Values matter. They have helped provide purpose and unity to human societies as long as societies have existed. No surprise therefore that corporations and organizations of all types have adopted “Value statements” of various kinds, with varying effectiveness. Long before values became popular in business, others like religious organizations, schools…
21. Are we there yet?
The greatest enemies of real change are impatience and her cousin distraction. Unfortunately these two both look and sound similar so are often mixed up. Impatience is really important to overcome barriers and break down stubborn resistance, it brings dissatisfaction with status quo, plus the drive to make change as…
18. Are you sure?
In our series about Strategy we now come to the question of Risk, but not the type of Risk that management consultants and others usually talk about. We’re not talking about external risks like competitors, but our fundamental attitude towards taking risks, and how the wrong attitude can turn a…
17. How do you know what to do?
Strategy is important, but it’s often misunderstood and misused. Having a defined set of objectives & priorities linked to action plans will help you achieve those objectives , but only if it helps you and your people stay aligned, and if it encourages them to grow Knowledge, not just follow.…
16. Making Pottery
“Strategy” can be a mysterious thing in business. The Leadership Industry devotes a lot of literature to it, as do most large organizations & Management Consultants, but many leaders just don’t understand it. They are also likely to be afraid to admit that they don’t. Many organizations see “Strategy” as…
10. What you see is what you get.
Napoleon Bonaparte, arguably one of the most successful military leaders in history, owed part of his success on the battlefield to his ability to choose a place to fight. When he could, he fought where he could see the whole battlefield, and then positioned himself so that he could see.…
2. Houston, we have a problem
On April 13th 1970, as NASA’s Apollo 13 spacecraft sped towards the Moon, an explosion in an oxygen tank should have ended the flight and the lives of the crew. It didn’t end the flight, the astronauts survived & returned to earth because the “Problem” was solved. NASA succeeded in…