I have the privilege of advising and coaching a number of technical and business leaders in a cross-section of the manufacturing and services space, and it’s very clear that there has been a shift. Not that long ago “grit” and “hard work” were enough to make your firm successful. Now I’m finding leaders asking themselves […]
I had an energetic conversation during a workshop session recently – it was one of those moments when ideas are just flowing. We were talking about the very low success rate of new projects inside established firms (it’s about 1 in 5), and the role that the “business case” plays in the success or demise […]
There is dialogue in the press these days that suggests we have hit the top of our ability to drive economic growth – and a recession may be around the corner. What this means to many people, is that we should begin to be conservative with our firm’s investments and pull back to essentials only. […]
I had a very spirited discussion with the top technical leader in a firm recently during a diagnostic phone call. We were talking about the innovation function of the firm (it is always interesting to explore why firms set up a separate innovation function) and the character of the projects they were taking on there. […]
I was working with an R&D leader in a large manufacturing firm with the focus of jumpstarting vibrancy in their core markets. The presenting issue was the sales force was reporting that their portfolio did not have the gravitas it once did, and the competition was taking advantage in some of their most profitable […]
I was recently updating some credentials through a major government agency and was reminded of a recurrent blindspot I see with clients who engage my help with their business growth plans. This issue is the kind of thing that is buried deep in the organization, and are what we call “gumption killers.” They are silent […]
I’m working with a firm that has been in a single, vertically integrated business for a very long time. They have been quite successful and have been a participant who has been able to build share by consolidating their current market via tuck under acquisitions. This has left them in what would seem to be […]
One of the most underappreciated skills we work on with accountable leaders who direct growth in big firms is the ability to have productive conflict. By productive conflict, we mean conflict that leads to clarity, alignment and resources being applied to the right problem. We’ve spoken before about how real growth pivots around three elements: […]
I spoke at a conference recently that focused on building project management competency. The theme of the event was Energize, Transform, Succeed. It was a high energy and engaging time. The topic of my presentation was “Why Great Projects Fail: How to Move Your Team from Concept to Concrete Results Every Time.” One of the […]
How to avoid the coffin corner. When pilots were first probing the sound barrier, there were several aircraft that were inexplicably lost. As pilots and designers learned more about how air behaved when being pierced at the speed of sound, they discovered a small window of time where supersonic aircraft have no chance of recovery. […]
