Leadership and Work Culture

Between now and the end of the decade, an avalanche of startups, scale-ups and established companies will fail, but not because they pursue a bad idea or produce a shoddy or inferior product. Instead, they will fall far short of their potential or even go bankrupt because their CEOs and other top executives fail as leaders. They will staunchly, naively, smugly, or even narcissistically build and lead their company to succeed in the world that existed in past decades, but will never exist again. In other words, they will fail to adapt to the changing world.

Cluely: A Pattern-Breaker Startup Case Study

Roy Lee, the Founder and CEO of Cluely, along with his team, got one very important thing right. Far too many Founders initially get this wrong. Lee focused not only on building a great product but also on building a successful go-to-market process. Initial sign-ups for Cluely were astronomical.

How to Start and End a Professional Blog

I hope you agree with this statement, at least by the time you finish reading this post. Most professionals who begin a blog deliver a shameful mess rather than a true contribution to the business world, their profession or their industry. Please do not follow the herd. Instead, consider the following seven disciplines. If you can stick to these disciplines, you are ready to blog professionally.

Dealing with the Too-Early Price Negotiator

Price is obviously an important part of any enterprise sales package. Prices need to be fair, competitive and most importantly deliver a high ROI to customers. In most enterprise sales situations, price is discussed twice. The first discussion takes place early in the sales process. I call this first discussion the sanity check. The customer needs to verify that your price falls within expectations. I like to communicate whatever price I give at this stage as a ballpark number and ideally not put the price in writing. I also like to verify that my ballpark price is in line with my customer’s ballpark budget. The second discussion takes place toward the end of the sales process. The customer wants the best price possible in exchange for the entire package required. At this stage the customer may make a serious effort using a virtual toolbox of negotiating skills to bring the price significantly below your ballpark price. Such high-pressure negotiations are normal at the end of the sales process. However, every so often a potential customer will want to aggressively negotiate down the price at the beginning of the sales cycle. With little information about the customer’s actual need or situation, such aggressive negotiation tactics can be difficult for the sales executive. Here’s how I deal with such situations.

How to Master Today's Hidden Job Market

Most people know how to find, apply for and manage one’s candidacy with published opportunities and those that come from recruiters. Many people have also stumbled upon opportunities in the hidden job market that have led to a new position. But few follow a proactive process to maximize the value of the hidden job market. This is unfortunate since the hidden job market contains some of the very best opportunities. You can find yourself hired without any other candidates even being considered. And the role you can secure may even be tailor-built based upon your specific skills and experience, not merely the skills and experience your new employer had been seeking. In an earlier post, I provided a playbook for students looking to secure an internship in the hidden market. This guidance is for those of us who are no longer students.

Why Publish Blog Posts on LinkedIn

Many top professionals rightfully treat their LinkedIn profile as a continuous work of fine art. This work of art paints and sculpts one’s professional image to the world. When researching a company, people typically view the company website first. When researching a professional, these same people first visit that professional’s LinkedIn profile. When people research you, what do they see in the Articles and Activities section? And is this how you want others to perceive you as a thought leader and a professional? This post focuses on how to exploit the benefits of publishing blog posts on LinkedIn.

References are Now a Two Way Street

This post will be available soon.