“Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Quit Drinking”

Steve McCroskey, a somewhat legendary air traffic control director at LAX in the 1970s, is never referenced in conversations about leadership and crisis management by MBA academics and executive coaches.  There are very good reasons why this is so.    First, in times of crisis, McCroskey allowed his personal demons to get the better of … Continue reading “Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Quit Drinking”

The #1 Quality in a Professional

Talent, no.  Education, definitely not.  Experience, nope.  Creativity, sorry.  Integrity and leadership, very important but not it.  All those qualities and many others I didn’t name are wonderful and certainly aspirational for all professionals, but they aren’t #1. The most important quality in a professional today is availability. Availability is the #1 quality in a … Continue reading The #1 Quality in a Professional

The 3% Merit Fallacy

It's performance review season at many companies right now.  Managers are sitting with their direct report and, hopefully, having thoughtful discussions about areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.  Employees, hopefully, are sharing their thoughts on past performance and goals for the future. How one's performance is rated - and companies use various tools from … Continue reading The 3% Merit Fallacy