Author Archives: David Shedd

About David Shedd

David has been a President - CEO - COO of an up to $350M group of manufacturing, distribution, specialty retail and services companies, having led 22 different businesses from turnarounds to start-ups to fast growth companies.

A Good Leader is a Good Follower

Posted on October 1, 2019

Even as leaders, we all have bosses. Perhaps, it is a Vice-President. Perhaps, it is the CEO. Perhaps, it is the Board of Directors. To move our companies forward, we need to be good (but not mindless) followers to our … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Leadership, Team / People | Tagged Alignment, Follow, Followership, Leadership | Leave a comment

Four Ways To Do Training Right

Posted on September 3, 2019

In corporate America, approximately $100 billion is spent each year on training. Yet, many studies show that training is only 10% – 15% effective. As Harvard Business School Professor Michael Beer writes, this is… the great training robbery Yet, training … Continue reading →

Posted in Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution, Team / People | Tagged Employee Development, Employee Training, Training | Leave a comment

Communicate in One Page

Posted on August 6, 2019

Idea Summary To run our businesses more effectively, most documents and reports in our businesses (including summaries, plans, reviews, and analysis) should be kept to one page. Perspective Businesses are awash in information, specifically reports, analysis, weekly updates or … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution | Tagged Communication, Consistent Execution, Effectiveness, Upward communication | Leave a comment

5 Key Interpersonal Skills for Leaders

Posted on July 2, 2019

“Abraham Lincoln said that people think that the real test of a person’s character is how they deal with adversity. A much better measure of a person’s character is to give them power. I’ve been more often disappointed with how … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Leadership, Team / People | Tagged Communication, Interpersonal Relations, Winning Teamwork | Leave a comment

Don’t Believe the Hype

Posted on June 4, 2019

“The world is changing faster than ever before.” “We need to adapt to the change or we will get run over by it.” “The paradigm has shifted and the world will never be the same.” “Robotics and AI (Artificial Intelligence) will … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Perform / Execution, Personal Success | Tagged Communication, Consistent Execution, Continuous Improvement, Critical Thinking, Innovation, Marketing | 2 Comments

Experiment… A Little

Posted on May 7, 2019

To move our companies forward, we need to experiment. We need to try out new products, new sales/ marketing strategies, new processes, and new leadership styles. We cannot be certain if all of these will work. But, to not experiment … Continue reading →

Posted in Growth and Strategy, Improve / Turnaround, Sales and Marketing | Tagged Business Development, Continuous Improvement, Innovation, Learning, Marketing, Training | Leave a comment

Decisiveness

Posted on April 2, 2019

“In a minute, there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.” This line from the 1915 T.S. Elliot poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, is a lovely bit of poetry. It is also a … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Leadership, Perform / Execution | Tagged Consistent Execution, Decision Making, Decisiveness, Focus, Productivity, Vision | Leave a comment