It’s been a great run. The economy has been on an upswing for years. Do we even remember what a recession feels like? We’re due. And many forecasters believe we’re due in 2019. Of course, economic forecasts and economic reality are often two diff ... Read More
I’ve been a two-foot driver since I was 16. And I don’t mean just when driving a standard. What I mean is when driving an automatic. One foot on the accelerator, one foot on the brake. ... Read More
You and your team are developing your company’s strategy. Let’s imagine your primary goal is to improve customer retention. ... Read More
Everyone does it. Every company I have ever consulted with – high-tech, low-tech, service, manufacturing, blue-collar, white-collar, whatever – takes on too much. Too many strategies, too many objectives, too many initiatives, too many projects, to ... Read More
What should you want to know about your customers? Some would say, “As much as possible.” Others would say, “One thing: How likely is it they would recommend you?” So which is it: everything or one thing? ... Read More
Lease your beliefs, don’t own them. It’s something I often say to my clients. Why? When you own your beliefs you feel compelled to defend them, and keep defending them, when they come under attack. When you lease your beliefs, it means they’re subje ... Read More
I’m going to open a proverbial “can of worms.” I want to deal with a topic that is critically important to business yet poorly understood. A topic for which we have much appreciation but little interest. ... Read More
It’s been said that nothing fails like success. Because success provides the fertile soil in which complacency and arrogance can take root. We become complacent when we extrapolate our present success into the future and assume we will always be success ... Read More
When we think of strategic leaders, the image of a scientist – someone in a white lab coat with thick glasses holding a test tube – is not what comes to mind. Yet, surprisingly, strategic leaders are very much like scientists. Here’s how: ... Read More
Early into a new client engagement it’s not unusual for the CEO to say to me, “We need to fix our culture.” I understand the concern. After all, many studies have shown that culture is strongly associated with business performance and results. ... Read More
