Ron Shaich, the influential founder and longtime CEO of Panera Bread, earned a reputation for his impactful talks that shaped the company’s direction.
“While every speech I gave was different, the underlying storyline was always the same,” Ron reflects in his book Know What Matters.
“Here’s where we’ve come from. . . Here’s where we are today. And here’s where we could be tomorrow—if we get a few … continue reading
1: “The hard thing isn’t setting a big, hairy, audacious goal,” Ben Horowitz writes in The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers.
“The hard thing is laying people off when you miss the big goal,” Ben notes.
Not the hard thing: Hiring great people.
The hard thing: “When those ‘great people’ develop a sense of entitlement and start demanding unreasonable things,” … continue reading
1: We are finishing up another school year.
As parent-managers, we want our children to do their schoolwork before they play. So, we try to motivate them.
“I incentivize them by threatening to take away their iPhones if I see them using them before their work is done,” Fred Kofman writes in The Meaning Revolution: The Power of Transcendent Leadership.
“I add a carrot to the stick, promising that … continue reading
1: Unchecked power, control, or authority can work, Kim Scott writes in her book Radical Candor.
“They work especially well in a baboon troop or a totalitarian regime,” Kim writes.
But if we’re reading her book or this blog, that’s likely not what we are shooting for.
Kim had just started coaching Ryan Smith, the CEO of Qualtrics.
Ryan asked Kim the most important question for new leaders. The … continue reading
1: Growing up, how many times were we told: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”?
Turns out that’s really bad advice if we want to be good managers.
“Bob was one of those instantly likable people who make going to work a pleasure,” Kim Scott writes in Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity.
“He was a kind, … continue reading
1: The date was July 10, 1989. United Airlines flight 232 took off from Denver headed for Chicago.
There were 285 passengers on board.
It was a gorgeous day, sunny and mild. There were light winds out of the west at thirteen miles per hour.
“For the first hour and ten minutes of the trip, everything went perfectly. Over Iowa, the crew, consisting of Captain Al Haynes, first officer … continue reading
1: Our goal as leaders?
To build a high-performing team or teams.
The problem?
Our assumptions around group culture are mostly wrong, Daniel Coyle writes in The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups.
“Group culture is one of the most powerful forces on the planet,” he writes. “We sense its presence inside successful businesses, championship teams, and thriving families, and we sense when it’s absent or toxic.”… continue reading
Results.
I have a new role at PCI. In addition to being CEO, I am also currently serving as the leader of our outside sales team. Two weeks ago, our longtime leader of that team came to me and expressed a desire to step back from the leadership role. Prior to starting a search to find our new outside sales leader, I chose to take this role on for a period of … continue reading
1: What is the one strategy that is the most effective to overcome the seemingly endless problems that affect us as individuals and as a group?
Perseverance.
“Hold on and hold steady,” Ryan Holiday tells us in The Obstacle is the Way. “It works in good situations and in bad situations, dangerous situations and seemingly hopeless situations.”
Perseverance.
Odysseus leaves Troy for his home in Ithaca after ten long … continue reading
Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
It’s the start of a new year. For many of us, it’s time to lay out our goals for the year ahead. In recent weeks, I’ve written about the keys to a … continue reading
