Founder-led companies are some of my favorite businesses to work with. They usually have energy. They move fast. Decisions can happen in minutes instead of weeks. Customers often know the owner personally, employees feel connected to the mission, and there is usually a level of passion you simply cannot manufacture inside a conference room. But eventually, success creates a new problem: The company gets too big to operate the same way it did when it was small. The founder who

One of the biggest mistakes a new executive can make is walking into a company believing they were hired to fix everything they see immediately. I know because I've made that mistake. I entered a company with experience, confidence, and a pretty clear idea of what I believed needed to change. I saw opportunities almost immediately. Processes needed improvement. Accountability needed to increase. Certain parts of the organization needed structure, direction, and stronger leade

One of the hardest things to learn as you move up in leadership is knowing when to push back and when to stop pushing and execute. Good executives should challenge decisions. If you see a problem, say something. If the numbers don’t make sense, bring the numbers. If the customer is going to hate it, explain why. If operations can't support it, speak up. If sales are seeing something in the market that the rest of the company is missing, bring it to the table. That is part of

Through my consulting work with companies doing less than $10 million annually, as well as fresh start-ups, I've learned that one area often needs more attention: P&L management education. That’s what led me to write this article (or maybe more accurately, a lesson plan) on how I believe a P&L should be built, understood, and managed throughout an organization. Now, I know some CFOs may disagree with parts of my approach, and leaders running $50 million companies may look at

Every company talks about growth. Far fewer spend enough time talking about what could stop that growth. That is the true purpose of risk management. Unfortunately, many organizations misunderstand what risk management actually is. They treat it as an insurance policy, a legal requirement, or a checklist that gets reviewed once a year during budget planning. Others become so consumed by avoiding risk that they stop making bold decisions altogether. Neither approach is correct

When many people hear the words continuous improvement, they immediately think of cutting costs. Reduce labor. Negotiate better pricing. Lower freight. Trim expenses. While those are certainly part of the equation, they're only a small piece of what continuous improvement should represent. The best organizations don't view continuous improvement as an annual cost-cutting exercise or a manufacturing initiative. They view it as a company-wide mindset that asks one simple questi

The word leadership has been overused to the point where it's often confused with simply holding a management title. In many organizations, the person with the most authority is automatically labeled the leader. But leadership has very little to do with a title and everything to do with creating an environment where people can perform at their best. One conversation has stayed with me throughout my career. A CEO once told me, "You need to do more of the work because your empl

Don't be the insecure leader or employee. Leadership isn't just about making decisions. It's about creating an environment where talented people can challenge the status quo, solve problems, and help the organization grow. Ironically, some of the greatest threats to a company's success don't come from the competition. They come from leaders who become insecure when someone around them begins to outshine them. The strongest leaders hire people who are smarter than they are in

Has this happened to you? Every company talks about culture. Mission statements are written. Core values are posted on walls. Leadership teams discuss employee engagement scores and retention strategies. Yet despite these efforts, many organizations fail to recognize one of the fastest ways to destroy culture: Different rules for different people. Employees notice everything. They notice when specific employees are allowed to violate company policies without consequence, for

@Stew Darling posted this last week, and I had to expand on it from my opinion. One of the more uncomfortable truths in leadership is this: what many leaders call loyalty is often something else entirely. The phrase, “Loyalty is often fear, wearing a nicer jacket,” challenges a deeply rooted assumption in business. It forces CEOs, executives, and managers to ask an uncomfortable question: Are people truly loyal to your company, your leadership, and your vision… or are they s

For the last few years, I've joked that I'm "always a CEO-maid, never a CEO." Like the bridesmaid who does all the planning but never gets to wear the white dress, I've spent years helping companies build strategies, solve problems, restructure organizations, and drive profitability, often performing many of the responsibilities typically associated with a CEO without ever officially carrying the title or responsibility. Throughout more than 27 years in the automotive afterma

Most people think business growth is about having a better product. They're wrong. I've spent my career studying what separates companies that thrive from those that slowly fade into irrelevance, and I've discovered a simple truth: growth isn't an event, it's a culture. Products can be copied. Prices can be matched. Technology eventually becomes a commodity. But leadership, execution, and the ability to inspire people to move in the same direction are competitive advantages t

The Business Story of Mike Timmons Most people think business growth is about having a better product. They're wrong. I've spent my career studying what separates companies that thrive from those that slowly fade into irrelevance, and I've discovered a simple truth: growth isn't an event, it's a culture. Products can be copied. Prices can be matched. Technology eventually becomes a commodity. But leadership, execution, and the ability to inspire people to move in the same di