Archive for the ‘Change Agent’ Category

Six Things It Takes To Be A Good Interim Executive

4 May 2007

number sixMy post, “Three Cases When Interim Executive Management Make Sense” focuses on Interim Executive Management from the company’s point of view.  An article published in the UK focus on Interim Management from the person’s point of view.

I’m still a little surprised when I find myself recommending that, under certain circumstances, companies should make interim appointments at the executive / C-level.  “Short-term” is simply not my nature.  But some of the comments in the article help explain why, for the last decade, I’ve enjoyed success in a handful of assignments both in the States and in Europe:

  1. Fixing Things Fast:  Interim executives need to enjoy fixing / changing things in a defined period of time.
  2. High-Pressure Situations:  Interim executives need to be passionate about the task at hand, with a strong ability to succeed under high-pressure situations.
  3. Hands-On Role:  Interim executives need to become an integral part of the organization; most employees open up to them, providing key support for a rapid solution.
  4. Loyalty:  Interim executives develop a keen sense of loyalty to the organization, particularly to the need to improve it.
  5. Prior Knowledge:  Interim executives bring to each organization the learnings from many other enterprises, allowing for rapid improvement.
  6. Permanent Interim:  The best interim managers are those “who do it for a living” and are not simply “between jobs.”

The article’s not particularly well written, but it’s a quick read if you are so inclined.

Let’s Change Christmas to be a Monday Holiday

2 January 2007

Wasn’t it great having Christmas on a Monday this year? Paraphrasing the last line of Van Morison’s song Coney Island from the Avalon Sunset album, “Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this every year?”

For both business and social reasons, making Christmas a Monday holiday makes sense. This year, the week before Christmas was a ‘clean’ full week at work. Other than an afternoon for a ‘Christmas lunch’ on Friday, the only people who missed work were those sneaking out a day or two early on international vacations. (When I heard one was stuck at the snow-bound Denver airport and another at the fog-bound London airport, I could almost hear my long departed Irish grandmother saying… (more…)

St. Stephen’s Day; Ireland’s answer to Britain’s Boxing Day

26 December 2006

In Ireland, 26 December is St. Stephen’s Day, probably the best day of the Christmas season because the focus is on being with your dearest friends.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas in Ireland, the focus of celebration is ‘associates’ –– coworkers, business associations, social groups, etc. Though events start in early November, the pace quickens in December and does not end until late Christmas Eve with ‘Christmas drinks’ with your office mates.

The focus of Christmas day itself is family. Having no family in Ireland, we spent our four Dublin Christmases at the homes of dear friends Tat and Eoin McVey or Fiona and Owen Murphy. Though we were not family members, their Irish hospitality made us feel as though we were. We will be forever grateful for these dear friends.

Stephen’s Day (the ‘Saint’ is usually dropped) is great because… (more…)

My First Post; So I’m a “Change Agent”

22 December 2006

“So you’re a change agent!” With those words – change agent – the CEO of a European company recently summed up 30+ years of experience on my resume.

Previously, the most succinct description I’ve come up with is this:

I specialize in three areas, startups, rapid expansions, or turnarounds. I either start things, grow things that others have started, or fix things that others have broken.

The “things” being “started / expanded / turned around” include products (from all sorts of industries), sales organizations, factories, divisions, or entire companies. And of course it’s not me who accomplishes all this; rather it’s the incredible people I’ve been fortunate enough to lead.

My boss, Omar Khudari, has been bugging me to start a blog to share… (more…)