On Friday morning, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization hosted Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos and author of “Delivering Happiness”. Daniel Hindin and I went to hear him speak and to see if we could learn something we hadn’t already considered about building Arment Dietrich and Spin Sucks.

I have to say, I was a tiny bit disappointed. Tony is not a great speaker. He’s not charismatic or charming. He’s very flat and a little monotone. I don’t know if it’s because he’d been on a bus for 10 days (for his THREE MONTH Delivering Happiness tour) and it was the end of the week or if that’s just the way he is, but I’ve never heard people say those things when they describe him so it was rather shocking to me. What he did, though, was tell funny stories and he’s brilliant. So I can put aside his faults for funny and brilliant. Continue Reading »

During a recent chat with Gini Dietrich, we were talking about how the majority of leadership resources and articles are geared toward CEOs and other upper level executives and managers. What about Generation Y? Are we supposed to sit back and wait to see if our career leads us to CEO level in order to be a leader? I don’t think so. Level 5 leaders need level 5 employees, and there is a lot that Gen Y employees can do to help lead their organizations forward.

Last year, Gini wrote an article on CEO Leadership Skills: What Does It Take To Be Level 5? Level 5 leadership, coined by business consultant Jim Collins, refers to the peak of a hierarchy of leadership characteristics. I read a couple of Collins’ books in graduate school (“Built to Last” and “Good to Great”) and learned all about how CEOs can achieve “tip top” leadership status. Fabulous, but I am not a CEO. Most of us are not. I challenge each of you to rephrase Collins and ask yourself what it takes to be a level 5 employee. Continue Reading »

On Friday, my Facebook stream was all a flutter about the craziness of Black Friday. I responded to multiple friends that Black Friday is the reason Al Gore invented the Internet (which got a few chuckles and even quote of the day on some status updates). And then I remembered today is Cyber Monday, which supports my online shopping ideal.

So in honor, following are my recommendations for business holiday gifts:

1. Westone: My friend Lynn Kehler is the CEO of Westone, a company that makes custom ear plugs and headphones for the hearing impaired and musicians. He’s always talking about how great they are, but I didn’t realize what a big deal they are until I got a pair of my own. The difference between the sound quality of Westones as compared to the Bose I owned is night and day. I had no idea how much I was missing . I love them so much I’d like to marry them. They are, hands down, worth every penny.

2. Groundswell: If you’ve not read Groundswell, get it for yourself. And then buy copies for everyone you know. It’ll change the way you think about social media and how you incorporate digital communication into your business and personal lives. If you’ve already read it, you know what I mean. Buy it for as many people as you can!

3. Kindle: An expensive gift, but one of the best electronics I own. You can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books on the Kindle and it’s smaller (and lighter) than a paperback. If you have clients or senior-level staff who travel a lot, this is the perfect gift. It also works for parents and in-laws.

4. Joyful Bath Co.: I always say the bath salts from Joyful Bath Co. are magical elixir because, after a hard bike ride, I soak my legs with these and they magically feel better. A great gift for women colleagues and/or clients, though I have yet to convince my male counterparts that it’s good for them too.

5. Good to Great: An oldie, but a goodie. A great book for any business leader wanting to take things to the next level. It’s worth reading multiple times and makes an excellent (and thoughtful) gift.

6. Chocolate Gourmet: I received a goodie basket from Clockwork CEO, Nancy Lyons, a few years ago full of Chocolate Gourmet cookies and truffles. Holy cow are they good! They make an excellent gift for any office because you can send an assorted arrangement of treats that are sure to suit everyone.

What recommendations do you have to add to this list?