In professional services, there is a trap that many fall into – defining the value of our time by our billing rate. There are many challenges that arise from that, but one of the biggest is that we tend to prioritize our time by the “billable” hour and discount the potential value provided by “non-billable” […]

As defined by Wikipedia, bias is a disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing. Having a “bias for action” doesn’t mean simply taking action – it means putting a disproportionate weight on action, which is why it can be elusive for some. Leaders or leadership teams with a bias for action…

Several years back, I had the opportunity to read a “playbook” that was created by Lou Holtz when he was coaching the South Carolina Gamecocks. What I loved about the playbook was that it wasn’t what you might imagine as a football “play” book with X’s and O’s, and offensive or defensive plays. Rather, it was […]

Because my entire career has been in the professional services environment, I have always been a big fan of David Maister and his work. David Maister, now retired, was a Harvard Business School professor who dedicated his research and work to the field of professional services. Right around the same time we founded our consulting […]

I was recently on a phone call with a client who is in the middle of an overwhelming amount of day-to-day work and trying to balance that with a focus on accomplishing a significant strategic initiative. In the phone call, my client said, “They aren’t big, but we are making small incremental changes, and we’ll […]

“Out of sight, out of mind.” It’s a cliché saying that we’ve all heard, but it is so true. In this current age of multiple tasks, activities, and priorities constantly vying for our attention, anything or anyone who is not “on the list” may not draw our eye. The same applies to people and relationships. […]