Recently, I connected with a dear friend and my first business mentor over breakfast – former radio executive, Cynthia Morgan. Cynthia was the first business leader I met that “took me seriously” and set a high standard for the type of leader that I wanted to be. We met in a Dale Carnegie class […]
Steve Jobs once said, “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” Man, am I familiar with this phrase. Many years ago, I decided to become an entrepreneur – my first company, the CBI Group, was born. At that time, I believed that every hour I worked would equate to future value. […]
As a member of the Scaling Up community, a strategic coach, and a business owner of a growth-oriented mid-market company, I have had the pleasure of learning life lessons from some of the best leaders and entrepreneurs on the planet. I discuss one of my favorites below – and how I’ve used it to better my life […]
When I was 19, I was the assistant manager of a late-night sub shop on the beach. I served customers, managed employees, and reconciled any issues. At 21 I was the manager at a sporting goods store. With this position, I was tasked with managing a team of ten people, running the budget for a […]
For my entire life, my father, Alan Burkhard, has been my best mentor. At every turn he would share sage advice on seemingly anything – business, life’s obstacles, career crossroads, really any damn topic that the rest of us knew less about than him. Today, Alan is a 75 year old retired grandfather who […]
“Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” – T.S. Elliott The truth is, those who know me are tired of hearing about my Mount Rainier climb. I don’t blame them – the preparation was all-consuming for me. In fact, I should start with a […]
Build Your Top 20 We often think of being “results based” as simply achieving outcomes. Getting shit done. Hitting your forecast or sales quotas. Winning. You get the picture. But before you work full-steam ahead towards these outcomes you must clearly and succinctly understand what you’re trying to accomplish. What is the desired […]
In 2009, many businesses ground to a halt – almost a complete stop. Corporate customers stopped buying. Consumer sentiment was down, and people stopped spending. In the U.S., this was our entire economy. Most leaders found themselves navigating uncharted business waters, and leadership became narrowly focused on one thing: survival. I am proud to […]
The world of business is fast-changing. Fickle, almost. Climates evolve rapidly, markets come and go, consumer demand is continually in flux. Any company that navigates these inherent trials and tribulations with grace isn’t doing so because of sheer dumb luck. They have a secret sauce: Their employees. The lifeblood of any company is […]
“Recently, I was meeting with our recruitment consultant, Freddy, over lunch and I shared this story. Back in the early days of Placers 1.0 and the CBI Group, we set out to propel one of the key tenants of our culture: employee empowerment. We asked ourselves how self-directed our teams could really be. Would they […]
