Your Own Worst Enemy
Businesses can be their own worst enemies when business process supplants business thinking. The CEO of a large industrial American company in Japan told me of difficulties he faces in buying from a division of a large Japanese industrial company, not because of a lack of will to sell on their part, but rather unnecessary and […]
[:en]Dramatic Strategic Change Manifesto[:ja]劇的な戦略的変革において知っておくべきこと[:]
[:en]CEOs often ask me how best to lead dramatic, strategic change knowing full well the kind of concerns, resistance, and doubt that such change can evoke in some staff. Below I list some of what advise.
[:en]Throw Your Lot in[:ja]誰の側に立つか[:]
[:en]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 […]
[:en]The Best Educate Themselves[:ja]できる人は自分から学ぶ[:]
[:en]“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 […]
Strategy on Your Own Terms
The best military strategists always choose the terrain on which they will do battle, rather than allowing the enemy to choose for them. So, in business, why would you possibly allow others to define the topography of your business environment instead of choosing the topography yourself? Yet, that is often precisely what business people do.
[:en]Authority Isn’t Empowerment[:ja]権限とエンパワーメントとは同義語ではない[:]
[:en]Empowerment is like breathing. We all recognize its need but we’re rarely aware of it until something is wrong. Passivity in business is the most common symptom of lack of empowerment.
[:en]Empathy Trumps Projection[:ja]投影ではなく共感をすること[:]
[:en]Projection and empathy are not the same thing, but they are often confused. Empathy is the ability to understand how someone is thinking, whereas projection is presuming a person thinks like you. Be careful not to project when it is empathy that you intend.
[:en]When Risk Aversion is Personal[:ja]個人的な理由からのリスク回避[:]
[:en] There is nothing wrong with risk aversion. It is only aversion to reasonable business risk that is a problem. When a business leader complains of excessive risk aversion in his staff, the underlying concerns are frequently personal.
[:en]No Pain Points, No Problems[:ja]問題を抱えない顧客へのアプローチ[:]
[:en]What if your prospects and clients have no pain points and no problems? Presumption of damage is never a good way to start a relationship with anyone, whether in business or otherwise. Not long ago, I was working with a sales team to help improve their capability to ask questions when meeting with prospects. Without fail, […]
[:en]When Risk Aversion is Personal[:ja]個人的な理由からのリスク回避[:]
[:en] There is nothing wrong with risk aversion. It is only aversion to reasonable business risk that is a problem. When a business leader complains of excessive risk aversion in his staff, the underlying concerns are frequently personal.
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