Letter from the Founder
Welcome to the forty-ninth issue of CEE News!
I love this time of year. I was born in September and I’ve always felt a special radar for when the Earth is at the autumnal equinox. The sun warms my back instead of my head. I pair a jacket with shorts. It’s a time marked by change and the contradictions that inevitably come with change. In organizations, September often marks the beginning of the annual business forecasting process. Sales teams are pressured to predict top line revenue for next year. Executive teams sequester themselves to make strategic decisions about product life cycles and market share, work through SWOTT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats and trends) analyses, then buckle their organizations up to achieve long-term initiatives and grand strategies over the next 12 months. Managers are left to perform against 12-month financial forecasts in the form of OPEX (operating expenses) and CAPEX (capital expenditures) that reflect the strategies set by executive teams, with little room for feedback and adjustment. This is a 20th century process that needs to change to meet 21st century reality.
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Sticky Solutions
Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges
Question: I’ve been working for a Credit Union since I graduated from college eight years ago. Three months ago, I was promoted to Assistant Branch Manager and am excited to meet this challenge. I have four direct reports, one of which is old enough to be my mother. She’s clearly not taking my position seriously. She’s attended less than half of our weekly team meetings and when she does, she openly “corrects” me. I’m quickly losing credibility and confidence in my ability to manage. What strategies can you give me to connect with my older employee?
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Business In Focus
A closer look at companies executing leadership excellence
In 1982, Bernie Glassman, a Brooklyn-born Zen Buddhism teacher, was living with his students in a home called Greyston Mansion located north of Manhattan. Along with the Zen Community of New York (ZCNY), Bernie opened a small bakery café nearby as a way to employ the students. The café successfully supported the students, but Glassman wanted to do more. His Buddhist beliefs drew him to community development and work with the homeless and unemployed. His opportunity came when the mayor of Yonkers invited the ZCNY to move the business to his city. The ZCNY sold Greyston Mansion, closed the café, and moved into one of Yonkers’ most troubled neighborhoods. There, an abandoned lasagna factory became home to Greyston Bakery.
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