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about mark otto
Mark Otto is a business consultant, author. and speaker. He draws on a lifetime of experience with the organizational strategic, and leadership challenges of growing companies to offer
practical and effective advice for improving leadership skils and business performance. Learn More
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10 Mistakes That Derail Growing Companies

January 03, 2014

Of course there’s no alarm that’s going to go off to warn of an impending business disaster. But there are many clues. As the leader of a growing business, you need to be on the lookout for these clues because these common mistakes are critical signals that foreshadow catastrophe.

7 Year-End Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves

By Mark Otto on

December 30, 2013

As a leader, it doesn’t matter how talented and successful you are, you are going to make mistakes. Over the last 20 years, I have had the opportunity to run various businesses and to work with or coach numerous business leaders in a broad range of industries. Through this experience, I have seen that even great leaders struggle through periods where they veer off course.

Technology Can’t Replace Leadership

By Mark Otto on

December 27, 2013

Along with the rise of electronic communication in the workplace, I’ve observed a disturbing trend: leaders using technology where leadership is required. And the result is dysfunctional leaders and dysfunctional organizations. The more that a leader relies on technology in personal interactions, the less personal and less effective he becomes.

Why You Need an Executive Coach

By Mark Otto on

December 23, 2013

When you’re clawing your way to the top, it’s easy to cling to the illusion that you’ll have everything figured out when you get there. But when you get there, you find out some things remain unknown or uncomfortable. As talented, experienced, and motivated as you are, you are only one person. It can seem like there’s nowhere else to turn. The top job can be overwhelming. People jump from the top floors in buildings, not the bottom floors.

Paranoia is Good for Business

By Mark Otto on

December 20, 2013

Successful growth companies have a healthy paranoia about their success. They know that competitive advantage deteriorates over time unless it is constantly cultivated and reinforced. And these companies are seriously concerned with future threats to their continued success. But far too often, once “hot” companies cool off because they are too focused on harvesting their success to notice the world is changing around them.

The Leadership Lie

By Mark Otto on

December 18, 2013

I regularly come across companies with the same basic symptoms: A misty image of the future, lack of a common purpose or shared aspirations, resistance to change, overwhelming problems and unrealized opportunities, and a general sense of unease. These are challenges that can only be solved with leadership.

Growth Requires Practical and Idealistic Leadership

By Mark Otto on

December 16, 2013

Leaders of growth aren’t successful without a strong team. And when it comes to managing their teams, they display two contradictory qualities: practicality and idealism. On the one hand, they are extremely practical – intensely aware of the realities of their situation and what is needed to succeed, and relentless in their focus on results. On the other hand, they are idealistic – visionaries who defy the odds to transform their ideas into reality by offering their teams support, motivation, and encouragement.

How to Find Growth by Seeing Differently

By Mark Otto on

December 13, 2013

It’s ridiculous to believe that growth only comes from a big disruptive idea. Growth happens for most companies when they uncover opportunities that already exist but often are hidden by traditional beliefs about what is promising or possible. The ability to see things differently and as a result do things differently is an essential capability necessary to tap into new sources of revenue growth.

7 Avoidable Hiring Mistakes

By Mark Otto on

December 11, 2013

Hiring is the most critical component in scaling a business. Period. Nothing else comes close. The people you choose to hire will impact every part of your business. It’s talent that fuels innovation, customer loyalty, a great culture, and almost every other influence in an organization. It’s talent that adapts, overcomes obstacles, and creates growth. And yet every day I see leaders haphazardly approach the hiring process.

The “Acting” CEO

By Mark Otto on

December 09, 2013

You know CEOs who are constantly in the public eye. They spend a great deal of their time attending conferences, giving speeches, appearing on TV, and being interviewed by the business press. They perform flawlessly, with tremendous charisma and poise. They arouse confidence among the public, potential employees, and investors. But among those closest to them, they are a fraud.

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