“Are you ready to be a transference object?” Fred hesitated. The coffee shop seemed to become dead silent. One week earlier, Fred had been offered a dream job, as part time CEO of a startup, working for a proven star…
Blog Archives
On being Firm
It’s better to be consistent than to be fair. (Especially if “fair” means some agonizing custom decision that’s decided at laboriously and at great length from first principles every time. That turns every issue into a question, and every question…
Six Steps to Solving a Problem
Paula and her boss Sue were driving each other nuts. (As their coach I got to see it up close.) Paula needed to hire more staff. Her “reasonable” proposal got “shot down” by Sue, who sent it back with a…
The Changing Face of Luxury
The global concept of what a brand is, and what luxury is, is evolving. This means new pressures on — and opportunities for — you. EIU article: The Future of Luxury In brief, Luxury concepts of “brand” are changing, becoming…
How to Harness Visual Leadership
Smart people in a hurry become stupid. (Or at least act stupidly. My work with busy executive teams tells me that this phenomenon is universal — and I see it in myself daily.) When we need our busy co-workers and…
Stop Putting People First – Put Profit First
Strategic execution requires that you stop putting people first (in the wrong way). Profit must come first. I will pause while you gasp in horror. If you “put people first” in the wrong way, you’re harming them, yourself, the rest…
Why your Employee is Always Right
I learned a lot about humans from studying pigeons. It was 1985 and I worked at Professor Israel Goldiamond’s behaviorism lab at the University of Chicago. (And yes, pigeons are a lot different from people.) The biggest thing Professor G.…
When is Anger Okay in the Work Place?
When is anger okay in the work place? Never. Anger is so seldom acceptable — it’s so rare for it to be non-harmful — that I start by saying it’s never okay. Contrary to my counterpart at NURA, who suggests…
Keep a Thin Skin
Leaders shouldn’t be “thick skinned” — not if that means shrugging off negative feedback that might actually be correct. Leaders need to be emotionally resilient, unattached to outcomes, and assume positive intent. Our tool here is “The Ladder of Inference.”…
Strategic Execution – Outside the Core
Last week we covered how too many firms mistake “innovation” for “inventing things in a vacuum” — thus Reinventing the Wheel. This time we cover how to speed up your execution of your strategy by avoiding another source of…
Start Benchmarking in Five Minutes
The hardest part of starting to track your performance is to just start. So, just start quick and dirty. It’s worth it — you’ll dramatically boost your odds of achieving your goals by spending 5 minutes setting up benchmarks. My…
Strategic Execution – Please Stop Innovating
Want more real breakthroughs faster in your firm or department? Here’s an easy way: stop “innovating” so much. That counter-intuitive approach is the unavoidable conclusion of a fresh look at how most firms approach innovation. You’re probably making one or…
How to Form a Strategic Advisory Board
What can a private company do, to harness the kind of intellectual firepower that most of us can’t even access in our wildest dreams? Recruit an Advisory Board. Public companies have — or are supposed to have — boards of…
Four Steps to Faster, Better Strategic Planning
For ten years, Jill struggled to make a profit. At over $8 million in sales, her specialty call center should have been providing her with annual profits of 8-12% or between $640,000 and a million dollars. Instead she paid herself…
Three Strategy Insights for Small Business
Good strategy lets you outmaneuver your bigger competitors. Bad strategy can sink your business. Here are three insights you can use to harness strategic thinking and planning for your small business: Have a Strategy Kernel Build a complete strategy from…
- Why the Boss is Always Wrong Tue 07-May-2013
- On being Firm Thu 18-Apr-2013
- Six Steps to Solving a Problem Mon 15-Apr-2013
- The Changing Face of Luxury Sun 07-Apr-2013
- How to Harness Visual Leadership Sun 31-Mar-2013
- Stop Putting People First – Put Profit First Wed 27-Mar-2013
- Why your Employee is Always Right Tue 19-Mar-2013
- When is Anger Okay in the Work Place? Thu 14-Mar-2013
- Keep a Thin Skin Wed 27-Feb-2013
- Strategic Execution – Outside the Core Mon 18-Feb-2013