I want to help you Become a More Effective Leader and Build a More Successful Business.
Hi, I’m Lary R. Kirchenbauer.
I am the author of more than 1,000 articles that appear on the Sword Tips blog, including 125+ newspaper columns published by the SF Bay area affiliate of the New York Times. I have also published three e-books, including The Cornerstones of Effective Leadership.
The Sword Tips blog focuses on the three pillars of superior executive performance:
My mission is clear. I want to help you Become a More Effective Leader and Build a More Successful Business.
I am always focused on providing practical strategies, tools and tips … not a lot of jargon or BS … to help you advance your personal and professional growth.
I have enjoyed a very diverse career
In many ways, I have been fortunate to enjoy a remarkably diverse career.
I have taken risks – my wife will attest to that – and indulged in a variety of roles where I could apply my experience in uniquely valuable ways.
It’s one of the reasons I have a wide-ranging perspective … from deep in the trenches … across the often bewildering breadth of issues that business leaders must face … whether they like it or not … to build a successful business.
You might want to explore What I Write About and What I’m Sure About to get a little more perspective on what I’m trying to do for you on the Exkalibur web site.
My career is uniquely diverse
Very few executives have had such a diverse career. In roughly chronological order, I have been …
- A commercial banker for two major money center banks,
- Assistant to the President of a NYSE soft goods manufacturer and importer,
- EVP/CFO for a high growth, consumer products company that grew from $5 million to over $125 million in a little more than 5 years,
- Founder of a merchant bank,
- Managing General Partner of a $35MM venture capital fund,
- CFO & COO of a national change management consulting firm,
- Consulting Practice Leader for the 12th largest U.S. consulting and accounting firm,
I have been a CEO and a key member of several executive leadership teams.
I have been a member of 8 different boards of directors/advisors of middle market companies. You can also review a more detailed resume to learn more about my background.
Look around the Conference Table
One way to think of my diverse background and the unique perspective I have learned it to consider that I have occupied most of the seats around the conference table as …
- an investor
- a lender
- a borrower
- partner
- principal
- advisor
- director
- officer
- intermediary
- owner, and
- employee.
What am I doing now?
During my professional services career that started over 30 years ago, I have provided clear, unbiased and direct counsel to CEO’s successfully building their companies.
Currently, I am an executive leadership coach in the San Francisco Bay area for individuals as well as peer groups of C-Level Executives. You can learn more about my leadership development activities here.
I am also a professional author.
For over 5 years, I have published more than 125 newspaper columns under the title of Building a Business for the North Bay Business Journal, which until late 2012, was an affiliate of the New York Times. You will see that there are 550+ additional articles in our Library on topics bearing on leadership and building a business.
I have also published three e-books about leadership as well as business finance.
I am also a public speaker and have spoken extensively to business groups on the subjects of leadership, capital strategy and cash flow, ownership transition and other topics related to leadership and business building.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope we’ll have a chance to meet somewhere down the road and that you will feel free to reach out to me directly if I can help you as you grow as a leader and build a successful business.