Everyone encounters the need to break inertia When organizations “stand still” for very long, they become stuck. This isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, the execution of strategy is really about building structure (for example, systems, rewards and organizational design) to make sure the organization is aligned and focused. When change is required, however, […]
Dramatic culture change requires a high level of confidence, thick skin and dramatic action One of the more difficult challenges CEOs can entertain is changing their organization’s culture. Doing this over an extended period takes perseverance and is like trying to maintain an exercise program when surrounded by people with chocolate cake and spare forks. […]
A friend just closed a deal — a “carve out” from a company in the U.K. He purchased a portion of the company and turned it into a new enterprise; his new financial partner is a private equity firm. The purchase documentation contains language I found humorous but delightfully simple. (The British have a smart […]
“Open your hips before you shrug and drop faster under the bar!” shouts my CrossFit® instructor while helping me improve my squat clean technique. It’s one of those weird moves that takes many repetitions to perfect — to align brain cells so it’s memory versus concentration. It’s like changing your golf swing. Until it’s memory, […]
Optimism is a quality of emotionally intelligent leaders I loved Dr. Suess when I was a kid. (O.K. I still do!) While I don’t remember all of the red, blue and green characters from his books, I clearly remember The Grinch. In fact, I saw him a couple of weeks ago, trying to lead a […]
What role does benchmarking play in your strategy? I “grew up” in a multiunit retail environment where benchmarking worked wonders as a tool to spread great ideas and fix broken stores, districts and areas. But whether you are focused internally or externally, benchmarking has a dark side. As a problem-solving tool, we examined stores that […]
From the minute we engage with other humans (and even pets!) our parents tell us, “Be nice!” This is intended to be a catchall for don’t hit, scream, cry or make someone else feel bad. “Now look at what you did! Little Lisa is crying! Be nice!” As we get older, we’re rewarded for being […]
A friend recently sent me a video in which someone in the back seat of an airplane filmed the pilot and co-pilot chatting during an approach to landing. The gear-warning horn was blaring so loudly that they had to shout over it to hear each other. The video ends with the sound of metal on […]
There are some great lessons we can pull from these wheeled warriors into the business world. I get very excited each year at the beginning of July because it is the start of the Tour de France, a month long event. Thanks to VCR, then DVD and now DVR and the web, I’ve hardly missed […]
Position your business for success As I write this, it’s finally warm out and the lemonade stands — staffed by budding young entrepreneurs — are starting to pop up. This is a great learning experience for a young lass or lad, but might it also teach us something? On the way home from a recent […]