Strategic Goals and Lessons from Aviation
Think in terms of pressure. Not mechanics. That way, when you get into aerobatics and find yourself on your back, you won’t be confused.
Throw Your Lot in
On the morning of March 11, 2011, I picked out a tie, checked myself in the mirror, and then left the house to go to Tokyo without knowing that I would never again leave that house the same way. It was only hours later that the massive 3/11 earthquake struck Japan and its deadly tsunami […]
3 Pillars of Change Traction
If you want traction for change among individuals in your organization, it is only when there are clear standards of performance or behavior, accountability to meet them, and support to help people succeed that a change can take hold. In my experience, a deficit in any one of these three will alter the way any […]
Motivation is Overrated
When a CEO asks me how to better motivate his or her employees to change, the focus is on the wrong thing. Motivation can get a person started, but only discipline can see him or her through to an outcome.
Be Unreasonable
Strategy is about creating the future, not predicting it. You develop strategy by starting with a bold vision of the business in the future and working backwards, not by an understanding of the present business and working forward. The latter merely entices you to compromise your vision. It is only the former that can take […]
Feedback is Not Always a Gift
Unsolicited feedback is meant only for the benefit of the person who gives it and never for the person to whom it is given. I pay it no heed. Neither should you.
First, Disrupt Yourself
There is no more powerful strategy for rapid business growth than market disruption. Every business strategy should include at least an element of disruption — if not be entirely disruptive. But if you want to disrupt externally, you must first be willing to disrupt internally. Disruptive strategy always requires letting go to make room for […]
Takeaways from the Growth Strategies Panel Discussion
I served as a panelist on November 18th at an Economist Intelligence Corporate Network event on growth strategies, moderated by Dr. Rodrigo Gonzales, North Asia Director at The Economist. My co-panelists were Joanne Lin, Head of APAC at Deckers Japan, and Ryan Imaizumi, Chief Evangelist at Unerry. Below are my key takeaways from the event: […]
The Best Educate Themselves
“I am reading every book by Peter Drucker I can get my hands on.” That’s what Tsukuba International School Principal, Shaney Crawford, said to me nearly nine years ago. Never before, nor since, has any salaried manager or company CEO ever told me anything even remotely similar even though this is precisely the type of […]
Problem with Engagement Surveys
Engagement surveys mask both organizational dysfunction and organizational health. If you are using their results to make decisions, you are at risk of making the wrong ones.
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