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 […]
I work with larger private and public companies that have often acquired businesses, technologies, and talent through mergers or (more frequently) acquisitions. One specific challenge and opportunity that can release value at scale is the cross-pollination of unique value inside the acquired firm to its parent. There are two large systems in play in any […]
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 […]
It’s that season again. And if you work with (or for) larger firms with lots of resources, your inbox is probably filled with reminders: this is the month we get serious about annual plans. In past years, these exercises have been based on some high-level, economic forecasting that is then decomposed into specific planning facts, […]
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 […]
On paper, business looks so simple. You start with three functional teams aligned with a market’s (simply a group of customers) best intent: R&D (design it), Operations (build it) and Go to Market (sell and support it). Add people, processes, and technology for sustainability, then scale to fit. Like many operational leaders, you may be […]
Since the appearance of COVID, I’ve had opportunities to work with executives on key organizational change questions, all of which have been driven by the goal of making their organizations leaner, more responsive, and resilient for what lies ahead. In some cases, they are working to create stronger horizontal engagement along lines of value for […]
We’ve just completed four months of the brutal new normal. I’ve been speaking with dozens of leaders who have been doing the hard work of finding a path forward where almost every pre-COVID pattern has been changed. The sheer amount of disruption to our patterns has been staggering, for instance where we work, how we […]
