand GolletzWhen Carly Fiorina became the CEO of Hewlett-Packard years ago, she lamented that the culture had become one in which “anyone can say ‘no,’ but nobody can say ‘yes.’” How decisions are made is a significant part of any company’s culture. Like Ms. Fiorina, most executives wrestle with the ...
Views: 1042 - The Power of Your Internal Voice - by Submitted on Jul 08, 2012 from Rand GolletzI’ve written on a number of occasions about the importance of objectivity and fact-based decision-making. In managing your business, it’s critical that you make decisions based, as much as possible, on the evidence. Intuition certainly has its place in decision-making, but it has to be ...
Views: 1403 - You Still Have to Manage - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2012 from Rand GolletzYour job is to create, align and sustain aspiration, inspiration and perspiration! Many of today’s leaders, however, have become convinced (often times with the instigation of OD gurus), that management is no longer important, and that aspiration and inspiration are sufficient to propel ...
Views: 1094(1 vote) - Dysfunctional Habits Of Highly Functioning Leaders - by Submitted on Jun 11, 2012 from Rand GolletzMy mission is “to help business leaders discover and achieve their potential.” One of the things that I discover is that many business leaders – more than half – limit their success because of inadequate attention to reflection and self-examination. My clients would say that I’m not prone to ...
Views: 1491(1 vote) - If You Want Performance – Do These Five Things - by Submitted on Apr 08, 2012 from Rand GolletzI’m going to fill you in on something many leaders don’t get: You must fulfill five very basic requirements if you expect people to perform. You MUST give your people an explicit sense of the overall organization’s mission and values, and why they should care about them. You MUST develop ...
Views: 1082 - Talent Management – The Big Questions - by Submitted on Apr 08, 2012 from Rand GolletzIf you want good answers, you have to ask good questions. If you want compelling, potentially life or business changing answers, you have to ask huge questions. I refer to these, simply, as the “big questions.” What are big questions? They’re questions that assault the status quo. They ...
Views: 1225 - When Hiring Leaders, Do These Things - by Submitted on Apr 08, 2012 from Rand GolletzMost executives’ hiring skills are sorely lacking. A couple of years ago, I consulted with a medium-sized company’s Board of Directors to sharpen their recruiting and selection of senior executives from the outside, after a couple of bad hiring decisions had nearly buried the company. As a first ...
Views: 1153 - Meet Roy Halladay – The Phillies Mr. Mental Toughness - by Submitted on Mar 03, 2012 from Rand GolletzIf you’re not a baseball fan, you may not know his name. Here’s a primer: He’s the best pitcher in baseball. That’s not only my opinion; it’s the overwhelming opinion of his peers. Complete games – Halladay. Innings pitched – Halladay. Earned run average – Halladay. Average wins per season – ...
Views: 2152 - You Need SMART Goals - by Submitted on Feb 12, 2012 from Rand GolletzI’m going to differentiate well crafted from poorly crafted business goals. Your ability to manage your business, your work, your budget, your people and yourself depend on this skill, so spending the next five minutes digesting this brief material can be a game changer for you. Let’s start ...
Views: 986 - Additional Thoughts: Needs, Wants, Values and Priorities - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2012 from Rand GolletzI once worked with an executive who stated with certitude that his family was his number one priority. He also lamented the fact that he spent virtually no time with his wife and kids. I responded that priorities are defined by how and where we spend our time and that, by definition, his family ...
Views: 1464 - Develop Your Strengths and Starve Your Weaknesses - by Submitted on Jan 08, 2012 from Rand GolletzI once worked as a partner in an international consulting firm. As a part of that assignment, I helped executives learn to think strategically. Strategic thinking and strategic planning are distinct but equally important disciplines. While strategic plans are frequently and inappropriately ...
Views: 1101 - Why Smart Executives Make Dumb Decisions - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2011 from Rand GolletzWhen I help senior leaders with their strategy creation efforts, I’ll review past strategies and then the results, financial and otherwise, that those strategies produced. I’m frequently amazed when I see that smart, capable executives have developed and implemented strategies that should have ...
