Ron Lancaster

I recently joined Structural (structural.com), the Employee Success Platform. Moving to a startup has long been a dream of mine. But, the right one needed to be… well, right. So, what follows are a few reasons why I chose Structural.

To my colleagues at VUE, This past Friday was my last day at Pearson VUE - marking the end of over two decades. Together, we have built a terrific company - one that ensures the public safety, one that helps people achieve their life’s goals, and one that assists people in achieving professional success.

The Lean Startup Validation Board is a one-page tool created by Lean Startup Machine. It’s a terrific way to test early stage ideas. All too often we as engineers have an idea and then immediately jump into building. In the past, I’ve spent months (in one case years) of my time and/or money building something that wasn’t viable. Three different times. And I’m not alone.

This approach is easy to remember and works for many situations, not just the tough ones. If you’re in a situation where you are having difficulty coming up with the right words to say, or the issue has grown large enough to become the big talk, or if you just want a simple way to broach an uncomfortable conversation, then start with this approach.

Direct literally means “with nothing in between” and that’s exactly what you should strive for. What this means in practice is that you get to the point and you clearly say what you intend.

As a new leader, one of the best things you can do is to meet regularly with your direct team members. Establish these so that they are weekly, consistent, for about half an hour, and in a private setting.