Recent Articles

It’s safe to say that one of the key elements of any plan for boosting economic growth is human resource development. Without talented, motivated, and skilled people to execute brilliant business strategies there wouldn’t be much happening in the way of innovation and growth. I applaud Mr.… read more

“The world is not always fair. If you don’t control your destiny, someone else will.” As I later learn in our interview, these are not catchy phrases Petr Smida has memorized. These are statements of his life experience. Like so many in his generation growing up under communism, he witnessed… read more

“I’m a pretty pushy guy and I like being out of my comfort zone.” The Chairman of Microsoft Europe, Jan Muehlfeit, offers this self-analysis with a smile as we begin our interview. It’s not easy to describe meeting with him, but this quote from someone who has known him for years sums it up… read more

“Act or be acted upon. This is the philosophy that has guided me through my life.” There is no emotion in her voice—this is a statement of fact from Renata Mrazova, CFO, ING Insurance Czech Republic. “Things are too complex and are moving too fast today to rely on how you did things in the… read more

On December 24th, 1983 (a date she will never forget), a young girl anxiously circled the family Christmas tree in her Prague home. She was hoping to find a new pair of skis that she was sure she would get because, “Everyone knew how badly I wanted them.” Not seeing them, she asked her father… read more

I have seen data that estimates that the average worker entering the workforce today can plan on working for 10 different employers during the course of his or her career. Why? Well, some of it has to do with this thing we call globalization, which makes businesses more competitive, some of… read more

If there is one thing I have learned in my career and in coaching executives it’s how extremely important relationships are. What follows is a narrative of how important they have been to me personally in the very recent past and I’ll tie it together as it relates to your career later in the… read more

It’s no secret to my friends that I get many of my column ideas from my wife, Priscilla. She is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and former executive in the movie industry in Hollywood. Her past exposure to one of the most complicated business models known to… read more

The central character in Homer’s Illiad, Achilles, was the greatest hero of the Trojan War. He was a fearsome warrior and leader on the battlefield just like many of our leaders today on the “battlefield” of business, but he was a terrible career coach. The goal of a career coach is… read more

The term prima donna was originally used in opera companies to designate the lead female singer in an opera. Over time, though, the term became a pejorative used to describe someone of either sex who was regarded as egotistical, unreasonable, irritable, and with a rather high opinion of… read more