Excuses

2 Jun, 2013

The Truth About Liars

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:43+00:00June 2nd, 2013|Accountability, Communication, Corporate Culture, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership|

Liars – we've all seen them, fallen victim to them, and if we are truthful, joined their ranks from time to time. Some do it for malicious reasons. Others do so out of a sense of kindness or benign indifference. But, we all do it. There are times when that article of clothing makes us look fat. There are times when we feel like crap, and there are times when we feel the pressure to say what is untrue to cover for our lack of performance. And that is why you need to read The Truth About Lies in the Workplace.

27 May, 2013

Past Success Proves You Were Right … Once

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:43+00:00May 27th, 2013|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Innovation, Leadership, Results|

You own your logo and marketing message. Your customers own your brand relevance in the marketplace. And when your customers say you are irrelevant, no amount of advertising, positive press, or sales promotions will convince them otherwise. Two iconic American brands are proving that every day.

8 Apr, 2013

Opportunity Lost

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:44+00:00April 8th, 2013|Business Strategy, Leadership, Results|

In its “Economic Prospects for the Year 2000,” the writers at Business Week saw a glass half-empty and chose to see it as mostly full. The world painted in its 1989 article would have been a great place. The vision that they created was completely possible. We missed the opportunity. We lacked the rigor in our thinking and failed to consider all the possible implications of our choices. We lacked the discipline to execute toward the vision. And, we lacked the courage to confront reality and put long-term success ahead of short-term reward.

1 Jan, 2013

The Year Ahead – Our 2013 Predictions

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:46+00:00January 1st, 2013|Business Predictions, Government & Politics, Leadership, Results|

I’ve offered observations about the year ahead each year since 2005. Lots of people do this, but unlike others, we grades ourselves on the past year. Here is what we predicted last year at this time and four key ideas we see on the horizon for 2013.

3 Dec, 2012

Advertising, Congress, and Car Sales – Oh My!

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:46+00:00December 3rd, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership|

The Gallup organization just released its latest survey results about the perceptions of honesty and ethics for 22 professions. There are honest and ethical people in every profession. Rankings such as this reinforce a very important principle: Scandal paints with a roller not a brush. When enough people in any profession act dishonestly and unethically, it hurts everyone in the profession.

4 Nov, 2012

Leader or Liar?

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:47+00:00November 4th, 2012|Accountability, Communication, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

This blog was first published in 2010. Considering we are near the end of perhaps the most divisive Presidential elections in recent U.S. history, it is an excellent time for all of us to reflect and ask ourselves - are we leaders or liars?

28 Oct, 2012

My Plan for Growing the Economy

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:47+00:00October 28th, 2012|Business Growth, Business Strategy, Government & Politics, Leadership, Results|

The American economy needs to grow again. Not the 1.5 – 2.0 percent growth we have seen over the past months. We need real growth in the 3.5 – 4.0 percent range. That is the [...]

14 Oct, 2012

The Exploitation of Honey Boo Boo

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:47+00:00October 14th, 2012|Accountability, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development|

What would you do to secure your 15 minutes of fame? How about to increase your financial well-being? Would you exploit your child on national television? Would you reinforce and applaud behavior that is likely to create lifetime problems for your child? Would you become the family that everyone loves to ridicule? For the parents of Honey Boo Boo, the uber-precocious child with her own show airing on TLC, the answer is yes and a lot more.

7 Oct, 2012

What Is Your Key Question?

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:47+00:00October 7th, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

The "Weeds" series finale on the Showtime network left a lot of people disappointed. I was one of them until it hit me: The entire ending was about Nancy Botwin’s key question. What is your key question? Embracing your question provides the measuring stick for your success. It lights the path toward the results you need to achieve in order to be fulfilled. And, it defines what it means to be significant and contribute.

