You see it on the calendar and the theme from the classic shark movie “Jaws” starts playing in the background of your mind. It’s painful, it’s not optional and it’s not any better in virtual space. When I describe a group’s strategic programs update meeting in this way, I always get a smile, then a […]
They are devilishly difficult to install and disturbingly stubborn to alter. Like a boat caught in an adverse current, all of the external pressure and change that COVID has brought to bear might be causing them to work against you right now. What I’m referring to are frameworks. Frameworks can be formal and explicit or […]
In my calls with clients, I’m hearing that 2021 is starting in an edgier, more conflictive space. Leaders are sharing with me that they are noticing more push back and challenge from their subordinates, peers and bosses. Some of this is simply a very human response to the anxiety of living with the pandemic. It’s […]
It’s nearly Fezziwig time – a reference to the beloved Dickens story, A Christmas Carol. Fezziwig was a jovial business owner who was known for throwing warm and family-friendly business parties on Christmas Eve. As we prepare for our own end-of-year celebrations, many of us are being faced with the proverbial fly in the punchbowl […]
You’re up early, hit the Peleton, and then grab a coffee and flip open your email. There it is right on top of the stack: another note from sales requesting a pricing variance. This is the third one this month…what started as a one-time ask is rapidly becoming a jailbreak. You’ve got an active, multi-year […]
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 […]
Being a leader in times of crisis can feel completely chaotic and interruption driven. Meetings become nearly continuous and the constant streams of unstructured information are mentally exhausting to parse through. Even when you take some “downtime,” your mind is still whirring to integrate new information in the background. The most empowering thing you can […]
As this article is being written, we are heading into a major public health disruption around the COVID-19 virus. At this point, leaders around the globe are working out their responses, and it is very clear that there will not be a business on the planet that does not have clients that will feel the […]
“You’ve seen some stuff!” a client exclaimed as we were unpacking a challenging problem they were facing. This triggered a montage in my head of the dozens and dozens of ideas that I’ve had the privilege to work up over the years with great colleagues. Each of them passed muster with us finding evidence of […]
I was talking with a senior-level R&D executive recently, and this topic came up: How can two projects – both of which are important and highly likely to create great value for both the firm and the client – have two such different paths? We talked about how one leader can guide a project that […]
