Insights

I've spent much of my career growing businesses in industries that weren’t exactly known for rapid expansion: office imaging, postage meters, production mail, and the technology around them. These are markets where growth had to be earned, not expected. At BlueCrest, the print-and-mail technology solutions company I led as CEO, we operated in a market where postal volumes were declining between 3% and 7% annually. Despite those headwinds, we grew revenue at a 4.3% CAGR throug

Many people have asked how I approach the first 90 days as a new CEO. While every situation is unique, I've found that a consistent blueprint dramatically improves the odds of success. Here are the five principles I come back to every time. 1. Make your own assessment. Don't inherit opinions—develop your own. Before making major decisions, validate everything through firsthand observation, data, and facts. 2. Cast a wide net. Meet with leaders, employees, customers, supplier

When I joined Neopost as President and CEO of North America, I inherited two underachieving companies with two different brands. Different coasts. Redundant leadership. And a history as competitors that had left real tension in the ranks. The employee engagement numbers made the problem clear: Engagement: 32% Survey participation: 49% For reference, high performers run above 70% on engagement and 90% on participation. We could have ignored those numbers and gone straight

We all have those people we work with early in our careers whose influence we don’t fully appreciate until years later. For me, that person was Peter W. Shoemaker.