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 […]
Leadership Lessons From Lincoln
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.
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Dark Side of Email
Email, text messaging, and social media messaging are some of the greatest technological innovations of our time. But there is a dark side to these communication tools. One that destroys time and creates trouble […]
Busy Work
Peter Drucker, one the most celebrated management minds of the twentieth century, applies the 80/20 rule to time management. Drucker says that managers spend 80% of their time on busy work, and […]
Staying Power
Some ideas come and go while others have real staying power. One of my favorite business writers, Gary Hamel, compares the odds of developing a lasting innovation to the survival rates we […]
Internal Customer Service
When you are a customer, how do you judge customer service? Quality. Value. Speed. Help with resolving your problems. I like to think of associates as customers of the management team. How […]
My Favorite Interview Questions
To me, hiring and developing an effective team is the most important part of a manager’s job. Here are my five all time favorite interview questions: 1. If you could land a […]
The Costs of Turnover
High turnover is like having a tapeworm. No matter how many new people the organization hires, they never grow. Here are a few of the less obvious costs: Training costs Think about […]
Five Free Ways to Boost Associate Morale
You cannot have happy customers without happy associates.The real value in a company is created at the interface between the associate and the customer. Here are some best practices for creating and […]