Just as a golf course designer lays out a course that challenges the skill of the player to place the ball around sand traps, executives that undertake growth initiatives will have their skills challenged in predictable locations that require anticipation, preparation and skill to deliver results. These three common “sand traps” come to the growth […]
We have heard in the news recently that Yahoo is joining the list of firms that has lost momentum and is now reducing headcount in a big way. Many other firms are in this box as well, including names like IBM, HP and Cisco. The path to events like this is paved by organizations that […]
It’s one of the most retold moments in the Apple story. Steve Jobs, compelled by the Apple Board of Directors to recruit John Sculley, heir apparent at Pepsi at the time, does the greatest reframe of all time with the words,”You can come with me and change the world, or stay at Pepsi and […]
I often have the opportunity to speak with high-potential, mid-senior level leaders who are part of my “Growth Leaders” coaching program. Through these talks, I’ve discovered an emergent trend that I believe will have great value for mid-level leaders and their senior management team: Middle managers play a large role in developing the right growth […]
Let’s start with some statistics: not tending the future has big consequences. According to author and researcher Richard Foster, 75 percent of the S&P 500 will be replaced by 2027. In working with a C-level client this fall, I’m reminded that today’s hard-driving operational environment leaves precious little time for future building. I see […]
Each year as we head into football season, I look forward to watching my team of choice, the Green Bay Packers. Having been a long-time fan, I’ve lived through the ups and downs for years – and am relishing their long streak of great performances. The background on this big performance shift has a lot […]
In helping a firm on a new strategy project, one of the challenges that quickly emerges is finding a great group of internal participants to work on the project. This is an example of the Right Team portion of the triad we have discussed that must be in place for authentic growth work to […]
The first third of 2015 has been a solid year in business and now we’re looking into the front edge of summer. If you’ve been following this blog, you may have used this post to help structure your Q1 operations review, giving you a nice concise set of actions that your team is executing on. […]
It’s that time of year again: baseball teams are starting back up, school kids are turning their sights towards summer, and companies are firing up their strategic planning processes. It’s no secret that we’re all very busy these days – a fact that is magnified by the enormous amounts of data, much smaller amounts of […]
Similar headlines are popping up every day: there are great jobs going unfilled because of the “talent shortage.” As the economy moves forward, these “shortages” are going to continue to increase in frequency and severity. If someone has shared this post with you, let me invite you to join my twice monthly mailing list by adding […]
