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 […]
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 […]
Iceberg averted. I have long used this metaphor – when we have a substantial project we need to complete within an organization, the path between the vision and the implementation is strewn with icebergs. We see the top of them, yet we know that more than half of their ferocity lives below the surface. These […]
The deck is not enough. In 1914, Lawrence Sperry introduced the autopilot, and with it, the idea that we can delegate the piloting duties of flying an airplane to a set of gyroscopes, analog computers, and servos. This technology has been a marvel for pilots, and has contributed immensely to the fantastic safety record we […]
It’s been a journey these last couple of weeks. I’ve been working with teams in large businesses to help them execute – in other words, lock in – on the right project, the right team, and the right plan. Of course, it’s challenging to do this work remotely, but honestly, it’s more than that. Decisions and momentum […]
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 […]
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 […]
