Kristin's Blog
Legacy of Luxury
A few weeks ago Burt Tanksy, the 72 year old CEO of Dallas based Neiman Marcus retired. His 49-year retailing resume was as impressive as you would imagine – ranging from SVP of I.Magnin to President of Saks Fifth Avenue to CEO of Bergdorf Goodman and finally as CEO and Chairman of Neiman Marcus Group…
Unlikely Friends
As we end our week, I just had to share this video with you. A childhood friend sent this to me, and I was touched by the random nature and, yet, the perfection of this friendship. It is a very short 2 minutes, and worth watching to start your day. http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315n Two parting thoughts: We…
Hall of Fame
Emmitt Smith is a rarity on many levels. He achieved every goal he set forth for himself when he met Jerry Jones 20 years ago. He wanted to win the Super Bowl more than once. Check. He wanted to lead the league in rushing. Check. He wanted to lead the league in touchdowns. Check. And yes,…
Tough Teams
I have been working with a few executives who are faced with leading very challenging, and in one case, very dysfunctional teams. It is obviously hard on the executives who are driving toward execution and results. Teams are critical to success – regardless of what we are trying to accomplish: school reformation, 30% year over year…
What to ask yourself?
Often when working with my clients, they just want someone to tell them what to do! Their circumstances may range from how to deal with troubled employees and dysfunctional teams to strategic opportunities for their careers to everything in between. The amazing thing is that all of us already have the answers within us; the answers are…
The Big Rocks
Recently, I have been working with a large health-care organization through their strategic planning process. It is quite complex and involves focusing all levels and their associated responsibilities, from the CEO down to the first shift nurse, into alignment around their overall objectives. For a system that employs tens of thousands of individuals and services…
The Power of Story
This past month, I had the incredibly fulfilling experience of working with the IDEA Public School System in south Texas. The story of IDEA’s history is quite compelling and inspiring. In a nutshell, during their stint as Teach for America corps members, Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gama founded the IDEA Academy, the first IDEA Public School, in Donna, TX…
Choices are the Key
Recently, I read a copy of Jeff Bezos’s commencement address to Princeton’s graduating class of 2010. Jeff, of course is the CEO of Amazon and was also a graduate of Princeton. I was struck by his comments relative to choice and how our choices are THE key to our lives direction. A few of his…
Building a Personal Brand
What does alignment have to do with building your reputation and personal brand? This latest podcast from Kristin addresses this topic.
Need a reason to smile?
Sometimes I know I do! This weekend I stumbled across a video that brought a smile to my face. It starts a bit sappy, yet, I promise it will change your frame as you start the day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4 On this hump day, what if each of us found one unexpecting person to try this out…