Life Is an Apprenticeship Business
Mark Lonergan, February 19th, 2012
In the Middle Ages, serfs left the farms and began flocking to cities, learning trades as a way of supporting themselves. Guilds developed along with a prescribed process for transition from Apprentice to Journeyman to Master. Patrons of these skilled trades learned to appreciate the differences in terms of training and experience, paying the
Saving Thousands and Wasting Billions
The Curse of the Middle Third
Mark Lonergan, January 20th, 2012
Over the past 20 years in Silicon Valley, I have seen public companies go from CEO-run organizations with little compensation scrutiny to Board-led companies with hard-working compensation committees and associated compensation consultants. It is often the board now that determines the pay structures of the companies they serve, with a critical
Occupy Silicon Valley
Mark Lonergan, November 17th, 2011
Like other Americans, I marvel at the creation of tent cities from Oakland to New York. Socially sensitive but deeply pragmatic, the people of the Silicon Valley seem puzzled by the encampments of angry and disorganized people popping up in all parts of our nation.
The Most Important Lesson for CEOs
Mark Lonergan, October 10th, 2011
I met this morning with a couple of current public company Board Chairmen. Both are former CEOs for Top 10 companies here in the Silicon Valley. After forty years (each) of operating and board-level management experience, these two gentlemen are real experts about how great companies are built in the Silicon Valley.
During our breakfast,
Passion & IQ
Mark Lonergan, October 6th, 2011
Three years ago, we asked Silicon Valley recruiting legend Thom Kelly to address my firm at our annual dinner in Northern California. Thom was the region’s top recruiter from 1971 – 2000 and helped create early management teams at Cisco, ROLM, Intel and Apple in the process. Thom is a good friend and was a mentor as we began our own recruiting