By now, if you've tapped into almost any media source, you've heard of how the Costa Concordia ran aground, sank, and created a world of mayhem for all involved.

The initial cause as I read about it in the media, is,"…made an unauthorized, unapproved deviation from its programmed course, a "human error" that led to the grounding of the vessel…," says the chief executive of the ship's Italian…

A friend recently received a call from a large tobacco company. The product she would would be leading is fantastic. The kind of work being offered is even more fantastic.

But at its core, the business represents something which is against her personal ethics. Is she being inappropriately biased, debating whether to accept the job?

This might seem one of those rare occasions…

In one of the product management forums I monitor, there has been an ongoing discussion about decision ownership. For instance, does the product manager make all the final decisions regarding his or her product?

As the discussion evolved, it reminded me a guiding principal a mentor gave me early in my career. "Never lose alone."

The best successes come from collaborative efforts, working alongside others. You may get lucky as a sole…

As leaders I think we all find our teams besieged by fires at one point in

time or another.  Sometimes it seems they’re simply building one atop another

and, unless you can do something, you risk being over run…your core mission

compromised.

In a corporate environment the fires can seem to come at your team from every direction.  The President pulls on your strings, Sales is pulling on Development, Projects demand ECOs…

Been traveling some…and find there’re still some basics

that business hotels need to improve on.  I’m sure you have your ‘favorites’ as well.

So here are ‘my’ 5 Basics Hotels Still Need to Master

• Easy check-in
• Available room service
• Quick check-out
• WiFi
• Decent restaurant for breakfast meetings

Check-In:

Since many hotels…

Funny, one of the things they don’t tell you as a Cloud service provider, is that the boundaries of the Cloud aren’t white, fluffy, and ambiguous.  Quite the opposite as a matter of fact.  They’re cold, rigid, and expansion can be expensive.

Certainly, from the consumers’ perspective, that’s exactly what the Cloud is.  But use a leaf blower to clear away the puff ‘n fluff, and you’ll find there’s something rather solid inside.  And, it costs money.

In a…

This morning I gave a presentation related to product management.  I enjoy giving this particular presentation as we explore topics like: product roadmaps; business plan; target markets, and managing scope (feature creep).

In discussing target markets, and knowing your customer, I use one slide in which I suggest they ask their customers, “What keeps you up at night?”

One of…

I've been attending Alternative Energy meetings,

forums, and briefings for a couple years now. I also evaluate a number of

business plans, such as for Ann Arbor SPARK's Accelerate>>Michigan competition.

I've continued to shake my head over how many companies are building (or preparing to build) charging stations for PEVs (plug-in electric vehicles). One forecast selling…

Hello Everyone,

I know this is a bit outside the typical 'Spokane' area of geographic interest.  I thought you might find my comments of modest interest.

JT...

- - -

Went to lunch at the Detroit Economic Club today. T. Boone Pickens was the

guest speaker. My prior impressions of him were media driven; hadn't had a

desire to specifically go learn more about this 'celebrity.' This was a good

chance to go see, first hand, what he was all…

Three times this week, I have stumbled across discussions of ‘online tools’ in relation to product management.  And, in each

case, numerous software solutions were named, yet no one specifically discussed social media.  How’s that?

At first, I noticed that social media wasn’t being included by

virtue of, what seemed to me, a glaring omission.  After all, in today’s world, consumers can rip a company a ‘new one’ quite…

This book is for leaders and managers (aspiring leaders) continuing to look for ways to survive in our never ending, ever faster world.  In short: Good book. Enjoyed it.  Found it was inline with many of the issues contemporary business leaders increasingly face every day.

In The Anywhere Leader, Mike Thompson’s written a book that suggests, just possibly, he could pick up in the shoes of the late…

Absolutely.

Your followers have a significant role in -executing- strategy. Teams are chartered to execute a mission, objectives, and goals. The underlying strategy defining these activities need to ‘harmonize,’ to some minimal degree, with your team(s) or they will not be executed, or executed ‘fully.’

Followers are not just ‘employees,’ showing up for a check, to be led around by their noses. In today’s world, given the rate of change, disruption, and ambiguity, require team…

Remember?  You started that new job.  You were full of

enthusiasm.  Your curiosity was insatiable.  And, your drive led you to overcome seemingly incredible hurdles.  At the same time, you likely had periods of uncertainty, risk was everywhere, yet the exhilaration was almost like a narcotic.

Now, the clock has rolled forward a few years.  Your curiosity has waned. 

You know where all the road’s bumps are, so hurdles aren’t quite so high any…

You know what the worst thing about networking

is?  The word itself.  Really.  I would wager someone’s done a study, somewhere, with results like this:

Top 3 Things People Hate Doing:

Public Speaking

Dying

Networking *

It need not be that way.  The crux of the problem is many parents do not understand its importance and then teach it to their children.  For many, ‘networking’ means having 299 business cards in one…

i “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters – The Battle for the Soul of American Business”

By: Bob Lutz

eISBN: 978-1-101-51602-7

With over almost 5 decades in the automotive industry, Bob narrates the industry’s history using a flair only he has. He not only walks readers through history, but gives us a first-hand…

In my experience, negativity is often a symptom. Rather than treat the symptoms, the negativity being expressed, it is better to search out the crux of the problem.



Perhaps it is an individual, a 'negative' leadership personality, in which coaching and/or other change may be required.



More often, I find negativity stems from senior management, from the ‘leadership.’ This comes in the form of unstated expectations; no clear direction and/or…

The problem with the Truth is that it can change.

Not too long ago, a few of us were in a spirited discussion about Truth and Facts; the two sometimes used interchangeably or synonymously.

One group took the position that Truth was an absolute. Unchanging, unyielding, definitive, and unquestionable. If…

“YOU CAN’T NOT COMMUNICATE ^2”

By: David Grossman

ISBN: 978-0-615-45175-6

The title is a mouthful.  Incredibly true.  But a mouthful. So I will refer to “You Can’t Not Communicate ^2” as ‘the book’ or YCNC2.  Beyond the clear message conveyed by the title, communication, let me say this is the most beautifully produced book I have seen in years.

By eyeball estimate,…

Well, I might have made the count '4,' with the latter being Communication. I’m referring to a recent post I discovered, “The Only Three Things a leader Should Focus On—Brains, Bones, and Nerves.” The article's primarily about what the leader must do, how the leader should do it, what the leader should be thinking about.…

This morning I discovered an engaging article, “Making a Successful Software Licensing & Entitlement Management Project a Reality.”

The crux of the article is a focus on two groups, Product Management and IT, that need to be involved when deciding to make changes to your company’s software licensing and…