By Devin, on February 9th, 2009%
I’ve known many leaders that are extremely protective of their staff. You know, those managers who people go to when they’re struggling with problems or have gotten themselves in trouble. These “paternal” leaders often provide answers and approaches to problems that are clear an easy to follow. The loyal follower just goes off and executes on . . . → Read More: Paternal Leadership
By Devin, on May 20th, 2008%
I was in a series of leadership offsites this week and had some interesting observations about communication. All the leaders around me were the best that I have ever worked with. They understand business and how to lead. Each leader has their own style and strengths which create their own organizational culture. . . . → Read More: Leaders Ask Rather Than Direct
By Devin, on May 7th, 2008%
One of the biggest traps that we fall into in technical companies is we assume we know what customers want or need. Silicon Valley companies grew up building engineering products for engineers. This means that we started by making products for ourselves and assumed that customers needed the same stuff too. Fortunately, we . . . → Read More: The Most Dangerous Business Assumption
By Devin, on May 2nd, 2008%
People hate to fight. Its human nature to avoid conflict and we all want to be liked. Unfortunately, people often mistake confrontation for aggression. The reality is that conflict can be positive and constructive. Confrontation does not have to, and shouldn’t, be personal nor does it have to be mean. Direct . . . → Read More: Leading: Turning Conflict Into Conversation
By Devin, on April 23rd, 2008%
I was chatting with a member of my management team in the hallway the other day and something she said really stuck in my head. We were talking about the organizational performance turn around that we were in the midst of and she said, “You’ve really added simplicity and definition to what we need to . . . → Read More: The Business Is Never About You!
By Devin, on April 17th, 2008%
Working for a large company makes it very easy to get comfortable. You wake up and go to the same office, work with the same people, and do relatively similar things consistently. It’s easy to get lulled into the pattern. In Silicon Valley, that pattern became a lifestyle. The internet bubble has . . . → Read More: The Consultant’s Mindset
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