“I don’t like people who have never fallen or stumbled.
Their virtue is lifeless and it isn’t of much value.
Life hasn’t revealed its beauty to them.”

Boris Pasternak, Author of “Dr. Zhivago”

“The problem is not that there are problems.
The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”

Dr. Theodore Rubin

Nelson Mandela: Entrepreneur

Many leaders influence the lives of millions for the better from a position of power. It takes a different kind of leadership to do so when the leader to all appearances has none…..so goes the story of Nelson Mandela who died this week at the age of 95 after a life of transforming a county and much of a continent. World leaders and the news media have spent the past few days and will spend more reviewing the life of this remarkable man. His impact on political leaders goes without saying…..but does Mr. Mandela’s career offer lessons for entrepreneurs?

One writer thinks so. Take a minute for this two page article from Upstart Bizjournal for some reflections on how the principles and practices that enabled Mandela to transform a country may help you face the less daunting task of transforming a market or an industry.

The Advantage – Cutcliffe

Patrick Lencioni’s only book that is not a business fable is The Advantage. In The Advantage, Lencioni’s premise is that in today’s world where everyone in smart, and the opportunity for competitive advantage based upon unique knowledge is rapidly eroding, the only sustainable competitive advantage is organizational health, which includes a cohesive leadership team and a healthy corporate culture. The Advantage is the best book on strategic planning to build a great organization I have ever read.

The principles Lencioni espouses are reflective in this article in last Friday’s USA Today about the transformation in the football program at my alma mater, Duke University, by two-time ACC Coach of the Year David Cutcliffe. In his 6 seasons as head coach, Cutcliffe has taken the team from a winless perennial doormat of the Coastal Division to the ACC championship game and the most football wins in a season in school history. This article was written before #1 ranked Florida State demolished Duke’s undersized and slower (by Florida State standards) team in Saturday night’s ACC Championship game. However, even in a landslide defeat, the power of the culture that Cutcliffe has developed in his team and the program was reflected in the classy play of the Blue Devils and speak to the transformational impact of cultural leadership and execution to a shared vision in an organization. The question for business leaders is this: what vision and culture are you establishing as your Advantage?

The question for the Florida State football program is which choice to make: accept a chance to play in the NCAA BCS National Championship game, or hold out for a bye in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

CEOs-Quit While You’re Ahead

Long tenure is often perceived as a sign of CEO competence. But does the data bear this out? Not according to this INC Magazine article “CEOs: Why You Should Quit While You’re Ahead” which offers some insightful finding about CEO tenure. The study focuses primarily on large companies but even in small-to-midsize privately held companies, can the CEO stay too long?

Are You Re-Creating a Healthcare.gov in YOUR Company?

However you feel about healthcare reform, everyone can agree that the rollout of the website to implement the Affordable Care Act has been a fiasco. It’s easy to write this off as government incompetence. But what really created the problem….and is your company immune to the forces that have impacted Healthcare.gov? Spend a few minutes with this HBR Blog Article which suggests that The Mistakes Behind Healthcare.gov Are Probably Lurking In Your Company.

Econ Recon: Truth in Manufacturing

The economic press was celebrating the increase in manufacturing employment at the end of the week. Not so fast says Vistage Staff Economist Alan Beaulieu….the number of new manufacturing jobs is NOT what it appears to be. The real story on this number further underscores his prediction of a soft second half of 2014. Check out his brief but important blog entry, A Balanced Look at the Manufacturing Employment Numbers.