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.

Checklists

Posted on February 5, 2019

Several years ago, a medical surgeon, Atul Gawande, wrote a best-selling book, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, that discusses the advantages of using checklists in all types of activities from surgery to disaster recovery to business. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution, Sales and Marketing | Tagged Communication, Focus, Learning, Productivity, Project Management, Training | 1 Comment

Use Words Well to Lead Well

Posted on January 8, 2019

Our words matter. As leaders, we spend much of our time communicating with others through our actions, our body language, and especially our words. Unfortunately, all too often we do not use our words well leading to poor communication and … Continue reading →

Posted in Communication, Leadership, Team / People | Tagged Communication, Learning, Management, Meetings, Project Management, Public Speaking, Teaching | 1 Comment

Leading When Overwhelmed

Posted on December 4, 2018

It happens to all of us. A direct report either gets promoted, quits or gets fired, and we have to manage his or her direct reports in addition to all of our other duties. We are assigned to a special … Continue reading →

Posted in Improve / Turnaround, Leadership, Perform / Execution | Tagged Communication, Efficiency, Leadership, Turnaround | 1 Comment

The Whys of Business

Posted on November 6, 2018

Internet entrepreneur, Simon Sinek, has a popular TED talk on asking why. His primary advice in building a successful company is that: People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Unfortunately, while I admire Mr. Sinek, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Communication, Leadership | Tagged Business Acumen, Business Leadership, Communication, Why | 1 Comment

Diversity, Inclusion and Respect

Posted on October 2, 2018

Today’s workplaces are more diverse than ever with more work being done in teams. To ensure that everyone is working together well, companies need to be inclusive and embrace diversity and individual differences. The core element behind a diverse and … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Personal Success, Team / People | Tagged Communication, Diversity, Inclusion, Justice, Relationships, Respect | 1 Comment

Optimize the Overall Business

Posted on September 4, 2018

As business leaders, we strive to have each of our areas improve its efficiency and effectiveness. Accounting, Sales, Marketing, Engineering, Operations, Project Management, Customer Service – each of these parts of the business needs to be as effective as possible. Likewise, … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Leadership, Perform / Execution | Tagged Communication, Focus, Management, Productivity, Project Management, Success | Leave a comment

Think Twice and Do Once

Posted on August 7, 2018

Every Do-It-Yourselfer knows the carpenter’s advice: Measure twice cut once. In successful businesses, a similar recommendation holds true: Think twice and do once. To so many of us, immediate action appears to be essential: We are just doing it! We … Continue reading →

Posted in Business Acumen, Improve / Turnaround, Perform / Execution | Tagged Focus, Productivity, Project Management | Leave a comment