Back when I was teaching at Georgetown University in Washington DC, I was walking one day through the neighborhood around the campus and passed by a small architectural firm that I had passed by dozens of times before. This time, though, as I glanced through the windows I noticed photos on the wall, older black […]

Return on investment, or ROI, is a standard yardstick for measuring the effectiveness, and efficient use, of your resources. “What do we get back for every dollar we put in?” is a typical way of knowing if you are getting your money’s worth. When your inputs are physical in nature, it’s not that tough to […]

It’s not always failure that holds you back from doing your best work. Sometimes, it’s success. How so? Well, by focusing only on your success you will not see where you can improve, and you might miss out on new opportunities because they do not fit into your “this has always worked before” paradigm. As […]

As I arrived in Siem Reap on a visit to Angkor Wat a couple years ago, the hotel driver surprised me a bit as we headed into town from the airport. He told me he’s a university student, and when I asked what he is studying, I expected to hear some sort of business degree. […]

You can delegate authority. You cannot delegate responsibility. What’s the difference? Well, authority is what someone can do. Responsibility is what they have to do. Typically, they go together. If you are given the power to do something, then you have the responsibility for getting it done right. Likewise, if you are responsible for getting […]