Moments
With
Marty

Many leaders use the word “value” with gay abandon… they say things like, “Come on, I want you all to add value”, or “We need to create value for our customers.” But for many of the people that this is designed to motivate and encourage, it’s almost meaningless. There’s no tangible way for them to […]

Whenever you need approval for resources, or to commence a program of work, you’ll most likely need to convince your boss that it’s a good idea. As a CIO and finance executive, and later as a CEO, I assessed hundreds of investment proposals, and I made decisions based upon whether or not the business cases […]

There’s so much talk these days about purpose… kids at a very young age seem to be indoctrinated with the notion that if you don’t pursue your purpose, you’re somehow lesser… or that what you choose to do has no meaning or value. This is complete bullsh!t I didn’t find my true purpose until I […]

To build a really great team, you need to first get the best individuals on board. Then, you have to put them together in a way that delivers exceptional performance… if you say it fast enough it sounds easy! At some stage during your career, you’ll no doubt find yourself in the position where you […]

I’ve often heard of leaders getting feedback from their boss when they’ve been passed over for a promotion. They’re often told, “You need to be more strategic”… whatever that means! There could be a number of possible explanations for this… but you can’t always rely on your boss to explain exactly what she means! Let […]

One of the most useful leadership models that I’ve come across in my lengthy career is Situational Leadership Theory. The fundamental premise is that, since every individual is different, and has a different level of capability and maturity, you should adapt your own leadership style to optimize results. This means you have to ‘read the […]

The board of directors is increasingly seen as the accountable body for ensuring ethical, responsible behavior from companies. But we still seem to be witnessing some pretty spectacular failures in corporate governance. To me, this isn’t at all surprising. The board has very little influence over what the management team does on a day-to-day basis. […]

I’m a big believer in avoiding the problems that inevitably emerge when you become too isolated, or spend too much time cocooned in your own little world. I’ve seen lots of companies lose their grip on reality, becoming inefficient and uncompetitive. That’s why I think it’s incredibly healthy to bring ideas and people in from […]

Everyone thinks they know how to negotiate. Let’s face it, our negotiating skills are honed from birth, as we tussle with our parents to try to convince them to do what we want them to. We learn from a position of low power how to influence someone with greater power. Despite this, I learned a […]

Whatever you try to achieve as a leader relies, at least to some extent, on your credibility. If you have strong personal credibility, it makes everything you do inordinately easier. Credibility galvanizes your team… it instills confidence in the people above you… and it ultimately becomes an integral part of your leadership brand. Without it, […]