Category Archives: Vistage

Why Vistage Membership Is Even More Important During An Economic Crisis

During the 16 years that I ran my, 1984 to 2000, I was lucky to only have to navigate through a minor recession in the early 1990’s. We we grew during the recession because our clients backed off from hiring … Continue reading

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17 Hard Things You Have To Do To Be A Great Leader

I don’t know the origin of these 17 items, but they ring true for me. A colleague sent them to me. As I typed them into this post, I teared up. I ran a company for 16 years, growing from … Continue reading

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The Fackler Five

These are some conclusions about running a business that I have come to after 19 years in Vistage and working with hundreds of CEOs. 1) If you are worried about an action that has to be taken, you have already … Continue reading

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CEO’s Checklist For Leading Your Company Through A Recession

This came from members of Sterling Lanier’s Vistage Group in the Bay Area. I changed just a couple of items, but this is essentially their work. CEO Driven Activities – surround yourself with good advisors and seek their help – focus … Continue reading

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10 Commandments of Networking for a Job

I visited a meeting of Vistage Chairs in Los Angeles this week. One Vistage Chair shared a few documents that were some of his best practices. This document on networking I thought was well written and worth publishing on my … Continue reading

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Fear, Oct 2003

This is a poem I wrote in a Vistage Chair training class. I am continually reminded how fear gets in the way of good decision making for managers. I am also continually reminded how I am hampered by fear. Of … Continue reading

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The 5 Temptations of a CEO

Many years ago when I was running Stellcom, my wife gave me a book that changed the way I managed forever. The book is “The Five Temptations of a CEO” by Pat Lencioni. The book is very easy to read … Continue reading

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A Guideline for Moral Behavior

I was speaking to a CEO member of my Vistage group about morals and how to determine if his behavior was acceptable. We wandered in the discussion talking about strict moral standards compared to loose moral standards. What was appropriate … Continue reading

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Why I Joined Vistage?

Why did I join Vistage back in 1991? That is an easy question to answer. I was a software engineer since companies paid me to program their computers. I was a CEO because I filed some documents with the State … Continue reading

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