Forbes Features Friends of the CVDL in New List In late January, Forbes magazine published it’s first list of the best small companies in the country. Explaining what makes these companies so great, Bo Burlingham, the Forbes contributor who organized the list and the original author of Small Giants – the book that inspired the
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on the blog of our partners, the Small Giants Community. A bowl of popcorn sat at the center of the conference room table, a gift from a colleague. It was filled with a Chicago delicacy—caramel, cheese, and butter popcorn mixed together in a tasty, caloric holiday mix. We made
Today marks the official end of the holidays. The decorations are put away, the children are back at school, and we are back at our desks. Diets are started, resolutions are made. With these new starts comes a desire to set goals for the coming 12 months. I always find it easy to make a list of ideas, and much more difficult to
As the VP of Finance & Strategy for the global software firm Ontario Systems, Melissa Norcross is a master at interpreting data and developing a plan. “I’m working on the things that are most relevant to the business,” says Norcross. While her daily work involves developing strategies, identifying new markets, and meeting urgent business needs,
The number one rule for any respectable camper? Leave the campsite better than you found it. When my children were young, family vacations were often spent at campgrounds within national parks, where one rule prevailed: leave the campsite better than you found it. The idea, of course, is to respect the natural environment by not
“I woke up this morning and a feeling of dread came over me because I realize I no longer love my job.” “The people at my job just drain me!” “They’re concerned they are paying someone who is overqualified. I don’t care. It’s just money to me!” “I feel like I have so much to
At 8 a.m. on Monday morning, Trevor, the CEO of an electronics company, learned of a product quality issue a customer brought to his attention. His calm was shaken, one step off his optimal “calm” zone. At 8:30, his COO’s flight was grounded in Boston due a storm, one more step. By midday, he started
CEO Indigo Triplett, a graduate of our doctoral program in values-driven leadership, was startled to get the message in the mail: the insurance company she’d used for years was now denying her coverage because of recent treatment for bipolar disorder. “That was a wake up call for me that you take a risk when you
Indigo Triplett was already a military veteran and successful business owner when she began her doctoral work with the Center for Values-Driven Leadership. A few months into her studies, Triplett began to suspect that her leadership style was creating challenges in the human resources company she founded in Atlanta, GA. She realized she was hiring
Our center’s research into values-driven company cultures often leaves us pondering the impact of leadership style and structures, the organizational climate, and the rituals, traditions and language inherent within these cultures. How do these factors influence productivity? Profit? Employee retention? Customer loyalty? In our research, we’ve found another important aspect of organizational culture that has