It’s going to happen in 2021. There will be two paths for firms: diminishing returns or vibrancy. The rising tide will only lift well prepared boats. The danger is that we’re going to be tempted to spend most of our time trying to get “back to normal” – and we’re going to find out that […]
Archive | Leadership
2020 Reflections: What We Can Learn From a Higher Altitude
Many insights only become clear on reflection. Reflection needs space to happen, which can only be provided via time (looking into history), distance (looking at Mount Rushmore from miles away), or altitude (the photo above). As a private pilot, I receive the privilege of scanning the countryside as I move across the country, constantly on […]
Working On Leadership Exhaustion
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 […]
Connecting the Dots: What We Rediscovered in 2020
Perspective is essential to choosing well. As we put the wraps on 2020, I wanted to offer some insights into some essential truths we’ve rediscovered. My friend and colleague Neely Taminga challenged the TedX community in Minneapolis to think differently about economics this fall. Her challenge was to move our mindset from an “economy of […]
COVID Has Shifted The Expectations of Leadership Right Under Our Feet
In many ways, the phone call stunned me. But I suppose I should have seen it coming – after all, it’s 2020. I was talking to a client and she was relaying to me a profound outcome of their annual succession planning review. Like many firms, they had a “pipeline” that identified those with potential, […]
The Fallout When the Two Tribes of Business Stop Communicating
It’s going to be a long day. I’m sitting in a room with my HR support lead. We have a list in front of us. It’s been vetted, approved by legal, and kept confidential by HR. By the end of the day, more than two dozen people will be looking for new work. The hardest […]
3 Signs of Fault Line Trouble in Your Firm
The first time I encountered it was as a business development leader charged with traveling globally to win business with cell phone manufacturers. I traveled to more than 20 countries and regardless of the sign on the door, they all had it. I’d move from the lobby to one of two zones: The creation zone […]
The Tax You Levy on Your Products and Services
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 […]
At a Crossroads? 3 Questions to Get Your Team Back on Track
I remember it clearly: we had just released a new product, and as demand grew, the manufacturing team just could not deliver. This new device was used in a unique way, and there was a performance issue that had evaded our typical quality checkpoints. The sales team had been aggressively incentivized to switch clients over […]
You Like the Plan, You Like the People. So Why Is Your Strategy Implementation Moving Sideways?
Now that we’re beyond the initial lockdown and pause, I’m seeing many firms under immense pressure to move straight from strategy to implementation without taking stock diagnostically of their capabilities. Productive implementation is something that we used to take for granted – but with the accelerated shifts driven by remote work in the face of […]