The Ugly Executive

William Lederer and Eugene Burdick’s prophetic book, The Ugly American, was required reading when I was in high school.  The authors’ fictional account of why American diplomacy was failing in Southeast Asia created anger in our small, largely agricultural community.  Little did I know at that time that the book would play a role in reshaping national policy.  And, I never guessed that I would meet some of their cousins—The Ugly Executives—much later in the workplace as an executive and consultant.

Fortunately, the ones I’ve encountered are few in number but large in their degree of unpleasantness and repugnance.  What is it you might ask that makes for an ugly executive?  There are many types of behaviors that I’ve observed that fit this definition.

For more information, please contact Ritch Eich at ritcheich@gmail.com

Future Leaders from Unlikely Places

 Sometimes talent comes from the most unlikely places. Though our future business leaders are apt to come from top MBA programs or perhaps even military branches, these should not be the only avenues to search, especially when looking for leaders with a different point of view.

An often-overlooked arena for leadership development is the arts. Theatre, music and the fine arts all require, undeniably, an above-average level of creativity.  But they also require the type of discipline, passion and commitment that can be extremely valuable in many areas of business that are now floundering.

For more information, please contact me at ritcheich@gmail.com