A couple weeks ago, I wrote about how a breakout project team needs a kedge anchor to succeed. In sailing, the kedge anchor is sent out ahead of the main ship with a select team of sailors on a long boat. This team drops the anchor in just the right spot so that by pulling […]
The first quarter operations review is one of the highest leverage meetings of the year, as the actions taken as a result of this one meeting have a huge effect on the trajectory of your team – informing the next planning cycle and beyond. The problem is that these meetings can easily fall into the […]
Everyone wants to transform, but nobody wants to change. — Frederica Mathewes-Green Right now, there is a dynamic at work in your organization that is preventing innovation — ideas are getting lost in translation. In technology-driven businesses, there are two functionally and physically separate teams: the one that does the R&D, and the operations team that […]
During a discussion with a trusted colleague, the topic turned to the relative rarity of meeting with people who have truly done their homework prior to holding a discussion. How many times have you opened that Zoom screen with someone who is clearly “winging it,” and starting with the sketchiest of intentions? We used to […]
We’ve all been in that meeting. You know, the one where you’re planning the upcoming year and, inevitably, the operating team wants to take on programs with the highest chance of return — the low-hanging fruit. But as the senior leader in the room, your intuition is telling you to sponsor one of the projects […]
If you’ve ever had the experience of watching a group of junior high kids (ages 10-14) in a basketball camp, you’ll notice that a very curious thing happens on the first day. When you roll the balls out on the floor and allow for some unstructured warm-up time, the kids automatically congregate into two groups: […]
I firmly believe that most major issues in a project are made in the first few hours of its life. Those early decisions are very important, and perhaps none more so than having a good team and solid commitment in place. What you need now is to invest in the human resources and organizational tools […]
For many of us in North America, we are coming into a season of holiday celebrations, family events and travel. For those who have a calling to career and business, it’s also a time for some space, rest and introspection. If you feel like you just need to rest, I would encourage you to do […]
There is a magic inflection point in the development of leaders whose functional background is built on professional competence. It’s that moment when they tip from moving from directive to collaborative leadership. What makes it magic? There are several reasons: it opens up the spectrum of possible solutions, allows significant talent development and provides scale […]
As a senior HR leader in a complex firm, you know that retaining and evolving talented tech leaders has moved to the top of everyone’s list. The work and workplace has moved (a lot) in 2021, and it will continue to evolve in 2022. Most of that shift has been driven by the need to […]
