“Sorry about the mess. These are just the cases that came in the last couple of days. The big pile over there? That’s the research project that I’m supposed to be working on.” Megan sighed despairingly and waved her arm, … Continue reading
In last week’s blog post, I wrote that Jeff Kindler, the former CEO of Pfizer, was thoughtless about the demands his communication style placed on his team and the results of that style. By making all his questions a matter … Continue reading
Would Jeff Kindler, Pfizer’s fired CEO, have been able to keep his job if he had a Batphone? Calls coming through the Batphone have the highest priority. The signal is unambiguous: if the Batphone rings, it must be important, and … Continue reading
John Rowe, president and CEO of Exelon, tells this story: In my first C.E.O. job, a young woman who worked for me walked in one day and said, “Do you know that the gossip in the office is that the … Continue reading
Exhibit 1: Computer consulting firm Atos Origin announces that it’s abandoning email within three years. The CEO says that “information pollution” burdens managers with an unsustainable load of 5-20 hours of email per week (and climbing), so the company is … Continue reading