The year was 2000 and much of the world was bracing for Y2K and impending disaster.  My family was bracing for a different development; the arrival of our second child.  As parents will tell you, the second one puts you over the top and as evidence of that, I really needed a different work/life blend. It was at that time I decided to make a phone call that changed my career and you could say, without being overly dramatic, my life.  I had met Sherry Benjamins on a consulting

Many years ago at our five year anniversary in business, I met with a dear friend who gave me sage advice and said; "write a forward looking vision of what you desire for the next phase of your business journey." So I did that and found my notes to share now. Written in 2005 as an aspirational guide for 2015 and beyond: "I am laughing a lot more these days – not taking myself so seriously! I can step away and have perspective and total trust in a great team. They bring light,

Erik Benjamins: How did you choose the path of entrepreneurship? Ryan Sheffer: Up until I was applying for college, I thought that “becoming a business person” was the thing you did as a career. I didn’t know that becoming a filmmaker—or doing your own thing—could be a job. In my head, it seemed like something that others did. When I started to get into the technology industry about ten years later to start my own company, I didn’t know what venture capital was. I didn’t use

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to speak with Chip about leadership and what fuels his passion within Airbnb. SB: I just read your book Emotional Equations and immediately saw the power of practical strategies for leadership. Tell me more about your view on leadership today. CC: Leaders are the emotional thermostats for the business. Whoever is the top dog conveys mood and tone. How they talk is amplified across the organization. It is contagious and sensed by emplo

This is a time of year when we are grateful for the people and work that surrounds us. Our good friend Rob Reindl transitioned from corporate life, as CHRO with Edwards Lifesciences, to a blended lifestyle that incorporates fascinating consulting work, giving to the community and sharing his leadership skills with others in unique ways. Several years ago, Rob began looking at non-profits and the OneOC family offered impressive focus and purpose driven work helping other organ

We hosted a learning event this past week and enjoyed a provocative discussion with Dr. Gustavo Grodnitsky.  I invited our clients and a few really smart and engaging millennials who bring amazing honesty and refreshing energy to our discussions.  This is written by Derek Kozaites, a recent graduate is interested in International Studies and business.  Read what he had to say; "I had the pleasure of attending a “Great Starts Breakfast Series” hosted by S.Benjamins & Co. The s

The Wall Street Journal article today (Saturday, January 17th) starts by saying four in ten U.S. college students graduate without skills in "complex reasoning, communication and problem solving."   There is some progress for sure, but the author points out there are big gaps to address.  The conversation about this is not new and it is easy to overlook those that are tackling this head on. I have just joined the Advisory Board of the California State University Fullerton (CS

Alison offered a wonderful metaphor for leading for the future based on her own experiences in the dark jungles of Singapore. A future thinking leader is someone who points there headlamp up and out in a dark tunnel to illuminate the path in front for themselves and those behind them, while a leader focused on the now points their headlamp down towards their feet only illuminating one step ahead of them. When a leader points his head lamp down, he/she may be able to see their

Select recruiting organizations have evolved to impressive standards.  They have the tools, process and focus that for years they were unable to achieve.  However, there are still many that are operating in 20th century reactive models. I just read a study reporting that 30% of top tier companies are mapping external talent pipelines.  They have committed to talent programs that require proactively developing candidates on the outside before they are even needed on the inside