I had Sir John Cavendish in town from Vietnam. He asks ridiculously thoughtful questions. You should reflect on your own questioning skills. The gift of better questions? Better answers.
Here’s what I learned this week:
- Companies that have too many meetings suck at communicating.
Quit meeting and fix how you communicate. - When you learn to fire well, you can hire better and faster.
- Information without action is the greatest business sin. Instill a bias for action across your company. And celebrate people acting boldly (even if it goes sideways).
- If you don’t plan for a profit, you’re just hoping. And hope isn’t a strategy. Three disciplines:
- Close your books by the 10th and review your financial performance with the leadership team.
- Cash reports weekly unless you’re managing through a crisis, then daily.
- Daily review of the key performance metrics. You wouldn’t drive for a week without checking the fuel gauge, would you?
- There’s a difference between checkpoints and obstacles. Never apologize for putting proper checkpoints in place to ensure performance. But, if you put unreasonable obstacles that stop people from doing their best work, it’s a problem. Fix it…and recognize the difference.
- ASAP is a death wish inside a company. Accountability starts with specifics.
- Stop considering your calendar as a “suggestion.” Consider your calendar as your non-negotiable “Plan for Success.” Own your day – or it will own you.
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