Washington Business Journal “BizBeat” posts

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2008 WBJ Articles
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The difference between winning and doing well

Washington Business Journal by Ingar Grev. April 26, 2013

 

In the military, there’s a term for forces that operate without a strategy — "losers of battles." Obviously, if a general doesn’t know the overall objective – the mission – he can’t tactically deploy his forces. Moreover, if he doesn’t have a top-level plan for achieving each goal, he’s going to make it very difficult for his resources to accomplish the mission. Think about it: what if Eisenhower’s D-Day planning just stopped with "converge the allies on Berlin,"

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What can General Motors CEO Daniel Akerson teach you about leadership?

Washington Business Journal by Ingar Grev. June 10, 2013

 

One of my greatest experiences was serving on the board of trustees for the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association. As you may recall from an earlier post, the fact that the son of former German Army POW could serve in such a role speaks volumes about the greatness of our country.  The experience has allowed me to meet and work with admirals, generals, legends, ambassadors...

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How General Motors CEO Dan Akerson tweaks culture, builds teams

Washington Business Journal by Ingar Grev. June 11, 2013

 

Dan Akerson is not running for class president. The General Motors CEO is not trying to win a popularity contest.  “I needed to communicate — with passion — what was good for the company, and that wasn’t always going to sit well. I had a responsibility to employees, shareholders and taxpayers. I had a patriotic duty to rebuild this company.”

Dan Akerson's three characteristics of great leaders

Washington Business Journal by Ingar Grev. June 12, 2013

 

With such an obvious focus on leadership and culture, I asked General Motors CEO Dan Akerson what the characteristics of great leaders are. Without even pausing to think, he said, “competence, integrity, and passion.”  Competence is pretty clear — an incompetent manager cannot lead his people. Without integrity, a manager will lose the trust of her people and eventually lose her best people. And passion is what differentiates good leaders from great leaders.

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Why overcoming 'old GM' was Dan Akerson's rallying point as General Motors CEO

Washington Business Journal by Ingar Grev. June 13, 2013

 

One of the difficult things for Dan Akerson to get his arms around when he took over at General Motors as CEO was the “rallying point.” When he was at MCI, AT&T was the clear rallying point. AT&T was trying to keep MCI out of the long-distance business, so MCI needed to fight back at every turn.

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What comes next after walking on the moon?

Washington Business Journal by Ingar Grev, January 10, 2012

 

Back in 1995, I had the good fortune of spending four hours alone with America’s first man in space: Rear Admiral Alan Shepherd. I walked into the office of one of my bosses, Jack Lengyel, who was the athletic director at the Naval Academy at the time, to ask him permission to hold my wedding reception in the “N-Room” at Hubbard Hall. The encounter was a bit awkward…

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