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Mourning the Loss of Steve Jobs: An American Icon and One of the Greatest Leaders of All Time

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Never met him myself. Have a few friends who worked with and for him until the day he died. Wrote a paper about him and the impact his leadership style had on Apple’s organizational culture once in my first year of grad school. I can’t imagine that makes us close though, so why is it that I’ve been taking Steve Jobs’ passing so hard. Maybe it’s because he is arguably the greatest leader of all time!

Inventor. Innovator. Visionary. Rebel. Icon. Oh yes, let’s not forget Micro-Manager of micro-managers. All of these are labels I’ve heard used to describe the genius that was Steve Jobs. Sure, Steve Jobs probably wasn’t a treat to work for 24/7, and he absolutely had a “particular” way of wanting things done. There is no question about that. With that said, he accomplished what no one before him ever has and quite likely what no one else ever could or will again. Steve Jobs was all but walked out of Apple – a company he envisioned and co-founded and truly loved to his core – at a time when its demise seemed likely. Since returning to the company years later when its total demise was all but imminent though, he rebuilt Apple into being one of the most successful businesses to ever exist – in America and throughout the world.  Read more ›

Posted in American icon, Apple, George Lucas, Henry Ford, Innovator, Inventor, Jim Cramer, Leadership, Mad Money, micro-manager, mourning, Pixar, rebel, Sam Walton, Silicon Valley, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, Visionary Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

What I Had I Gave. What I Kept Was Lost Forever.

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

I’m a huge Foo Fighters fan. Have a signed picture of the guys on my family room wall, and can’t wait for their upcoming concert at the old Great Western Forum later this week here in Los Angeles. Well, I was listening to one of my favorite songs “Best of You” recently, and I got inspired. “Is someone getting the best the best the best the best of you?” sings Dave Grohl.

Life is just too short to hold back. OK sure, there are times when you need to pace yourself or keep a little something saved up in your reserve tank. You can’t go all out and run marathon after marathon forever. No matter how fit you are, that’s not healthy or sustainable! In general though, you need to give it all you’ve got while you still can. Read more ›

Posted in Best, Canoes, Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Motivation, Personal commitment, Summer camp, Teamwork Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Leave Them Smiling and They’ll Keep Coming Back For More!

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

I suppose if I had ever attended a customer service training session in my life, I would have learned this a long time ago. The funny thing is that I’ve taught a few customer service training sessions over the years, and I’ve never reinforced let alone even mentioned the basic principle of making sure you leave your customers smiling. Happy?  Sure.  Satisfied with your service?  Of course.  Smiling though, not so much!

When I was in college, my mother taught me the important lesson of always putting a smile on my face whenever I was in a job interview. Since then, I’ve always tried to parlay that into an effective approach when meeting a client for a first time or when presenting to a large group. If I’m smiling, then I’m more likely to be in a good mood. If I’m in a good mood, I’m more likely to be present in my conversations and not be thrown off balance by an unexpected curve ball or even a more critical jab. This still is a pretty introspective and self-centered way of being though. Read more ›

Posted in Alice Cooper, customer service, Leadership, sacred encounters, Sheraton Universal Hotel, smiling, Training Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Is Your Success as a Solopreneur Consultant Worth $100 Per Month?

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Do you need help launching your own management consulting practice? Did you already establish your firm but need a little guidance achieving the next level of success you know is possible? Are you looking to enhance your market presence with new service offerings? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then YOU WILL BENEFIT from our next Coaching 4 Consultants Mastermind program, beginning this November.

Learn to recognize and understand the many roles of being a solopreneur and small business owner. Review the steps required to launch your firm and create new service offerings. Learn effective techniques for running a sustainable practice and develop a strategy for growth enabling your continued success for years to come. Read more ›

Posted in Coaching, Consultants, Entrepreneur, Group Learning, Management Consulting, Mastermind Group, Solopreneur Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Doing More With Less: Are You Spreading Your Peanut Butter Too Thin?

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

One of our large aerospace clients used to talk about “spreading the peanut butter too thin” when we talked about what critical tasks needed to get done. We were facilitating some strategic planning sessions with them, and their leadership team always thought they were resource-constrained and spread way too thin to achieve their strategic objectives. Well this morning, I actually ran out of peanut butter while making my peanut butter and honey sandwich for breakfast. That must be a sign that I’m spreading it – and myself – too thin!

In a recent talk, Robert Kaplan, Harvard professor and former Chairman of Goldman Sachs, shared several key strategies for senior executives to make sure their employees were not spread too thin. According to Kaplan, you must set clear priorities for your organization – only 3 or 4 at most, not a laundry list of 10-20+ To Do’s as many tend to have – to make sure everyone on your team is focused on only the most important tasks that deliver real value to your organization and especially to your customers. The key here is defining exactly what the most strategic, highest “bang for your buck” priorities are and then doing nothing – yes nothing! – that isn’t going to move your organization forward in achieving those goals. Read more ›

Posted in CLEAR, Leadership Alignment, Peanut Butter, Prioroties, Resource Management, Robert Kaplan, Strategic Planning Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Do It With Velocity…Before It’s Too Late!

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

Summer is a time for relaxing, taking vacations, and generally speaking having a slower-paced life. Well, guess what…summer’s over! Labor Day is now behind us. It’s time to kick it back into high gear before we start celebrating the holidays and ring in another New Year.

