In my opinion, being accountable is one of the most positive personality and leadership traits. When important things need to get done, you and/or your team state with confidence, “I own that. We will review what needs to get done and provide an update next week. We will achieve the end of month target.” When things don’t go as planned, you and/or your team state, “My bad. This should have been done by X date, but I missed that mark. I apologize and would like to discuss an alternative date. I assure you that we’ll meet the adjusted time line.” When a direct report missesRead More →

Guest Blog by George McQuain, Operations Expert | Sheldon Cooper Reports to Me? Oh NO!!!! How would you like to have Dr. Eric Gablehauser’s job? Dr. Eric Gablehauser is responsible for managing the Physics Department on the hit CBS situational comedy “The Big Bang Theory”. In other words, he is Sheldon Cooper’s boss. If you watch the show, you know that can be a challenge. That is why I am writing this blog post. As an Operations Executive, I have often had the honor and privilege of managing technical teams. People who often had IQs so high that I thought they were in a highRead More →

To close out 2011, I surveyed top operations experts across the globe and asked them to share their most impactful learning or most important piece of advice for The Operations Blog’s audience. Read on for interesting commentary on service operations, sales operations, leadership and operational excellence. Please add your own advice in the comments section. 1) Developing Leadership Skills Must Be Intentional “This past year I’ve learned the value of continuous learning for the development of leadership skills. Far too may business executives believe leadership skills stem from some sort of wondrous epiphany or other such flash of insight. Sure, great ideas can come to anyRead More →