Are your meetings the butt of work-related jokes? Why is it that we roll our eyes with disdain when our calendar is loaded with meetings,..
Entries by Barry Pruitt
Many planning tools are used on an annual basis—yet, they are often overlooked in the middle of a pandemic like COVID-19. There is an..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards, Effective Meetings
I recently read Dr. Steve Sjuggerud’s investment newsletter where he stated:
“It made me feel a bit like Tom Brady in the playoffs..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I really enjoy learning during client interactions. When I’m working onsite in planning sessions, coaching executives 1-to-1, or working..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
History is the ultimate reality TV show; it's getting a first-hand view of people's bad decisions, conflicts, trials, and successes. We can..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
There are two main reasons that entrepreneurs fail to grow their business and maintain a healthy personal life. Dr. Ollie Malone, author of
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I recently blogged that being a great coach requires that you know which hat you’re wearing the very moment you engage with a team member...
Business dreams and future strategic direction are exciting, motivating and even invigorating; however, they are of no value if you run out..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
We’ve just ended a particularly challenging year with no relief in sight. Business battles have multiple new fronts – including national..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
In 1998 I was traveling on I-95, just south of Cocoa Beach, Florida, where brush fires burned along the highway. When I arrived in Fort..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
As you approach planning for another quarter, take a moment to check in on your 3-5 Year Strategy or what he calls Winning Moves. These are..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
This Saturday, my aunt will be buried. She's the last of my dad's generation for my family. She passed due to complications of cancer, and..
It’s summer. Bright blue skies, puffy cotton candy-like clouds, and colorful flowers abound in gardens everywhere. This description is also..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Strategy Execution
As leadership guru Jim Collins tells us, organizations go from good to great when personalities step aside and let purpose become the..
According to FEMA, only 60% of small businesses reopen after a disaster. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) continues this..
We all know we need to be prepared for the worst—while striving for the best—when it comes to the effects of COVID-19, and the market has..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Annual & Quarterly Planning, KPIs & Dashboards, Strategy Execution
The Balanced Scorecard, originally developed by Dr. Robert Kaplan of Harvard University and Dr. David Norton, can keep your company..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
It was the 2007-2009 recession, and markets were uncertain. Things were generally OK with my business, yet with years of experience through..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning
The 880-page CARES Act requires ongoing, focused effort to reduce the complexity to useful information. Just like filing taxes, some are..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Annual & Quarterly Planning, Strategy Execution
Are you fostering an accountability-based team, department, or organization? Accountability takes a step beyond responsibility...
I must admit, I’m an enthusiast for developing emotional intelligence. It’s one of the reasons I became a certified facilitator for EQ-i...
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
As a leader, I’ve sometimes felt like a nut – nutty ideas, feedback that indicates I’m crazy, looks from others that could … well, you get..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Imagine the circular conversation in your workplace. The movie you’ve seen before, where you know the outcome, and can predict that there..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
It was 6:30 pm on a summer evening. Since I had agreed that my youngest son could go out with friends only after the grass had been cut, I..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I’ve observed a common theme in client companies. I should say, a specific type of client companies. The type that successfully grow year..
Like many great business learnings, it began with glass of wine. I had a business manager named Jim who was experiencing employee problems,..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
You may have heard the old saying; “Putting lipstick on a pig doesn't make it more attractive!” You may chuckle at the meaning, yet I see..
Topics: Strategy Execution
I debated calling this blog Stage Secrets of Great Communicators only to then argue with myself that the stage for you could be the floor..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
My Dad was a chemist working on, among other things, the Proctor and Gamble team that brought Cascade to the market. It was a fun childhood..
Topics: Strategy Execution
Change is accelerating, competition is stiff, and employee engagement is measurably low. How can you possibly make headway in a growing..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
One of the critical issues business leaders face is not failing to create a strategy, but actually executing it throughout the ranks of..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
Over twenty years ago I worked with one of the top pizza chains in the world. They had several processes in place to manage growth,..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
If you’ve ever worked at an entrepreneurial company, been a business owner, or worn the hat of sales person, then you understand a revenue..
Topics: Increasing Sales
Everyone hits a ceiling of complexity. Teens hit a level of complexity in sports, class, and social situations. Entrepreneurs hit levels of..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Strategy Execution
I recently blogged about why some companies increased sales and were happily forging ahead while others never moved out of the starting..
Topics: Increasing Sales, Strategies for Growth
As I think over last year, I wonder why some companies increased sales and were happily forging ahead while others never moved out of the..