If you read my recent post Composure: Maintaining Balance, then you’ll understand my basic thoughts about keeping it together during tough times and how to rally past those “woe is me moments” as I have come to call them. Well, the second part of that equation is moving on swiftly and decisively – with velocity! – whenever something unexpected or even disturbing happens. Sure, there’s a time for analysis and rigorous planning. Even that can be done with velocity though.

Now is not a time for moving slowly. Life moves too fast these days. Stock market swings, global market fluctuations, even the weather – it’s all changing at such a rapid pace that you need to react much quicker and move much faster than ever before. Our clients aren’t sitting around waiting for us. I’m guessing your world keeps moving too whether you keep up with it or not. Read more ›

Posted in Armageddon, Balance, Bruce Willis, Composure, productivity management, Time Managment, velocity

Hello, My Name is Jeremy, and I’m an Entrepreneur

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

It took me a long time to be able to say that with a straight face and level of conviction that it really meant something. I started my own business – a management consulting firm called Plus Delta Consulting – in 2002 after years of just not feeling like I fit in with any other job I ever had before. In fact, other than being a summer camp counselor or working as a lifeguard at Northwestern University’s boathouse on Lake Michigan, I never kept a job for more than about 2 years until now. Whether it was working in a small start-up or with two of the world’s largest management consulting firms, I knew that it would take something different to feed my soul. I just didn’t know what that was or how I’d construct it. Even when I was honored with the apparent success of being the Founder and CEO of one of the fastest growing private companies in America (according to Inc. magazine) a few years ago, I still didn’t get what it truly meant to be an entrepreneur.

At that very Inc. conference in 2009, Chris Gardner, author of the book and subject of the 2006 movie portrayed by Will Smith “Pursuit of Happyness“, shared his definition of entrepreneurship with a group of us attending a private reception hosted by the Kauffman Foundation, the ones who really know what entrepreneurship in America is all about!

According to Gardner, the essence of entrepreneurship is taking money out of your own pocket to cover payroll. Well, I’ve certainly had my fair share of that over the years, so I guess it’s time to admit it… My name is Jeremy Lurey, and I’m an entrepreneur! Read more ›

Posted in Chris Gardner, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur.com, Entrepreneur's Organization, Entrepreneurship, Geoff Bellman, Harriet Rubin, Inc.com, Kauffman Foundation, Pursuit of Happyness, Vistage International, Will Smith

Basking In the Sun Like a Pelican

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

For those of you who follow me and Our Blog, you probably know that I am fortunate enough to spend much of my time in beautiful – and generally peaceful – Malibu, California. I drive up and down Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) most days between my home and office and regular meetings in the city. Usually, I have the pleasure of watching “my dolphins” as I call them swim through the waters and various birds frolic in the wind. Well this morning, I got stuck in traffic on the highway due to a big accident and ongoing construction, so I didn’t just catch a glimpse of the birds out of the corner of my eye as I would if I were driving the speed limit. Instead, I got to sit and watch them for quite awhile as our cars barely crawled on by.

As frustrating as it was to be late for my 8:30am meeting – unlike in my past, I truly strive to be on time at all times these days, so being late has become a real pet peeve that can be more than frustrating… – it gave me a rare opportunity to simply sit and watch a couple of pelicans in particular as they floated on top of the water grabbing an occasional fish for breakfast. Appreciating the local marine life is a true pleasure in my life, as it always gives me renewed perspective. I haven’t always been a “glass is half full” kind of guy. Somehow I’ve come to learn though that life isn’t about being half anything – full or empty. The glass is always full. It’s just a matter of how you look at it and whether or not you choose to see at it that way yourself. Read more ›

Posted in Appreciation, Dolphins, Optimism, Pacific Coast Highway, Pelicans, Scarcity, Sunshine

10 Years Later: A Time for Remembering

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

10 Years Later

Amazing that it was 10 years ago this Sunday that forever changed our country and the lives of everyone around the world. Our thoughts and prayers will always be with those we lost and their loved ones who survive them. May we never forget the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Here in Malibu, California, we are blessed to have Pepperdine University’s spectacular display of flags every year as our visual reminder of this horrific tragedy. And in recognition of this 10-year anniversary, we are honored to share it with you.

God bless America. God bless us all.

Posted in Uncategorized

Plus Delta’s Founder & CEO Kicks Off National Speaker Series for MNODN Chapter

Posted on by Jeremy Lurey

MnodnReady to focus on your own professional development and up your game now that summer is almost over? Plus Delta’s Founder and CEO Dr. Jeremy Lurey kicks off this year’s National Speaker Series for the Minnesota OD Network with two exciting programs that you won’t want to miss.

  • Essentials of Change Management, Thur Sept 15th – Explore the key drivers for successfully implementing organizational changes and develop the critical skills you need to effectively lead complex enterprise-wide change initiatives
  • Making It On Your Own: Leading Practices for Running a Successful OD Consulting Practice, Fri Sept 16th – This is a perfect primer for skilled OD consultants who want to launch their own consulting practices and/or now need to develop the critical skills required to run their firms and become successful “solopreneurs”

Both programs are being offered in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area next month, so if you are in the area, sign up now. And if you don’t live or work in the Twin Cities area, contact Jeremy directly at +1.310.589.4600 x4612 or by email at jslurey@plusdelta.net. He can tell you all about these two targeted workshops and schedule additional sessions for you and your organization whenever and wherever it’s more convenient for you!

Posted in Change management, Consulting, Consulting Practice, Consulting Skills, Minneapolis, Minnesota OD Network, OD Network, organizational change, Professional Development, Soloing, Solopreneur, St. Paul, Training, Twin Cities

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