Author Archives: Dave Berkus

Let your board help with “what” and “why” – but rarely “how.”

I am sure you can argue with this one. Sometimes a board member is valuable in teaching the “how” to get things done inside the company.  But experience reinforces the usual fact that a board member telling the CEO or … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Protecting the business, Surrounding yourself with talent | 1 Comment

Does your board give you good advice?

This may be news, but boards of directors can offer bad advice.  Having served on more than forty boards, I’ve seen such a variety of good and bad advice that my stories could fill a book.  (oh, wait. They have…) … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Protecting the business, Surrounding yourself with talent | 7 Comments

Where’s your team playbook? Hmm?

This one comes straight from football.  From experience and from information about the competition, a coach creates a playbook that contains detailed plans for actions or plays that the entire team must know without question and execute without pause in … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Surrounding yourself with talent | 3 Comments

Can your team overcome messy problems?

Some problems seem impossible to surmount Leaders and teams can be overwhelmed.  We’ve all probably experienced this. Several big problems hit us at once.  Or the system goes down, stranding everyone. Or worse yet, “We’ve been hacked.” Add the twist … Continue reading

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Hire for your core. Partner for the rest.

A trend for businesses large and small There is a major trend shaping up that is worldwide, already identified by hundreds of thousands of startup and small business CEO’s.  By carefully recognizing and focusing upon the very core of the … Continue reading

Posted in Growth!, Protecting the business, Surrounding yourself with talent | Leave a comment

Are you a remote manager? A good one?

Are you a virtual manager? Can you be effective if you are a “virtual” manager, commuting from home or a home office and being with your employees only part time? Measuring your performance In a virtual environment, people measure you … Continue reading

Posted in Surrounding yourself with talent | 5 Comments

Can you name the two most powerful words for business?

Here’s a puzzle where the answer come first. “Help me.” Over the years I have heard many stories from entrepreneurs, students, news reporters, even my children, all telling me that they could not get someone’s attention they wanted or needed until … Continue reading

Posted in Depending upon others, Surrounding yourself with talent | 1 Comment

Do you take those loyal, key customers for granted?

OK.  We know that an executive’s job is not easy. Nor is there much time in a typical day for outreach of any kind. Especially in your growing company, you are drawn into daily process issues by all of your … Continue reading

Posted in Growth! | 2 Comments

How much do you spend on R&D? Is it enough?

Why do profitable, mature businesses die away? One of the most obvious reasons mature businesses die away – when we look in the rear view mirror – is that they did not spend to renew their product or service when … Continue reading

Posted in General, Hedging against downturns, Protecting the business | 2 Comments

Should a leader support constant change?

The worrying that always precedes a change When a new CEO or manager is hired into a company, for a while lots of energy flows from the top and new ideas seem to be generated daily.  It is one reason … Continue reading

Posted in Growth!, Protecting the business | 3 Comments