Tag: CEO

Politics, Negative Ads, and Trust

Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on negative ads in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter: Take a look at the 2012 presidential race between President Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. The race has already taken on a very negative tone. A recent study by Wesleyan University showed that 70% of […]

Bell Curve, or Everyone’s Excellent?

Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on performance evaluations and bell curves in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. Here’s my colleague’s point, Oswald continues. Our performance evaluation system includes ratings of outstanding, exceeds expectations, meets expectations, needs improvement, and unsatisfactory. As a company, we expect the distribution of the appraisals to be […]

What Does it Take to Be Successful? Ask an Expert

Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on business success in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. If you want to learn how to throw a great curve ball, Oswald continues, ask someone who throws a wicked curve ball. If you want to know how to bake the perfect chocolate cake, talk to the […]

Don’t Be An %#*hole!

Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered his thoughts on the worst in management in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. The book was a New York Times bestseller, Oswald continues, so plenty of people have read it. I’d say it has some good lessons for everyone. But, what amazed me were some of the stories […]

Why Do People Work for You? 3 Reasons

Oswald, CEO of BLR, offered 3 reasons why employees want to work for bosses in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. People go to work for a company for many reasons, Oswald continues. Maybe the work is challenging and rewarding or the pay and benefits are too good to pass up. It might be […]

The Difference Between Knowing How and Knowing Why

A friend of mine likes to say, “People who know How … work for people who know Why.” Think about that for a minute. What’s the difference between knowing How and knowing Why? The people in your company who know How are, no doubt, very important.  In fact, the company can’t operate without them. They’re […]

Here’s to the Crazy Ones!

“I’ve been reading Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs,” notes business and leadership blogger Dan Oswald. “It’s an interesting read because Jobs was a fascinating character. Jobs was a polarizing figure, revered by many and hated by others. But regardless of how anyone might feel about him, there’s no denying the man was a creative […]

It Takes Three—Creative Type, Business Type, and ?

Now, I’m not sure you actually need three people, but you definitely need all three skill sets in the top people in the company, says Oswald, CEO of BLR, who offered his thoughts on the three key management skills in a recent edition of The Oswald Letter. As I recall, Oswald says, the argument went […]

Managers Need Questions—Not Answers

Yesterday, we looked at Dan Oswald’s thoughts on control vs. collaboration. Today, more wisdom from Oswald. He suggests that managers shouldn’t try to have all the answers; the real key to great management is asking the right questions.