February, 2014 I’ve been asked several times whether there’s a logical progression in business strategy as a company ages. I’m talking about a company’s global strategy, the aligned set of actions to create a competitive advantage. I have no hard evidence that a sequential strategy shift is anywhere near universal, but I can tell you […]
Their people will follow them anywhere By Todd Ordal “Steve, the Iraqi interpreter, summed it up best. On our last day in Fallujah, he shook my hand as we were heading out of the city, and with a prideful tone in his voice, he said, ‘When the bombs and bullets come at us, we run and […]
January, 2014 “What they are doing is making themselves dysfunctional by taking all this data.” —William Binney, former senior NSA official talking about his previous agency I was fortunate many years ago to visit Trinity College in Dublin with my children and see The Book of Kells. My wife is a talented artist who has […]
Almost 2014 “Business is sure not what it used to be!” said a nonbusiness friend the other day. She was implying that it used to be less complicated, less global and, in her mind, have fewer scoundrels. She has, unfortunately, bought into the theme that business is evil and unpredictable. I replied that I didn’t […]
Own it and know it By Todd Ordal As a leader, how do you know what’s going on in your organization? I believe this has always been an important question in organizational effectiveness, but is a particularly interesting question in our current environment. Harry Truman was president of the United States of America for several weeks […]
It takes some slow, deliberate thought By Todd Ordal I know a guy who comes across as one of the most articulate, brightest folks I’ve met. He seems to always know what to say and states it with aplomb. His ability to think on his feet is amazing – until you ask him about it. You […]
It’s about doing something different By Todd Ordal I used to fly airplanes. Most of my time was spent in a twin-engine aircraft flying business trips. It was an efficient way for me to get around because, at the time, I was in charge of hundreds of retail stores countrywide. In addition to flying business trips, […]
Taking a hard right with your strategy is a harrowing experiment. Just ask Ron Johnson and Bill Ackman, JCPenney’s former CEO and his previously supportive board member, respectively, who’ve both been bounced out of the company. Reed Hastings at Netflix also understands this, but so far he’s been relatively successful. The difference between the JCPenney […]
Bigger isn’t always better By Todd Ordal Which of the below sound like good business advice? You should: • Maximize profits. • Minimize expenses. • Minimize conflict. • Maximize customer service. • Maximize market share. In some cases and to some degree, these statements are true. However, they can also be extremely problematic. Maximize profits over […]
Sometimes, you just need to show up By Todd Ordal Perhaps you saw Peter Sellers’ last movie, Being There (out in 1979, just this side of the Jurassic period). In it, a simple-minded gardener named Chance ends up being seen as a guru of sorts. By merely “being there,” he influences the rich and powerful with his simple […]