Ideas from the operating seat.
Perspectives on strategy, finance, go-to-market, talent, M&A and leadership, drawn from 25+ years of running and advising businesses.
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Evidence matters: what the Tour de France teaches about data-driven decisions
How an underdog team won with better data, the FACTS framework for evidence-based decisions, and three client stories where the data was a head fake.
Read articleThe work that never shows up
The Montreal Protocol worked and nobody talks about it. The same is true of the preparation and client focus that save a quarter.
Read articleThe meeting is the match
Great meetings are not luck or chemistry. They are engineered through preparation, and the follow-through after.
Read articleJudgment is the new edge
Buyers arrive with AI-generated research. Agents are becoming infrastructure. What still wins is human judgment, and analytics that drive action.
Read articleThe two numbers I still measure everything by
My first job at AT&T Solutions taught me contact rate and conversion rate. The tension between them explains why sellers spend a quarter of their week selling.
Read articleCRM hygiene was never a discipline problem
For years I treated incomplete CRM data as a discipline issue. It isn't, and seeing why changed how I think about forecasting.
Read articleWhat sales leaders told us: a 2026 benchmark
Four weekly polls, 244 votes. Most first meetings never convert, preparation is the top reason deals die early, and follow-up is what leaders would fix first.
Read articleThe AI honeymoon is over. The specialization era is here.
Most enterprises have deployed generative AI, few have seen real impact. The gap is not technology; it is specialization.
Read articlePreparation is a sign of respect
Eight in ten executive buyers feel sellers are unprepared. Preparation isn't only how you close; it is how you show respect for the client's time.
Read articleThe harder you work, the luckier you get
In entrepreneurship, luck isn't just chance. It is preparation meeting opportunity, resilience and bold decisions.
Read articleHow do you evaluate a founder?
Frameworks from the Berkus Method to founder-experience models try to size up a founding team. What they look for, and the red flags.
Read articleInnovation happens at the intersections
Early in my career I saw each field as its own world. The breakthroughs came where they met.
Read articleAI can build trust or destroy it
AI will reshape how businesses earn trust. Four practices to capture the upside and manage the risk.
Read articleEmpathy makes you a better innovator. AI can help you scale it.
Empathy turns customer feelings into insight. In a world of big data, AI is how you scale it without losing the human touch.
Read articleLeading with numbers and empathy
Today's CEOs must balance the numbers with empathy. Four strategies, and where AI makes a business more human.
Read articleIs failing a leadership skill?
Acting on a vision means taking risks, and risk brings setbacks. Growing from them is a skill leaders can practice.
Read articlePeople join for the vision. They leave because of poor leadership.
A compelling vision attracts talent. Empathy and trust are what keep it.
Read articleLeadership is not wielding authority. It is empowering people.
True leadership goes beyond hierarchy. A people-centric approach drives real business results.
Read articleWhat irks people most about meetings? A lack of preparation.
We asked what frustrates people most about meetings. Lack of preparation won clearly, and it is really a question of empathy.
Read articleEmpathy is the cornerstone of leadership
As remote work, automation and AI become the norm, leaders must work harder to keep human connection.
Read articleFive women whose work still shapes ours
A Women's History Month series on barrier-breaking innovators in science, technology, engineering and education.
Read articleFive skills every leader should build for constant change
SaaS has always meant rapid change, and the pace is not slowing. The five skills leaders should keep sharpening.
Read articleAI isn't new. Human-AI collaboration is the future.
Analytical AI has been reshaping business for decades. The next step is AI that helps people make better evidence-based decisions.
Read articleIs leadership empathy declining?
Empathy drives retention, performance and long-term leadership success. But too much of it can stall decisions.
Read articleCloud growth makes data literacy urgent
The pandemic pushed businesses to the cloud faster. To capture the value, they need strong data literacy and strategy.
Read articleRalph Waldo Emerson on success
A reminder of what success really means, in Emerson's words.
Read articleTechnology is everyone's job
Most executives don't believe their companies are analytics-driven. Building a data-driven culture starts with the CEO.
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