Category: Leadership

  • Leadership Fails: Inconsistent Involvement

    Leaders are busy. We have dozens of people and projects pulling our attention in as many different directions. Prioritization is key, and it’s not always obvious how to do it effectively. When it comes to leading our teams, ideally we are able to strike a healthy balance somewhere in between stifling and absent. Sounds easy…

  • Leadership Fails: I’ll Just Do It Myself

    “Nevermind. I’ll just do it myself.” Ever heard those words from a boss? Ever spoken those words to someone on your team? It’s a classic leadership fail when the leader knows she can complete the task better and faster than her employee so she just steps in and takes over. In the short term it…

  • Recognizing Zebras and Wildebeests

    On the plains of the Serengeti zebras often stick close by wildebeests. The two animals seem like an odd pairing with their contrasting colors and non-matching body shapes, but they are frequently seen traveling together in one massive herd. There’s a good reason for this conspicuous friendship. They have a symbiotic relationship in that they…

  • Why Amazon Bought Whole Foods

    Amazon wants to be the default retailer for everything. This includes groceries. The problem with selling groceries is shelf life. If you don’t turn inventory quickly, you end up throwing away your profit margin. The grocery business does not lend itself to cross-country shipping due to this perishable factor. In order to sell groceries online,…

  • The Empty Promise

    Despite the best effort of marketing and sales departments, good design never promises that which it does not intend to deliver. One of the easiest ways to alienate your user base is to overpromise and underdeliver. Even the best designers will always live with some level of disappointment. You can’t please everyone, nor should you…