Articles by Doug Wilwerding

On March 14 th  Greg Smith, a junior executive at Goldman Sachs resigned in bold fashion from the company after 12 years. Most of you read his op-ed in the New York Times which was either much ado about nothing, or much ado about something, likely a little of both. Anyone who has worked directly with Goldman Sachs knows well that the company is about the company— not clients, not...Full Article »

We were taught as little kids that the most powerful words in the English language are “please” and “thank you.” When used with regularity all those years ago, these simple words seemed to help me stay in the good graces of those around me today. Equally as powerful, but not as often promoted, is the inverse: “No, thank you.” Very often, the best we can strive...Full Article »

As many of the readers of this column appear to be Americans based on the comments that get logged periodically, American managers I address you: Why are you so afraid of being wrong? The posturing in our companies to be right, or at least not in proximity of wrong is ubiquitous. It is a sad state of affairs for many. Being wrong can be so right in so many situations. Our culture has become...Full Article »

About six months ago I found a page from a tear off “Life’s Little Instruction” calendar on my desk. My wife put it there with the note, “this is you!”. The phrase on the calendar page is “Stop to think. Rush to execute.” I took it as a compliment. I have always prided myself on my commitment to the relationship between planning and execution....Full Article »

Recently I was interviewed about what I considered the primary criteria for a senior executive of HR . Here are my summarized answers: As a CEO, what are the three most important expectations you have of your HR organization?   First, the senior HR executive must be a business executive first and foremost. This means that the HR executive owns growing, driving market share, competitive...Full Article »

I often explain to people that I was raised by cliché. My dad, Ron, had a saying for every situation in life. Recently, at his 75 th birthday party I had the room festooned with banners featuring many tidbits of his wisdom. It was fun to watch all the guests read as they mingled and then share their experiences when Ron had graced them with these little pearls. The funny thing is most of...Full Article »

Clang, bang, crash, click, click, click, buzz, whirr, ring, ring, hum… Busy, busy, busy. Working, working, working. Meeting after meeting. So many emails to respond to and send. Reports to read and write; and budgets to complete, lobby for and approve. So many strategic planning sessions to attend and client conference calls to participate in. Of course this sounds familiar. It’s...Full Article »

Nearly everyone we encounter has a love story to share. Once in a while, they are living in the moment; the romance, the excitement, and the mystery that keeps their attention is palpable. When we are near them, we get the same tingly feeling we used to know when we were in love. More often than not, love stories are told with a tinge of nostalgia— love lost; love from the past; love that...Full Article »

According to my dad, "tired brains make tired decisions." As I write this I am 30,000 plus feet above the Rockies returning from a week away. Really away, not "check the Blackberry, iPad, talk to the team every hour" away. Away to a remote place, with new adventures, and sun and wind and water and sand and wine and food and pillows. A truly away place. Sounds great,...Full Article »

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth,” Henry David Thoreau wrote.  Amen, brother. At every level of our society in our generation, the concept of the “truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” has taken a back seat—on its best days. On most days, it simply isn’t even invited along for the ride. The ignorance and irony of...Full Article »

You’ve done it. I’ve done it. Every manager has done it. Unfortunately, most of us will keep doing it. We make bad hires. Sometimes we know we are making a bad hire while it is happening. It’s almost like we are watching ourselves in a movie. And yet, surprising even ourselves, we still make the hire. Sometimes we figure it out on the first day someone starts a new position. We...Full Article »