While any time is a good time to begin your strategic planning effort, the fourth quarter of the year (don’t look now, but it’s here) is an especi...
What’s a Customer Really Worth?
Few topics engender as much passionate debate as the the value of a customer. While most everyone agrees they’re important, there’s less consensus...
Hiding in Plain Sight
Recently, a client told me of a change in a key executive position in his company. After about 18 months in the job, this individual decided to leave ...
Leadership Competencies: Expense or Investment?
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” and similar declarations are prevalent in business journals. But what if systematic investment could help yo...
Strategic Organization Design: Getting the Basics Right
One of the most common concerns raised by employees is as simple as it is complex. Organization structure should be straight forward and well underst...
Three Critical Components of Your Complete Business Plan
In my NYU graduate business management courses, I’ve recommended a format for business plans that incorporates three vital components.
What Do Successful Organizations Have in Common?
Our study of companies that have enjoyed enduring success over more than a decade, identified a number of common traits. Among them; a commitment t...
Where Does the Time Go?
It’s been said the paradox of time is that we have all there is. So, where on earth does the time go? And more to the point, why does there never ...
Does Your Business Reflect these Ten Success-critical Attributes?
McKinsey & Company points to a set of ten variables that make the difference between companies that flounder and those that build strong, sustainable ...
Five Questions You Should Ask Your Team Members
In my experience working with entrepreneurial business leaders, there is often frustration with the disconnect between the organization’s objectives...