Views: 1061(1 vote) - Repeat After Me: I Will Covet My Game Changers - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2011 from Rand GolletzDanielle was an account executive with Forman and Company, a professional services firm that conducted high-end research, primarily for Fortune 500 companies. During her career, she had sold products and services ranging from time-shares to computer software and consulting – all with outstanding ...
Views: 1142 - What Good is a Mercedes-Benz if You're Jabba the Hut? - by Submitted on Nov 06, 2011 from Rand GolletzI recently read a staggering statistic. More than 40% of college graduates never read another book after they graduate – EVER – FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES! If you are not among that 40%, congratulations; you are among the living. If you are among that 40%, how are you growing? How are you ...
Views: 1203 - When it Comes to Owning Your Life, Are You “All In?” - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2011 from Rand GolletzIn poker, the term “all in” is used to describe the act of pushing all of your chips to the center of the table – letting it ride; going for broke. When it comes to living our lives, how many of us live so timidly that we will not go “all in?” Do you linger forever on your successes, or do ...
Views: 706 - Seven Tips to Keep You Growing - by Submitted on Oct 10, 2011 from Rand GolletzAccording to the late John Gardner, by midlife many of us are “accomplished fugitives from ourselves.” I agree! Someone else once said, “Anyone who has the same beliefs and attitudes at 50 years old that they did at 30 years old has wasted twenty years.” I believe that by the age of 40, many ...
Views: 677 - Do You Have a Consistent Philosophy and Belief System? - by Submitted on Sep 05, 2011 from Rand GolletzMost people assume I'm a Republican. I'm a former CEO, former CMO, and now a business coach and consultant - you get the idea! The fact is, I have NEVER been a Republican. I was once a Democrat. Then I became an Independent, and for the last several years I've been a registered Libertarian. When ...
Views: 803 - Do You Understand Our Financial Malaise? - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2011 from Rand GolletzMy interest here is to provide a very basic explanation of our country's financial condition and not an analysis of "who shot John," or a prescription for our salvation. With that in mind, I'll keep my personal politics, philosophy and beliefs out of my argument. During the last several ...
Views: 920 - Interview for Personal Qualities - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2011 from Rand GolletzMost executives’ hiring skills are sorely lacking. A couple of years ago, I consulted with a medium-sized company’s Board of Directors to sharpen their ability to recruit and select senior executives from the outside after a couple of bad hiring decisions had nearly buried the company. As a ...
Views: 1020 - The Power of “No” - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2011 from Rand GolletzI arrived to check in at my hotel in the middle of long business trip. I approached the counter and was greeted by a pleasant young woman with her name emblazoned on a badge affixed to her shirt. It said “Melanie.” Underneath her name was printed one additional word, the dreaded ...
Views: 907 - Where's Your "Dude-Line," Dude? - by Submitted on May 15, 2011 from Rand GolletzI was sitting in a meeting to watch one of my clients deliver a presentation to a group of twenty senior leaders, including the CEO, of a Fortune 200 company. About five minutes into his "pitch," an attendee raised his hand, was recognized by my client, and then asked a well-articulated, pointed ...
Views: 926 - Business Lessons From the Final Four - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2011 from Rand GolletzI frequently draw from the military and sports worlds for leadership lessons. Wooden and Lombardi gave us examples as relevant and compelling as Winston Churchill from politics or GE’s Jack Welch from business. The teams that have made the NCAA’s Final Four provide lessons that are easily ...
Views: 843 - Where Did Rumsfeld Go Wrong? - by Submitted on Mar 15, 2011 from Rand GolletzFormer Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's recently released memoir, Known and Unknown, reveals a man of prodigious intellect (no surprise), an endearing sense of humor and little self-doubt. Whether or not you're a fan of the Secretary, it's a great read. Secretary Rumsfeld's book tour has ...
Views: 807 - What Really Killed Borders and Why We Love Nordstrom - by Submitted on Feb 08, 2011 from Rand GolletzA couple of years ago, I was standing in an unacceptably long line, waiting to pay for my purchase at a Borders. I counted ten people in front of me, six people behind me, one person working a register, and a manager who was fulfilling the role of disengaged observer. After paying for my ...