My youngest son was eight years old and played for the church basketball team. You may know the routine, practice once a week and play once..
Leaders often self-impose what used to be good habits at a bad time. What I mean is that they continue doing the things they did with 5..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
If you’re from southeastern USA, you know full well how delicious a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut can be. The anticipation of that sweet savory..
Is your team struggling with sales? If so, you’ve probably talked about sales systems and training, read books and may have engaged an..
Topics: Increasing Sales
“A good plan executed right now is far better than a perfect plan next week.” - George S. Patton
Patton had it right. An executive pattern..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Accountable Leaders & Teams
Fast growth companies deal with more and more customers – it’s implied in growth. Having more and more customers increases the risk that ..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I was pleasantly surprised and wonderfully rewarded by the success of launching our new book, Predictable Results. I find it curious that..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
No matter who they are or what they're doing, every person and organization experiences problems, difficulties, unexpected reversals and..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Spring is here and I’ve been making new landscaping plans. Well, actually, plans to continue on a landscaping path chosen two years ago –..
Topics: Increasing Sales
At each business stage, leaders face new challenges and complexity. The Herculean effort to launch and grow a business to $1m revenue is..
“Goliath had as much chance against David as any Bronze Age warrior with a sword would have had against an opponent armed with a .45..
We’ve been busy preparing for our Breakthrough Conference in Charlotte, working on keynotes, topics, and materials that would help leaders..
Whenever I am onboarding a new client, I expect questions. I often hear, "what’s the most important thing that we need to succeed?" So I..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
Michael was a beautiful boy. I guessed that he was about 9 years old and although his shirt was worn out, his jeans torn, and his shoes and..
Topics: Strategy Execution
Being a great coach is founded on knowing which hat you’re wearing. Everyone wears multiple hats. It could be a team member, project..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Strategy Execution
I recently shared an interesting trend regarding sales and predictable results. The premise was that leaders just like you are desperate..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Strategy Execution
Onsite consulting reveals interesting trends, and this year I’m hearing more and more about predictable results. Leaders just like you are..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
Despite best intentions, many of our dreams and goals go unfulfilled. One might think it’s because people are lazy, but I struggle with..
Topics: Strategy Execution
What do professional painters, singers, leaders, negotiators, and, in fact, most professionals have in common? They practice with multiple..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
When working with clients, I commonly hear things like, “I’d really like to get out of my office and talk to my team, but there just isn’t..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
No matter your spiritual beliefs, there is no denying that great preachers have a large number of followers. I’ve found that the same is..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
As an employee (or boss), you can be proactive in clarifying roles and expectations – making you happier in your job and improving..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
As a consultant, I get the chance to walk into many offices just like yours. I meet team members just like your team members. And..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I bet you recall with great clarity the time that you had good intent yet got negative results. Forget that you meant to be helpful,..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
It’s exhilarating to start a company. You have a dream, you wear many hats, you have the constant challenge of managing time from one duty..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
It was my first car. You’ll remember yours, the great memories, the funny quirks, how perfect it seemed … and perhaps you remember a few of..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
You write the script, set the stage, and make up the characters. If you don’t like the story, it’s time for a rewrite. When it comes to ..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
In an effort to build connections with other professionals, I opened my Twitter account in June 2009. I waited. I waited a bit longer. Gee,..
Most entrepreneurs and leaders know when their team isn’t aligned or working in the most efficient way. It shows up in petty arguments,..
Topics: Strategy Execution
If the event does not help you think differently, do something more effectively or, succeed at something that you would not have otherwise..
Topics: Strategy Execution
At Rhythm Systems, we believe in getting smarter on a regular basis. I say "believe in" getting smarter because it’s one of our core..
Topics: Strategy Execution
Jack Daly has proven in the market, in nearly every industry, that he can move sales people through the critical sales path to the end..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
In my last blog I asked, “Who really understands the art of effective sales?” There are a handful of sales experts and one is my guest, ..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
Who really understands the art of effective sales? The difference between effective sales people versus the typical plaid jacket, wide tie..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
It was an incredible moment. She had traveled thousands of miles, spent hundreds of hours, and suffered the pain of learning a new language..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Your word of encouragement during any team member failure is worth more than an hour of praise after company success.
OK, you’re a..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I’m going to miss my uncle Frank. He was born August 20, 1921, near El Paso, Texas. He was the last man standing (except for my generation)..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” - Thomas A. Edison
Thomas Edison knew what he..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
Most great leaders are great communicators. In my previous blog, I shared how to Stand Up, Speak Up, Shut Up, and Sit Down. This is the..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Get a job, learn to be competent, and you can find work anywhere. Learn a skill and you’ll never want for work. You build your legacy as..
