Let me start by saying that building a total compensation package is HARD! This is an extremely important component of business planning, but many executives end up “winging” it. Instead of taking time to do the math and some modeling, we just slap something together and pray our compensation structure won’t crumble. For me personally,…
Category Archives: COO
How a Foosball Table Can Kill Your Startup – part 2
Since an article I wrote in June of 2009 called “How a foosball table can kill your startup” is still sparking attention and conversation, I think the time is ripe for me to expand on the topic. Yes, I still believe that tchotchke “benefits” do nothing but waste money. Instead, use your resources to attract…
How To Create a Non-Disclosure Agreement People Can Understand
Like many of you in the startup world, I have read and signed my share of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). I have reviewed, edited, and sent hundreds of them in my career, but I am yet to come across one that really serves anyone but the lawyers who charged dearly to write it. So, why don’t…
Time to make HR accountable! The rise of Human Capital professionals.
HR, as a profession, is on its way out. Those who claim to be “good old school HR professionals,” should start looking for a new career or drastically change their thinking. In contrast, Human Capital professionals who “get it” are on the rise. Companies are no longer willing to pay for simple paper pushers or…
Want Your Company To Survive? Just Say NO To Hiring One Trick Ponies!
In the last 12 years, I watched the market change as often as a teenager’s mood-swings. What was hot yesterday is old news today. From technologies to methodologies, change is constant and accelerating with every passing day. No one is immune, be it startups or the big boys. The survival of organizations depends on flexibility,…
Keeping entrepreneurs and CEOs out of jail and an early grave
I am often asked what I do for a living and since I am not a PR or marketing professional, describing what I do to an “outsider” is challenging at times. I can hide all I want behind my resume and a great group of people I have worked with, but in order to further…
Doing collections the startup way!
During my career I have become very successful at keeping the number of uncollected accounts to a minimum (in one company we had only one invoice we had to write off). Collections definitely rates in the top 3 of the most undesirable duties, but there are ways to minimize the pain. The best way to…
Why do so many CEOs have no idea what operations people do?
So, you are a newly-minted CEO of a company. You got your investors to bet on you and now everyone wants to see how that roll of the dice will play out. You know what a COO (Director of Operations or Ops person) is, but if I asked you what exactly his/her “magic” is, I…
If you are in a startup and have a title, you are not doing enough work…
Last November I was interviewing with a very stealthy (for a very good reason) startup in Boston. During my conversation with a co-founder Ellen (she is very stealthy too, so I will skip last name), I asked her what her title was. Her answer was something that has stuck with me to this day. She…