From the Desk of Linda Goldstein

Linda Featured on G.R.I.T. Talk Show
G.R.I.T. Talk Show featuring best selling author Linda Goldstein a contributing author within GROWTH. Linda shares about the impact she made within the community while

Quit Pretending All is OK… And Communicate with Your People
I read recently about a restaurant owner who tried to deal with his difficult situation by pretending everything is OK… …when it definitely was not

Now is the Time to Reimagine and Reinvent Your Organization
I recently asked a business owner what her highest priority will be when her office reopens. With no hesitation, she said, “Revise our strategic plan.”

Staying Grounded During a Global Pandemic
I have a colleague who’s on edge. The pandemic sparked it. He and I discussed how he can deal productively with it. He’s generally an

Reflect on Failure to Achieve Success
Last month, I shared the story of how “groupthink” in President John F. Kennedy’s administration led to the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion.
Here’s the next chapter of that story: How JFK applied lessons learned from that setback to achieve his greatest foreign policy success.

How Groupthink Undermines Foreign Policy… and Your Business
When he became President in 1961, John F. Kennedy inherited a plan to invade Cuba and depose Communist leader Fidel Castro. Kennedy’s predecessor, Dwight D.

The Swing Vote
We all make a variety of decisions every day. Some are so routine that we make them without giving them much thought. But difficult or challenging decisions demand more consideration. Here are a few tips to help you make better decisions:

Prioritize Prioritizing
Whether you lead an organization, community, or board, nothing significant gets done if you don’t prioritize. Without priorities, goals and initiatives trigger chaos, not progress. How do you prioritize when everything seems like a priority?

What NIMBYs Can Teach Us
When I was Mayor of Clayton, MO, we sometimes locked horns with residents when we proposed development projects in their neighborhood. These were the residents

Redefine BHAG to Achieve Big Goals
I once knew a CEO who was fond of BHAGs — big, hairy, audacious goals. He encouraged his employees to think bigger. He prodded them

How to Keep Your Team Focused and Productive in Challenging Times
With the possibility of a recession looming over us, global warming threatening the future of our planet, and mass shootings horrifying us way too often,

Encourage Your Team to Have a “Good Fight”
In a 1995 interview, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was discussing the importance of teamwork and shared the following anecdote to make his point: “When I

From Campaigning To Governing: Advice For Newly Elected Officials
“It’s easier to run for office than to run the office.” Former House Speaker Tip O’Neill Congratulations, you ran for public office and won! Campaigning

Lessons from the SNL Writers Room: How to Build an Effective Team
I recently saw a hilarious video clip from the third season of Saturday Night Live (SNL). Producer Lorne Michaels asks the Beatles (all still living

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Power of Surveys
How Stakeholder Input Can Keep You and Your Team on Track If it hadn’t been for accurate data, I wouldn’t have realized I was barking

Overcoming Cultural Conflict
During my years in the commercial flooring business, my company acquired one of our competitors with a very different culture than ours. My organization was

Team Building is a Process, Not an Event
Recently I was invited to meet with an elected Board because, as one member said, they “needed a little team-building.” After some preliminary discussions, I

How Municipal Government Can Save Money With Energy Benchmarking
Local Governments & Energy Efficiency How can you save money, invest more resources in your community, fight climate change, and offset rising energy prices?

2018 Leadership Tips
Five Key Issues That Can Make or Break Your Plans “It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those

Supercharge Your Team!
Why Your Board, Team, or Business Needs a Vision Statement and Action Plan Nothing is going to be handed to you — you have to