I’ve known many leaders with good potential who were never tested. I’ve also known many leaders with good potential who were tested - and..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere. -Lee Iacocca
I've worked with brilliant..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
If you’re a leader, you probably dislike the annual review process. In fact, if you’re like most leaders, you probably hate it. There’s..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
You either pay your people, or they don’t come back. I don’t mean you should give them the paychecks they earned. That’s a legal and..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
With a great message and poor delivery you have the equivalent of … a poor message! I’ve worked the stage in twelve countries with..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Strategy Execution, Effective Meetings
Making sales is revenue generation, and therefore the lifeblood of business growth. I’ve discovered that some people are good at selling a..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
Whether you are handling a baby boomer who is frustrated with the work ethic of a Gen Xer or you are mentoring an impatient Gen Y employee..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Nope. The title is not a misprint. Any ship at anchor while attempting to move forward, is moving slower and using more energy than..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Since the publication of Les Propheties, Nostradamus has attracted loyal followers that, along with much of the press, give him credit for..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Accountable Leaders & Teams
I've known a lot of people who were book smart, did well in school, but were a bust as an employee or a leader. I also went to school with..
I’ve started two handfuls of small companies, and I’ve won some, lost some, and sold some. This pattern was an odd one for my wife, an..
Topics: Strategy Execution
It’s time to call it out. Why do we, as business leaders, put up with mediocrity? I’m talking about leaders in your company who get the..
Surveys indicate that 47% of people rate themselves as good collaborators during conflict, yet only rate 25-33% of counterparts as..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Are you stuck in a box when it comes to coaching your team? The ability to give constructive feedback is core for you to be a great..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
In the movie, Talladega Nights, actor Will Ferrell incessantly cries, “I wanna go fast!” If you aren’t familiar with the movie, just..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Caretaker for a race horse ranch, a school bus driver, bird surveyor, a small mammal trapper for fish and wildlife service, a firefighter,..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
The best sales people are not those that have the gift of gab, and the best sales managers aren’t the best sales people. Selling and..
The Captain and Tennille (as one colleague and I are called) recently attended the Fortune Leadership Summit in Orlando. There was one tune..
Topics: Increasing Sales, Strategy Execution
"Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for..
You’ve heard it – you don’t know Jack. You can’t really measure what I do. This is different from manufacturing numbers, usual metrics,..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Strategy Execution
During our last holiday I had a chance to see emotions at every range of their spectrum. Love, joy, excitement, anger, frustration, even..
"A crisis is like car trouble – keep the car long enough and it isn't a question of if it will happen, it’s a question of when.” – Barry..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Welcome to the idea of critical numbers. Every executive team has them (measured or not) and when you begin a new quarter, they should be..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
I owned a company while in my late twenties that wasn’t glamorous but it was profitable - a commercial cleaning business. This was the one..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
As a Rhythm Business Growth Coach, I love studying the patterns and operations of winning teams. I find that it’s an interesting form of..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I was twelve years old when I graduated from my custom potholder making business to something even more lucrative -- a paper route. Later,..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Imagine – you’re at the Super Bowl and suddenly the score changed. It was in favor of your favorite team so you are, of course, pleased...
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards, Strategy Execution
"Emotional Intelligence or EQ is not a simple repackaging of the 'soft skills' we so often hear about in business. It is based on..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
It’s time for a service revolution. As you prepare for the next year, there are plenty of unknowns related to the business, political, and..
As a child I loved exploring something new. I (generally) enjoyed the journey and the process. I remember when I was a boy I pretended to..
Topics: Effective Meetings
“Check the source before you believe the message” – Barry Pruitt
I learned early in my business career to follow the above advice. It may..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
As leaders we are often faced with having to convey difficult news (or seemingly drastic new plans) to employees and team members. Are you..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
“I work with some of the top executives in the world and none of them read. And then they pay me to talk about what I read – which really..
Recent polling indicates that 78.2% (+/-3% correct) of business mistakes are the result of meetings. I’m not serious, but my serious..
Topics: Effective Meetings
It was 5:00 am when I stepped in line for the counter. As we joked and talked, our group of 12 slowly crept up to the front of the line. At..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Ever wonder why some ideas take off, and some don’t? We all know that it’s not arbitrary, but in Kevin Maney’s book, Trade-Off (Broadway..
Topics: Strategy Execution
On February 2, 2013 I frantically tweeted, “Tony Robbins got it wrong this week about ‘understanding your employees’ work strategies.”..
