What can you do to be the most competitive business in your industry?

Vistage Inside accelerates the leadership and talent development of senior teams. We help you build your plan for your unique company and help you successfully implement your plan in the shortest time possible.

Vistage is the leading CEO world organization transforming companies and their leaders to be the most competitive businesses in their industry. Click here to find out the value of Vistage Inside. Click here to find out more about Vistage Inside.

If you are a senior HR executive, or a CEO send me an e-mail, and we will contact you. We have a very limited number of invitations to the 2012 Vistage All-City event, if you would like to receive an invitation send me an e-mail.

Why does reason fail? What are the 7 habits of spectacularly unsuccessful executives?

Econ Recon:  When Reason Fails

When someone is trying to talk sense to us, our response is often driven by unexamined beliefs (or as a friend of mine often says, “Don’t Confuse me with the Facts!”)    Vistage Staff economist Alan Beaulieu was recently confronted during a talk by someone whose beliefs could not be refuted by any combination of facts or logic; a problem that Alan feels underpins a lot of our problems in Washington which in turn is sowing the seeds of far larger problems in the future.  See his latest blog entry at the ITR Website … “When Reason Fails.”

7 Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives

Sydney Finkelstein, Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, published “Why Smart Executives Fail” a few years back.  He looked at what the CEOs of over 50 formerly high-flying companies – like Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, Rubbermaid, and Schwinn – did to become complete failures and identified seven behaviors that were common to all.

Find out if you’re behaving badly as a CEO in this brief Forbes article “The Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives – Forbes.”

Which is more important – Strategy, Financing, or People?

Which is your number one priority: business strategy; financing your business; or ensuring your people accomplish the right tasks on time and on budget? Do you focus on one and leave the other two priorities to chance? In reality, to be successful, your company needs to create and implement breakthrough strategies which unite the three both short-term and long-term. Are you a Houston CEO of a company (or division manager of a multi-industrial) with revenues in excess of $50 million, or the senior HR executive of a company that is committed to being the most competitive in your industry? Then you may want to join us Thursday, March 29^th, at The City Club of Houston. Jim Bandrowski (click here) will discuss new strategic planning concepts to transform your business. If you are interesting in attending the meeting please contact me or follow the links (click on Experience Vistage Houston – March 29).

Interesting Articles for the Future of Your Business/Life

You may find the following links helpful as you move forward with your business and your life. The first link is to an article published in Forbes by Kristi Hedges titled “Do You Feel Lonely As A Leader? Study Says You’re Not Alone” (click here).

As a Vistage Chair (click here) I attend numerous speaker/workshop sessions (20+/year). The speaker/workshop sessions typically last 3 to 4 hours and deal with all aspects of business, leadership & personal development. Last week my Vistage (click here) CEO Group had the honor of listening to Herb Meyer’s (click here) predictions on where the future opportunities for developing our businesses will be in the coming years. The predictions were based on enormous research and a very thorough evaluation of trends.
Since leaving the CIA after the Regan administration Herb has spent his time collecting research and writing (former Fortune editor) on world economic events.

After the speaker/workshop session, which was not political, Elly and I had the opportunity to have lunch with Herb. What a delight to listen to what happens in Washington and politics in this country. Herb’s prediction is unless the crony capitalism is “blown up” and we recognize the siege of western civilization is real, our way of life is truly in danger.

Herb is a frequent essay contributor to the American Thinker. I thought you might find the following articles of value:

“Why Precisely, is America so Great” (click here), and

“A U-Turn Strategy for the GOP” (click here).

Thanks for taking the time to read this posting. I challenge you to really think about how you want to live in the future.

Do you align your Company’s goals with your key performance indicators?

Are You Keeping Your Company Young?

All businesses go through a life-cycle. Some businesses survive aging and others do not. While we cannot prevent our own aging, we can prevent our business from aging. You may want to read a recent article about Research In Motions demise (click here), and learn how you can take the steps to keep your company young by clicking on The Fountain of Youth Prevent Organizational Aging.

“Who’s on First?”

The purpose of my blog is to help you become a better leader with a balanced life/work. We cannot separate where are business/life work will be tomorrow without understanding how regulations/reports influence our life/work. You may find the following interesting.

One of the greatest comedy skits of all time is Abbot and Costello’s ”Who’s on First.”  (If you’re too young to have seen this classic, click here for a 3 minute version of this immortal routine).   The only thing that might be more confusing than “Who’s on First” is how the unemployment rate is calculated.  Someone has recast the debate about how employment should be measured as though Abbot and Costello were arguing about it…..I’m not sure it clears up the confusion about this important statistic but it makes it much more fun to read about!!

COSTELLO: I want to talk about the unemployment rate in America.

ABBOTT: Good subject. Terrible times. It’s about 9%.

COSTELLO: That many people are out of work?

ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.

COSTELLO: You just said 9%.

ABBOTT: 9% Unemployed.

COSTELLO: Right 9% out of work.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 16%.

COSTELLO: Okay, so it’s 16% unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, that’s 9%…

COSTELLO: WAIT A MINUTE. Is it 9% or 16%?

ABBOTT: 9% are unemployed. 16% are out of work.

COSTELLO: If you are out of work you are unemployed.

ABBOTT: No, you can’t count the “Out of Work” as the unemployed. You have to look for work to be unemployed.

COSTELLO: But … they are out of work!

ABBOTT: No, you miss my point.

COSTELLO: What point?

ABBOTT: Someone who doesn’t look for work can’t be counted with those who look for work. It wouldn’t be fair.

COSTELLO: To who?

ABBOTT: The unemployed.

COSTELLO: But they are ALL out of work.

ABBOTT: No, the unemployed are actively looking for work…Those who are out of work stopped looking. They gave up. And, if you give up, you are no longer in the ranks of the unemployed.

COSTELLO: So if you’re off the unemployment rolls, which would count as less unemployment?

ABBOTT: Unemployment would go down. Absolutely!

 COSTELLO: The unemployment just goes down because you don’t look for work?

ABBOTT: Absolutely it goes down. That’s how you get to 9%.Otherwise it would be 16%. You don’t want to read about 16% unemployment do ya?

COSTELLO: That would be frightening.

ABBOTT: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Wait, I got a question for you. That means they’re two ways to bring down the unemployment number?

ABBOTT: Two ways is correct.

COSTELLO: Unemployment can go down if someone gets a job?

ABBOTT: Correct.

COSTELLO: And unemployment can also go down if you stop looking for a job?

ABBOTT: Bingo.

COSTELLO: So there are two ways to bring unemployment down, and the easier of the two is to just stop looking for work.

ABBOTT: Now you’re thinking like an economist.