Author Archives: Toby Lucich

Performance Reviews for Experts

Posted on September 2, 2007 by Toby Lucich

Do you employ experts? Do you wish you did? What’s the hold up? A review of some past rants on Pride and Workmanship have me wondering, Does the conferring title of “expert” on members of your team result in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Career, Develop, Execution, Pride, Reputation | Leave a comment

Valuing Consulting Services versus Contractor Labor

Posted on August 31, 2007 by Toby Lucich

Rick and I were recently having a conversation about the value of a consultant or contractor’s time, and how the concept of consultative value may or may not translate into a meaningful bill rate. Rick observed that too often the … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneur, Execution, Experience, Insight, Perception, Reputation | 4 Comments

Evolve Your Brand

Posted on August 30, 2007 by Toby Lucich

Day One at a new company – who will you be here? What will your work say about you? Not that you can’t be the same person you were yesterday – that person got you hired after all. But how will you be … Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Career, Perception, Reputation | 3 Comments

Recruit Mediocre or Learn to Reward Performance

Posted on August 28, 2007 by Toby Lucich

When was the last time you sought the most average potential candidate for your next employee? When you said, “competent is great, but a solid C/C+ candidate is the real sweet spot?” Are you hiring for the tasks that need … Continue reading →

Posted in Mediocrity, Performance, Recruiting, Results | Leave a comment

Cultural Messaging – Stop Neglecting It

Posted on August 26, 2007 by Toby Lucich

When you cast about your organization, who epitomizes your organization’s values? Do you see it just in the executive suite, or do you see it in the line (or in walking among the cubes)? How is your messaging reinforcing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Change, Communication, Culture | 3 Comments

What is Talent Demanding?

Posted on August 11, 2007 by Toby Lucich

So I’m doing some research for a client, looking at the staffing measures of peer finance departments in other organizations, and found the Demandments from Talent Mindset. Some pretty smart observations if you find yourself searching for in-demand talent. Why … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Develop, Honesty, HR, Recruiting, Respect, Tips | 3 Comments

Professional Peer Referrals

Posted on August 5, 2007 by Toby Lucich

For those that have jumped the fence into the world of consulting, the question invariably comes up on what is a qualified referral worth? Thanks to the Bay Area Consulting Network, I’ve found the first of what may become a … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, consulting, Culture, Engagement | 4 Comments

How Much is a Referral Worth?

Posted on July 21, 2007 by Toby Lucich

Tough question, and one that shouldn’t be answered too quickly. A referral, a reference, a recommendation – these things just happen on the fly, over casual lunches and at backyard barbecues. At little league. Over beers. So easy for someone … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Can vs. Should, Failure | 1 Comment

Flipping the Switch

Posted on June 21, 2007 by Toby Lucich

I had lunch today with a former co-worker that has effectively “retired” at 39 (Jealous, much?). She is very much a Top 1%’er and a rockstar teammate that I know is sorely missed at our past employer. My central question … Continue reading →

Posted in Agility, Change, Exit strategy | 3 Comments

Still Training?

Posted on June 18, 2007 by Toby Lucich

If you aren’t, you are becoming antiquated – so goes the straight-forward advise in It’s a “Sprint” not a “Marathon,” from Incentive Intelligence. Each career cycle is getting shorter, which means that you need to be thinking about how you … Continue reading →

Posted in Career, Reward, Risk | 2 Comments