Last week we discussed the pickle or ethical dilemma of empire building. Sales managers, like our hypothetical friend Tom Hansen from Ethics Corp, are motivated through bonuses and advancement opportunities to expand their responsibility beyond […]
Author: John Demma
Welcome to my blog. I have been a manager for fifteen years, and for the past five years I have been leading teams of 500 people or more as a director and VP for large growth companies. I share my leadership journey and thoughts here with the hopes of helping and inspiring other leaders.
Ethics Series Part 1: Empire Building
One of my favorite moments in sports is when a baseball runner gets caught in a pickle. Trapped between two bases with fielders chasing him down from both sides, the runner’s athletic talents along with […]
On Becoming A Father
The Days Before I now realize how clueless I was in the days leading up to Jack’s birth. I had nine months to talk myself through the process and develop expectations about what our lives […]
Values: What’s Our Core Made Of?
I have been thinking about values a lot lately. What is most important to me? What am I willing to go to the mat for? And what are values anyway? Maybe values are like the […]
The Best Boss I Know
I know a lot of bosses, but there is one woman who stands out as the best. Her team is tough and her business is stressful, yet she succeeds through strong leadership values we can […]
Management Skills: Focus on Success
During tough times work can feel like a lot of effort without a lot of results to show for it. As a manager, I’ve fallen victim to a seemingly common trap –– focusing on my […]
Management Schizophrenia
Early in my career I had multiple manager personality disorder. I was respectful attentive John around my manager. John the comedian with my peers. I was authoritative with my direct reports and still someone else with […]
Love/Hate: The New Balance of Management
In my last post I talked about how management challenges are a lot like long distance running. New Balance shoes brilliantly branded the running experience in their ad campaign “Love/Hate, the New Balance.” Anyone who’s […]
A Manager’s Motivation
I once read that self-pity is unbecoming of a manager. This is not a self-pity post. The fact is managing people can sometimes be stressful and isolating work. It’s not all giving high-fives and atta-boys. […]
Leadership Lessons From Lincoln
I just finished the Abraham Lincoln biography, “With Malice Towards None,” by Stephen Oates. While one biography certainly does not make me an authority on such a complex man, I did take away some leadership […]
Managing Change
We’ve had a major organization structure change at our company this past week. Change is a scary word for people at work. The mere mention of organizational change creates anxiety in people. Will I be […]
Three Resolutions for Better Performance in 2011
Since New Year’s is a time for reflection and goal setting –– two of my favorite things to do—I thought I’d share my plans to improve as a leader in 2011. Few people make resolutions […]
Every Baby’s Different
My wife and I are expecting our first baby in March. We’ve shared the exciting news with everyone. The other night I was talking with a classmate, a father of two. As he told me […]
You Never Know
You’re a young entrepreneur who’s just inherited his father’s burgeoning business. Dad passed away just as the business was getting on its feet and this makes you doubly committed to success, yet cautious of the […]
If It Ain’t Broke, Grow It
The old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” does not apply to business. Complacent businesses quickly fade to obsolescence as competitors pass them by. The same could be said for us at work. […]