On Your Mark… Go!… Get Set

Posted: March 21, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Lead, Start, Think | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

(“Ready, Fire, Aim” was taken)

Thoughtboss ‘started’ as really just an experiment in blogging… I wanted to learn WordPress (outside the confines of my job). I dove right in. But then, I had to go and choose the theme: Think. Start. Lead.

Think. I’m obsessed with original thought. Aphorisms, if they even exist. The modern day mediums of the internet and television often don’t allow for much more than concise regurgitations of old ideas, and they’re never in context… it’s just one piece of meaningless dribble after the next. I realize the irony of saying that in a blog post, but the idea here (as elsewhere in the digital world) is that I might be able to at least point to (at least quasi-) original ideas.

Start. Aggregating information about ‘starting’ new things is quite an endeavor. For my purposes, ‘curating’ might be a better word. Some new starts are more interesting than others. Some ‘how-to’ guides for startups are smarter than others. Some resources are cooler.

Lead. Truth be told, when I had to choose a domain name, the first thing I searched was thoughtleader.com, but it was taken. WordPress suggested thoughtboss (so I can’t even say I came up with it, but it is a pretty cool name). Thinkers and Starters are Leaders. It’s leadership in that context that inspires me… leadership that has to do with thinking and starting…

Who knows, maybe thoughtboss can become a cool little curating community full of these types of conversations.

Super Ultra Mega CEO

Posted: February 13, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Lead | Tags: , | Leave a comment

“We in Japan learned in the bubble economy that businesses who pursue money first, fail.”

– Haruka Nishimatsu, President and CEO of Japan Airlines.

Here’s a leader who keeps the collective goals of his organization in context. Mr. Nishimatsu cut his salary, benefits, and any other corporate perk when JAL asked for early retirements and layoffs.

The mentality in the U.S. is far different… “performance-based-pay” has become a mantra for businesses. There are benefits to the idea of paying for performance, but that model has been pumped full of steroids and allowed to wreak havoc. I have no problem paying my waiter a bigger tip for remembering what I drink and giving me excellent service, but that model just isn’t scalable all the way up to the CEO’s of international companies.

CEOs are compensated (and traded) more like professional athletes. I’m not doubting that Mr. Nishimitsu isn’t being rewarded in other ways for his service to JAL. I’m sure he owns stock in the company, and benefits financially as JAL succeeds. In his case, though, he’s actually leading. His actions enroll the rest of JAL’s employees to see their work in context of the company’s success. Nishimatsu is a leader, not just a guy who can dunk great, but who doesn’t pass the ball very much.

For what it’s worth, I bet Lloyd Blankfein can’t dunk.

The Three Laws of Performance

Posted: February 6, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Lead | Tags: | Leave a comment

There are innumerable books on leadership & management. Some apply to specific organizational structures, some are more suited and directed at “entrepreneurs” (borrowing from Rework

… I’ll call them Starters). The Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life (J-B Warren Bennis Series)
is neither (and both). If your business or organization involves people, then the laws in this book apply. Here’s an interview with one of the authors, Steve Zaffron:

I have both the book and the audiobook. It’s one of the books that I could read or listen to A LOT and get something new out of it every time. The conversation of rewriting the future of an organization is incredibly powerful. Enjoy.