When a cynic asks, “What if we train them and they leave?” winning organizations respond, “What if we don’t train them and they stay?” — Peter Drucker I had a conversation with a potential client last week. It was about their CMO — he isn’t working out. The CMO was hired out of a…
I had coffee the other morning with “Elaine.” (Have you noticed how much coffee I drink? 😊) She had recently moved into a C-suite position with a biotech — she was already wondering if she made a mistake. The problem is not the job itself or the people she works with as individuals. It’s the group…
I had several recent experiences, all of which reinforced the idea that sometimes, we are literally one good conversation away from fixing a potentially large problem. Experience #1: A C-level executive confided in me that he was thinking of leaving his job. He said that his boss (the CEO) didn’t seem to care or pay…
It was just a few weeks ago (it feels like years!) when Vice President Harris was faced with a challenge: Who to choose as her running mate? Many names were floated and the good news for Harris was that all the serious contenders were well qualified. Not all in the same way of course –…
When I was young, I was always happy whenever a friend invited me to their house for dinner. Even back then, I was endlessly curious about humans and it was fun to get a behind-the-scenes look at another family. But I was always a little bit nervous, too — every family has its own way…
I had a conversation this morning with Richard (not his real name) concerning a job offer he just received. He wanted to know my thoughts. For the past five years, Richard has been at a large company and currently has an Executive Director title. The offer is for a position with the same title, the…
My car died on me last week. It slipped out of gear and I couldn’t get it back into drive. So there I was, stranded, in the middle of the road. Fortunately, it was a quiet street and it didn’t take long for the tow truck to show up. Still, it was unexpected. It’s a…
When it comes to considering a job change, sometimes the signs are obvious: Sunday evening is hugely depressing; bad leadership that is not going to change; misalignment of values; material issues with company viability, etc. In those situations and others like them, the decision to seek greener pastures is usually not a difficult one. But…
I had dinner last week with a very senior, very accomplished, female executive. She has every qualification you would expect to find in a biotech CEO: education, experience, background, intelligence, temperament, BOD experience. But when I asked what she was looking for in her next career move, she didn’t say CEO… she said COO. Argh….
My friend Barb is a “tequila freak.” She owns close to a hundred bottles of every type imaginable. (Who knew there were this many?!) For a time, she was even thinking about starting her own brand. And when we meet for dinner, we have to choose a restaurant based on the tequila list. Seriously. Me?…