Recent Articles from Lisa Jackson
Best of CoBiz: The business value of culture in a merger
The rules of “making money and making deals” have shape-shifted in an era of greater uncertainty and transparency. There is an increasing expectation of “full disclosure” in every part of our world, customers are more savvy, and employees expect to play a part in decisions that used to be executive territory. The job of leading […]
Best of CoBiz: Six rules for a happy workplace
I play two main roles in life: corporate consultant to leaders and parent of two teenagers. I am often struck by the similarities between these two "jobs." As I see it, many leaders spend their day trying to "make up" for parenting that didn't happen. And, if you happen to be doing both jobs - you...
Best of CoBiz: Don’t be a coporate culture misfit
Just landed a great new job? Feeling excitement, nervousness and anticipation? Take this to heart: A sobering 40-60 percent of new executives fail in the first 18 months on the new job - often due to corporate culture misfit. Too many new executives try to lead with power before they build a true...
Best of CoBiz: Three simple ideas to improve your business culture
Your company culture is like a kid’s personality: a blend of the parents’ DNA and experience over the years. Much cannot (and should not) be changed about it. As a parent, your job is to provide a structure and system that makes sense – ie, the family culture – to allow the right balance of […]
Best of CoBiz: The one culture practice everyone needs
Culture is a fancy word for “how do we work together to achieve our business goals.” If people work in your business, you suffer a form of “BPMD” – business multiple personality disorder. BPMD is the ability of certain personalities to dominate, take over, play favorites or run hidden agendas. In two decades of working […]
Best of CoBiz: Is your culture ready for the new world order?
“The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.” – Carlos Castenada If you’re feeling like the world is moving faster, you’re right. Measurements made in Greenland by the Danish Meteorological Institute showed that the magnetic north pole is moving […]
Best of CoBiz: Top 10 signs your leadership is building trust
In a recent leadership retreat, I asked this question: “What is the most important leadership characteristic?” People offered great answers like “Persistence.” “Commitment.” “Passion” – and my least favor answer “an MBA.” I then asked the group to pull out the credit-card sized plastic envelopes I had passed out at the beginning of [...]
A tale of two cultures: From purgatory to paradise, Part 2
Editor’s note: This is the second of two parts. Read Part 1. What’s different at Moxie Sozo?When I was interviewed by the Creative Director at Moxie Sozo, I was told “You and Chris are running Business Development. That means you figure out how to do it. I hired you because you’re good at what you […]
The final simple idea to improve your business culture
This is the first in a series of concrete, proven tips that will improve your business culture to create a more aligned, responsible, and adaptive organization. Read part one and part two. Foster clear decision making. Is your company plagued by “consensus disease?” This is a pendulum swing from an “autocratic” era, in which a […]
Improve meetings, improve your culture
In the first part of this series, we discussed the cultural power of defining a “success theme.” Here’s the second simple practice to help you achieve that: Improve meetings. Meetings are a “litmus test” for urgency and action in a company. Too often, they are not focused and crisp with a bias for problem solving and […]
Three remedies for corporate culture weak spots
(Editor’s note: this is the second of two parts. Read part 1.) In my last column, we shared the first two steps in an honest assessment about whether your culture “power system” is sucking growth. In this article, we share the three most common culture weak spots and remedies you can use to upgrade your culture power […]
Corporate culture: your growth depends on it
(Editor’s note: This is the first of two parts.) During an economic recovery, companies often experience ‘eyes bigger than stomach’ syndrome: “We have a vision, plans, and strategies to grow — we need to get something moving finally. But why can’t we implement fast enough?” Organizations on starvation diets during the recession are piling projects on [&hellip[...]