Making your message or ideas "sticky" is critical, whether it is communicating more effectively with your team, other leaders and CEOs, or..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I’ve seen great strategies suffer crash landings when team execution failed. Determining how and understanding why this happens is key to..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
Don't Flip OFF Your Team, Instead Flip ON Your Team’s Power
In my previous blog I shared why it’s important to not Flip OFF Your Team...
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
“If you don’t believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message.” —Jim Kouzes, co-author of Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Polling data indicates that the public (in general) doesn’t trust those in elected leadership positions – and this mistrust sometimes..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Accountable Leaders & Teams
During times of organizational flux, it can become increasingly difficult to engage your employees in learning. Across the country and in..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Accountable Leaders & Teams
As a Rhythm coach and onsite facilitator, I am always interested in the different egos and personalities in entrepreneurial companies. My..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
As you attempt to control your business and your team's effort, you will likely be attracted to dashboards. And the first question you..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
I often find that what actually works for CEOs and leadership teams is counterintuitive. What was thought to be smart isn’t. And what was..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards, Strategy Execution
One of the critical, even primary, tasks of a leader is directing the energy and attention of your team. I don’t mean to discount your..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
If you've ever visited a cliff known for its echo effect, you'll remember easing to the edge, taking a huge breath, and – with all the..
“The employees who come in with the most call center experience, we have the hardest time trying to get them to unlearn what they have..
I had dinner tonight, a murder mystery dinner, and in the middle of the excitement found myself reminiscing on the successful, and failed,..
End of year begins a heavy planning period for many of our clients – quarterly planning, annual planning, strategic 3-5 year planning, and..
In the words of Peter Senge, learning organizations are ”organizations where people continually expand their capacity to create the..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Strategy Execution, Accountable Leaders & Teams
I’ve had a few major incidents regarding eyes - two that I cannot forget. One was getting my first pair of glasses, and the second, a few..
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
You’ll find reports in every technology, sales, and business magazine - reports of businesses spending millions of dollars to purchase,..
Topics: Strategy Execution
Are successful leaders going to excel, regardless of the times in which they lead? Some may say yes. After all, Jack Welch led General..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
Certain kinds of changes are easier to make than others; increasing and decreasing budgets, maintaining strategic alliances, completing a..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Accountable Leaders & Teams
Here are the second set of answers from, "How to Use KPIs to Focus Your Team and Keep Your Plan on Track."
Topics: KPIs & Dashboards
The companies I coach are in the game of business, not to survive – but to win! You can’t win by being thoughtful, yet complacent. In..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, KPIs & Dashboards
I once heard that your culture will eat your strategy for lunch. The culture of your organization determines communication styles, how..
I often ask business owners what was their best experience as an entrepreneur—and what was the worst. Although said in many ways, the..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
No matter the market or the economy, you should always be asking your team to re-assess your Brand Promise and its sales tactics, and..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Strategy Execution
Implementing change on a company level can feel insurmountable. As a matter of fact, the more successful companies become, the more..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
CEOs and leadership teams worldwide have been practicing white-knuckle management for almost four years. Your company may have seen rapid..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
How does your organization typically roll out major change? Often, it is by enlisting the power of persuasion – perhaps the persuasion..
Topics: Strategies for Growth
Warning: Blind Spot Ahead! Everyone has aspirations, goals, and wishes -- and they typically come complete with barriers and challenges..
Topics: Strategy Execution
According to a Harvard Business Review study, fully one quarter of the highest-potential people in your company intend to jump ship within..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Accountable Leaders & Teams
You’ll be tempted to share the background story and details that lead to this moment with your executive team, board, or bank. You’ll have..
What gives successful leaders the edge over everyone else? Top performing leaders act like entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs all share one..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
"Think before you communicate." Simple words with great impact shared with me from the CEO of a Warren Buffet owned company. What new ways..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, Accountable Leaders & Teams
Have you ever seen a coach become so frustrated with a player’s performance that he rushed onto the field, pulled the player aside, and..
Topics: Accountable Leaders & Teams
I’ve been reading the latest publication from Verne Harnish, The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time, and was reminded of several..
Topics: Annual & Quarterly Planning, KPIs & Dashboards, Accountable Leaders & Teams
Everything looks like a failure in the middle. Sometimes the path to success can feel like a failure - and sometimes failure is a part of..
Topics: Strategies for Growth, Annual & Quarterly Planning, Strategy Execution
Doing What Matters, by James Kilts (Three Rivers Press, 2010), is an update of the frank-talking and insightful original released in 2007...