16 Sep, 2012

If They Don’t Trust You

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:48+00:00September 16th, 2012|Accountability, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Results|

Two incidents occurred in the past week that reinforces a critical factor in every leader’s effectiveness: The impact of mistrust. Both incidents prove this truth about the ability to influence others: If they don’t trust you, everything you say will be twisted against you and nothing you say will be given the benefit of the doubt.

31 Aug, 2012

The Presidential Election & Defining Integrity

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:48+00:00August 31st, 2012|Accountability, Communication, Government & Politics, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership|

There are several guarantees in the campaign for President of the United States: • The other side – regardless of the side you are on – will be portrayed by their opponents as completely out of touch with the “average” American • Every candidate will make promises that can only be kept with the cooperation of Congress, and every candidate will pledge to work with their opponents across the isle • Personal attacks will be plentiful and usually cloaked in an argument about policy implications • The choice between candidates will always be framed as two distinct visions that will determine the destiny and fate of the country • Integrity – or specifically the lack of it – will be called into question by the candidates, their surrogates, and the media pundits There is little any of us can do to change the first four items on this list. They are going to happen regardless of any efforts to restore civility and common sense to the campaign.

22 Aug, 2012

Where Are You Running?

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:49+00:00August 22nd, 2012|Accountability, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Most of the people I speak with today describe their life as running as fast and far as they can … and then being asked to run even faster and farther. One of the participants in a leadership boot camp I’m conducting for a client asked for help with time management. It turns out that she didn’t really need time management tips at all. She keeps a calendar with priorities, and she knows all of the time management techniques she needs to be successful. In fact, this leader is widely considered to be very effective by her colleagues. The problem that we face isn’t time management. It is focus and resource allocation to be more effective.

25 Jul, 2012

It Comes Down to Accountability … Again

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:49+00:00July 25th, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Corporate Culture, Leadership, Personal Development, Results|

Accountability and the execution that accompanies it explain why the smartest or most talented people don’t always experience the greatest levels of success. If accountability didn’t matter, the company with the best product or service would dominate the marketplace. And, every government agency would deliver amazing value. Talent, time, experience, and resources do matter. As we enter the 2012 Summer Olympics, the country of Monaco is a safe bet to continue its string of 26 Olympiads (both summer and winter) without winning a single medal. So if you are the USA Men’s Basketball Team competing against Monaco go ahead and take the day off from accountability. I am guessing that you will survive. But that’s not your reality. You don’t hire all the smart people while your competitors hire dunces. You aren’t running the most up-to-date computer systems while your competitors are using Commodore 64’s. Accountability is – more times than not – the difference between achieving your goals and getting beat in the marketplace.

11 Jul, 2012

What’s Up With the Economy? Uncertainty

By Randy Pennington|2012-07-11T14:06:28+00:00July 11th, 2012|Accountability, Business Growth, Business Strategy, Execution, Innovation, Leadership, Others, Performance Improvement, Results|

Another month, and another weaker than expected jobs report. So what’s up with the economy? Welcome to the new normal: Unemployment that is higher than anything we can remember in decades. Scores jobs are available due to a lack of skilled workers. Slow growth that feels like a recession even though technically it isn’t, and most of all, uncertainty.

1 Jul, 2012

Delcare Independence from Fear and Uncertainty

By Randy Pennington|2016-10-29T15:29:49+00:00July 1st, 2012|Accountability, Business Strategy, Integrity & Ethics, Leadership, Others, Performance Improvement, Personal Development, Results|

We live in an era of unprecedented uncertainty. At least that is what we are led to believe. Yes, the economy is sputtering at best. Jobs are at risk or non-existent. Europe could implode financially. The Middle East could implode politically. Depending on your political views, either the left or the right is about to take the country over a cliff from which there is no return. The challenges we face are certainly more expansive in their scope, but unprecedented uncertainty? Hardly. Do you believe that the level of personal anxiety is any higher today than that which existed during the Cuban Missile Crisis; World War I or II; the Civil War; the Great Depression; or life in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War?

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