Leadership

I was frustrated. And confused. And didn’t know what to do. I really liked my executive team. Each of the seven people on our team was a highly skilled expert in their function. We shared the same values. We got along. We worked hard and had fun doing it. But our progress was much slower than I thought it should be. And I couldn’t pinpoint why. Then the US Navy came to visit. The Commander Our Finance Director’s father-in-law was a retired naval commander. He now consul

“This place just isn’t the same as it was when we started.” Marilyn had quietly started looking for a new job. As she sat across the lunch table from Mary, her best friend at work, she shared the frustration that drove her to think about leaving. “When I first started here everyone was excited about what we were doing. All the employees and our families would get together for a company picnic in the summer. We would have a hilarious white elephant gift exchange every Chri

One of the eeriest games in American football history was played on December 31, 1988. The Philadelphia Eagles met the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago for what would come to be known as the "Fog Bowl." Late in the first half fog began rolling off Lake Michigan into Chicago's lakefront stadium. Players couldn't see more than 15 yards in front of them. The end zone was lost in the haze. Visibility became so bad that the press was invited to watch the game from the sid

"This is the perfect place for our new apartment complex," I thought. "It's big enough, easily accessible, and cheap." Years ago, I had recently started leading a real estate development organization. We bought land, built homes and apartments, and helped families find safe, secure places to call home. When I started, I knew almost nothing about construction. My role was to be a catalyst for business growth. Learning the basics about how things got built was left to on-the-jo