As I work with more teams on their post-COVID response, I’ve noticed that the repeatable patterns and powerful forces that serve us well during “normal” times are trying to sabotage our ability to respond to this crisis. We are in a unique time in business history where the processes and tools we have built are […]
Every senior leader I run into these days shares just how hard it is to do both the quality and the quantity of work that this crisis requires of us. We know that our pre-COVID strategy is no longer applicable (see article here), we know we need to be led by our product and R&D […]
In my conversations with key leaders across a variety of industries, I’m finding similarities in their responses to the extraordinary catalytic events that we’re all currently living through. In many cases, we are still working out the language for what has happened (and what is happening) to our upstream and downstream work partners – both […]
I have been having conversations with dozens of business leaders of larger, more complex organizations recently to help them gain perspective, find traction, and form fresh insights. When we open these conversations, we always check in on how they and their firm is adapting – and at what stage they are in the adaptation process. […]
It’s a very vulnerable and unique time. In my discussions with leaders of more than 50 firms, I’ve been hearing over and over again that beyond the near term triage lies a very unsettled time. There is a tenuous drive to get back to “business as usual,” and an unspoken agreement that there is no […]
It has been an amazing and humbling week, working closely with business leaders as they lead their teams through this extraordinary disruption. I have been privileged to share the 4-Step Framework with them and talk specifically about which phase of recovery they are in and which leadership skills are most important during each of the […]
In the two months since the pandemic turned life as we know it on its head, there’s one truth that’s becoming increasingly clear with each passing week: Not even the best firms can take out their pre-pandemic strategic playbook and apply it to their organization successfully Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a number of […]
Apocryphal story – The CFO and the Strategist are looking at a block of marble. The CEO has asked for a 20 percent reduction in the volume of the block. The CFO draws a line, pulls out a massive saw and gets ready to make one cut to achieve the goal. The strategist, on the […]
I hinted at something in this article: that there were a large number of leaders who have not had the experience of leading through an economic downturn since they became senior leaders. Since penning that note, I have spoken with several leaders who are in this demographic who have had some really powerful on-the-ground observations. […]
Wow. What a week. I got to come alongside leaders and partners across multiple industries, service organizations, and educational institutions. We talked about how they are holding up, as well as how they can show up for their firms, families, and communities. We talked about how to approach the practical problems they are facing: How […]
