The Profit Prophet

I have read and written a great deal about leadership and being a boss in a corporate setting, and am a big fan of the development of leadership skills in a person’s life. No, not everyone will be a leader all the time, but when you do lead, great leadership makes ordinary people into extraordinary people. So, what is it about leadership that is so important and what are the characteristics that make a great leader? As Orrin Woodward once said, “The only thing tougher than developing leadership skills is attempting to be successful without them.” In that vein, there are seven critical characteristics that make great leaders stand out from other people. What is amazing is that there is nothing super human about them, and any one of us can hone these skills if we do a little practicing every day. Yes, leadership is in all of us if we just put a little effort into it. Optimistically Realistic Napoleon Bonaparte once stated that a leader is a dealer in hope. To take it a bit further, “Th...

Over the 100,000 plus years we and our brains have been evolving. During that time, our minds have grown past our primitive lizard brains and as such have brought us intelligence; which in turn has allowed humans to accomplish some fantastic things. Even with all that time and evolution, we and our brains are still guided by these four most important motivators: avoiding threats, minimizing energy, seeking certainty (reducing risk) and obtaining rewards (increasing pleasure). It is easy to see why these four conditions motivate us not to change, because change usually involved reducing certainty while simultaneously increasing risk and expending energy, often without any guarantee of obtaining a reward. Essentially, due to in a large part to our primordial past, when we find ourselves confronted with change, either on a personal level or say at your company, all the fears from our lizard brain are triggered. So, how can we get past those fears and anxieties that our gene...

As a young boy, I was sent away to Military School and there began my journey on discovery of what makes a good leader, and what does not.   Of course we had to study many of the great leaders of history, but more importantly, when put into positions of power, I discovered that just having rank, did not necessarily give your power over individuals. From that time until now, I have realized that in order to get anything done, and done well, involves leadership, and being a boss is no exception.   Of course, good bosses have strong organizational skills, are smart, creative, have solid decision-making skills and they get things done; exceptional bosses have that and something more.   It is not the what, but the how, that make good bosses great bosses.   It is how they take care of the people around them, the esprit d corps they create, the joy they bring to any endeavor and the passion they instill to all they meet.   Great leadership makes ordinary people ...

During my 15 years of helping start and working for start-up companies, I have learned a few things from all the mistakes I have made and from the mentors and advisors I have met and worked with. Though there are dozens of things you may have to worry about when starting a company, I will highlight the 3 Deadly Startup Sins that will pretty much guarantee your eventual failure. Leadership Actually, Leadership is the number one element in the eventual success of any new endeavor. And the number one mistake made with most start-ups is assuming that the founder or inventor should be the person running the company. History has proven this is often not the best course of action for the success of a company. Henry Ford stated that even though Thomas Edison was the smartest person he had ever met, he was a horrible businessman. I have seen far too many people, who happen to be brilliant inventors or scientist, be absolutely horrible leaders. Ever endeavor, large or small, rise...

Hypergrowth is when a company has 5 or more years of 40% plus growth year after year. This is a very rare, and usually unsustainable situation, but believe it or not, any company can achieve this if they just plan and organize for it. Yes, not all companies will experience hypergrowth, but it is not because they cannot, it is because they did not PREPARE for it. I could not imagine any championship team or athlete NOT preparing to be a champion; of not working everyday to win the cup, or series, or world title? Amazingly, most companies that do not experience hypergrowth never see themselves has champions. So, how do you prepare you and your company for hypergrowth? I have listed 10 Commandments which at a minimum will set you on the path to hypergrowth, and yes, it goes for high tech and traditional companies as well. I. Set a Big, No Humongous, Goal As Marianne Williamson is quoted as saying, “Playing small doesn't serve the world in any way.” Companies need a ...