Critical Keys to Success
From my associate, Janice Giannini. Today, businesses face unprecedented shifting sands upon which to build and grow. While I would like to opine that there are a few more significant challenges, and the others are potentially less compelling and volatile – that doesn’t reflect reality. Think for just a moment about a few of these […]
Your Business Execution Checklist
From my associate Howard Litwak. A successful organization is one where all the parts are working together (are in alignment). These organizations are innovative, customer responsive, and prevent fires – they’re not spending their time putting out fires. The Star Model provides a model for alignment. Organizations of all sizes that have taken the time […]
Fix the Toaster
Do you want to fix the toaster, or do you keep scraping the burnt part off the toast? It seems like a simple question, but hear me out. In business and life, we get what we accept. If so, why would we continue to accept an unacceptable outcome rather than address the core problem? These […]
New Ways to Think About Business Processes
From my associate Grant Tate. Our normal template for thinking about business processes includes a smoothly flowing set of steps leading to a desired result or product. Each step has a specific purpose with clearly stated input and outputs. Given that, we decide how each step should be accomplished, for instance, by a human being, […]
National Security – A Strategic and Operational Risk
With the accelerating changes in technology, cyber-security, and geopolitical tensions, the question arises are US company Boards addressing National Security as a significant risk? Or perhaps the better question would be: how do Boards need to address the impact and opportunity of the interdependence/intersection of technology, cyber-sec, and geopolitics comprehensively? We have lived in an […]
Sustainable Capitalism: A Necessity – The Alternative is Self-Destruction
From my associate Janice Giannini. When we talk about sustainable capitalism today, the conversations frequently focus on the physical environment. While that is a critical element of sustainability, it is not the total picture. Sustainability needs to integrate the four legs of the stool: human, social, ecologic, and economic environments. They all go hand in […]
Do You Have the Right Balance of Intelligence to Maximize Business Returns
From my associate Janice Giannini. Recently I read a report on the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge site titled When Working Harder Doesn’t Work, Time to Reinvent Your Career by Avery Forman. The article relies heavily on the book, From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. As I […]
Are You Structured for Chaos?
If history has taught us anything, it has demonstrated that business can be disrupted, at any time, by any number of chaotic circumstances: supply chain failure, limited workforce pools, natural disasters, technology failures, economic slowdowns, or full-blown recessions. And now we can add pandemics to the list. Traditionally, most companies create their formal organizational structures […]
You Can Create a Crystal Ball
Contributed by our associate Grant Tate. Leaders today are facing unprecedented uncertainty. Developing long-range plans in this environment can seem like a futile exercise. But this is the ideal time to consider scenario planning. The current situation with the Covid Delta variant provides a good example where scenario planning could help. If we rewind only […]
The Path to Success in the Healthcare Industry
Healthcare is one of the most complex and challenging industries. It is constantly undergoing change from both external and internal stimuli: evolving regulations, new technologies, advances in care. While this poses numerous new opportunities, it comes with significant challenges. Margin pressure continues to be the biggest concern for provider organizations because of persistent constraints on rates, intensifying […]