An executive seeking time management tips gets deeper advice addressing the root of his problems with procrastination and ‘getting things done’ — In today’s “Operator’s Manual,” I wanted to share an email exchange I had with a client about time management. As I wrote to him below, the core question about time management is whether it serves you to “be behind” on everything you have to do. …

The tension between CEOs and their boards is real, but it doesn’t have to be fatal — The phone rang at the appointed hour. My client, a software company CEO, was calling for his regular session. I picked up the phone: “Hello” “Why the hell does my board act like that?” “Good morning, James,” I answered, and we both laughed. We talked through the upcoming financing. Some…

There is only one way out of the conundrum of it — I spat out the words with anger that surprised me: “Work-life balance is bullshit.” I was on a call with a reporter looking into doing a piece about the workshop I was delivering in a few weeks. I was at LaGuardia Airport waiting to board a flight to Denver for…

It is about having the kind of character that allows others to trust in you — I was exhausted. It was the middle of a recent 17-day trip that had been criss-crossing the country — New York, then to San Francisco, then onto Boston — before finally heading home to Boulder. I’d made it to my flight with plenty of time and, after boarding, made my…

No one person can fix everything wrong with a company, so why do boards and investors continue to act like they can? — Maybe it was the stale pastry. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Whatever it was, though, when I heard my fellow board member say it, I felt like puking. “What we need,” he bloviated, “is a world-class CEO.” There it goes again, I thought, the myth of a new…

The opportunity for growth lies in facing down fear and doing the hard thing anyway — Taylor’s discomfort is palpable. “They need to decide what to do,” he says with uncharacteristic energy. He’s angry, frustrated, and, he reminds me, he’s been waiting for them for weeks. His powerlessness is seductive, and I’m drawn in empathically. I sit shoulder to shoulder with him, lamenting their lack of…

Be honest. Be open. Be willing to face their anger. — “I thought you were avoiding Manhattan this week. You know, the Convention and all.” I’m sitting next to Sam, my 14-year-old, driving him home from the Clearview Cinemas’ Soundview Theater. He’s just seen “Hero” and we’re talking about our plans for the next day. “I have to go to fire…

A first-time CEO ignored an email challenging a key decision, only to see the call blow up in her face — She flashed the bat signal, looking for help in her usual way: via text. The late-night text was brief but heartbreaking: “Worst day yet. Big fight today.” …

Lessons in power, privilege, and potential from ghosts, ancestors, and paper cranes — The day after 9/11 this year, I found myself headed to a coworking event space, just a few blocks north of the memorial site. I’d stopped to notice the paper cranes carefully placed beside the names of people of Japanese ancestry who’d died in the attacks 18 years ago. …