Iceberg averted. I have long used this metaphor – when we have a substantial project we need to complete within an organization, the path between the vision and the implementation is strewn with icebergs. We see the top of them, yet we know that more than half of their ferocity lives below the surface. These […]
Docking. It’s one of the most delicate and potentially dangerous parts of space flight. Imagine two objects traveling more than 17,000 miles per hour with significant mass and unconstrained three-dimensional movements subject to orbital mechanics. Any misalignment and the maneuver is a miss at best and catastrophic at worst. This used to be completed by […]
The deck is not enough. In 1914, Lawrence Sperry introduced the autopilot, and with it, the idea that we can delegate the piloting duties of flying an airplane to a set of gyroscopes, analog computers, and servos. This technology has been a marvel for pilots, and has contributed immensely to the fantastic safety record we […]
One of the hardest things to do in this post-COVID environment is to make high-quality investment decisions. Much of our legacy informal relationship work is simply not there – our quarterly review sessions, customer visits, and regular product and services trade shows. Whether you are a division of a large enterprise or highly-targeted SaaS in […]
It’s been a journey these last couple of weeks. I’ve been working with teams in large businesses to help them execute – in other words, lock in – on the right project, the right team, and the right plan. Of course, it’s challenging to do this work remotely, but honestly, it’s more than that. Decisions and momentum […]
As we work through the challenges of working remotely, some organizational challenges that were not optimum, but were tolerable in the office, have become red alerts just six months into remote work. There are many versions of this, including critical team member burnout, lack of empathy for the complexity of context shifting while working at […]
It’s really clear that we are in a very unique time in our collective human journeys as we navigate between two zones – never the same and not yet. We are somewhat like a sailboat that has moved away from one shore and cannot yet see the destination emerging. These unsummoned moments challenge us to […]
My recent post regarding fear and the need for certainty triggered some amazing discussions with front-line operational leaders this past week. What I heard from leaders at the front lines: “Working” hours are approaching 50% of a 24-hour day Uncertainty is triggering a need to turn everything around “now” Even the best leaders are missing […]
In my client update sessions, I’m hearing it clearly: it feels for all the world that the anchors are not holding and our businesses are awash. Yet when we step back and look through an objective lens, we find that clients are still seeking value, we do have significant control, and we can guide to […]
I continue to be astounded by the challenges, profound changes, and responses by firms during this pandemic. It’s early days, but as we’ll explore below, there is a strategic battle going on right now that can inform us all as we work out our response strategies. I’m going to use something that’s become close to […]