Views: 1170(1 vote) - Character Matters in Team Effectiveness - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2011 from Rand GolletzScott Pioli is the General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, an NFL team that has been miserable for the last several years but in 2011, is going to the playoffs. From an article about him in Sports Illustrated: “Pioli has longed to capture something from his childhood, something difficult ...
Views: 1182(3 votes) - Character Matters in Leadership - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2011 from Rand GolletzOne of my clients and her husband, Cheryl and Michael Heller, have created a unique way of teaching their daughter Annebeth two important lessons: money management and the importance of “giving back.” They require her to divide her weekly allowance into three parts. Annebeth gets to keep and ...
Views: 1030(4 votes) - Do You Know Your “Water-Cooler Story?” - by Submitted on Dec 05, 2010 from Rand GolletzHere’s a list of some people I feel really sorry for: • Mike Tyson’s accountant (only kidding Mike – really!) • The choir director in my church (Would somebody please tell those people the truth about their voices?!) • Derek Jeter’s social secretary (busier than a one-legged man in a ...
Views: 1053(3 votes) - What Do You Stand For? - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2010 from Rand GolletzSomeone once said that "if you don’t stand for something, you'll DO just about anything." My hero, Jim Rohn, once said that the foundation for having a successful life is having a personal philosophy. I agree with both of those assertions. Having "rules of the road" for our lives can help us to ...
Views: 3790(1 vote) - The Lost Investment Banker - by Submitted on May 18, 2010 from Rand GolletzFrank was the CEO of a large investment bank that was owned by a gargantuan New York bank. His boss Charles, the chairman of the bank, called me to coach Frank. (Frank and Charles are pseudonyms.) As Charles described it, Frank had a “rough engagement style,” which is corporate speak for not ...
Views: 1062 - Get Ready for Round 2 - by Submitted on May 09, 2010 from Rand GolletzI keep hearing pundits and business people insisting that our economy is getting better. In the very short run, that might be true, but WHO is going to pay for our massive $13 trillion ($10 trillion of it incurred in the last year) federal debt? No one seems to have an answer to that question. ...
Views: 1426 - Want Success? Discard Hardheadness for Tough Mindedness - by Submitted on Apr 04, 2010 from Rand GolletzMost business executives talk about the importance of collaborating with others. When it comes to execution, however, their behavior often violates this espoused belief. Why? Because "getting things done" becomes a higher priority than "getting people on board." Fearing being perceived as ...
Views: 1450(3 votes) - Your First 90 Days With Your New Boss - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2010 from Rand GolletzIn any new job, you face a multitude of challenges… all of which have to be addressed “on the run” and simultaneously. One of the biggest of these is “managing up” – that is, working with your new boss. For too many people, including senior level executives, this becomes a random process. ...
Views: 1010 - Learn a Big Lesson From AIG - by Submitted on Mar 06, 2010 from Rand GolletzAbout 15 years ago, I got a call from a lead partner at one of the largest executive recruiting firms asking if I’d be interested in talking to Mr. Hank Greenburg about a senior level job at AIG. That company was the big dog in property and casualty insurance and was led by an iconic figure ...
Views: 1405(6 votes) - Are Your Coaches and Consultants Financially Literate? - by Submitted on Feb 05, 2010 from Rand GolletzI was attending a meeting at one of my client companies a couple of years ago. They regularly conducted sessions for the external executive coaches with whom their leaders worked, to provide updates on company results and strategy. During one segment of the meeting, the presenter used the ...
Views: 823 - Are You Mentally Tough? - by Submitted on Jan 09, 2010 from Rand Golletz"Mental toughness is essential to success." -Vince Lombardi This past spring, San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary brought a new kind (and new level) of pain to his team's training camp. Known simply as "the hill," it's a 45-degree incline that he had built for running. Singletary ...
Views: 1132 - Commit Yourself to Action Now - by Submitted on Dec 09, 2009 from Rand GolletzI've noticed a lot of changes in myself as a direct consequence of aging. Overall, I have a higher level of equanimity than I did as a 30 year old. I'm better at accepting without agreeing with points of view that diverge from my own on almost any subject. I more regularly and rigorously remind ...
Views: 1055(1 vote)