If you are looking for an engaging and fun way to spark innovation among employees you will like this idea that I call “Lion’s Den.” This interesting employee event is loosely built on the concept of the television shows, “Shark’s Tank” and “Dragon’s Den,” in which, hopeful entrepreneurs are given an opportunity to pitch their […]
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The 5 Critical Elements to Creating a Project Management Center of Excellence
Creating a Project Management Centre of Excellence is the driving force that takes an organization forward to realize their project management mandate. It encompasses the process of creating a strategy for project management, re-shaping the culture to be more focused on the consistency in the management of projects and implementing a project management process. Creating […]
What Is Deliberate Practice?
In the book Talent is Overrated, Fortune Magazine editor, Geoff Colvin highlights recent studies that show that greatness can be developed by any man, in any field, through the process of deliberate practice. How does one practice deliberately? Colvin proposes five elements that allow a man to practice deliberately and thus achieve greatness. 1. Deliberate practice […]
How to Drive Elite C-Suite Performance
A recent Wall Street Journal article entitled “How To Tell If You Are a Jerk in the Office” (C-Suite Strategies, Journal Report, February 23, 2015) highlights the importance of feedback for executives. Not only are leaders and co-workers affected adversely by dysfunctional behavior, but business performance and customer service are damaged, often permanently. Feedback is […]
Significance of the Explorer’s Mindset for Breakthrough
I have been to the beautiful Canary Wharf of London million times with the DLR (the automated Docklands Light Railway) or walking there from Greenwich Village. Still, every time I go I discover new angles and settings and in many instances they are more beautiful than the ones I have seen before. This does not […]
Tips to Achieve an Innovative and Differentiated Startup Project
Editor’s Note: This is the era of rapid changes and disruptive innovations, and no startup, irrespective of size or industry, should be launched without a high degree of innovation and differentiation. This article is about the why, what, and the how— the systematic way to achieve this, based on the long international experience of the […]
The Evolution of Business Consulting
Professional services firms are undergoing a profound transformation. The markets are changing and the old ways of doing business are becoming obsolete. Customers paying for professional services are becoming more sophisticated and more discerning. Why are we still doing business as usual when the world around us is in such extreme flux? The professional services […]
Humanist Values Trump All Others
Humanist values are universal and trump all others as an overriding principal of conduct in business relations. As a strategic alliance expert who makes his living designing and optimizing international ecosystems, I often come across the issue of “cultural differences.” How do we achieve maximum efficiency and optimal team work across vast areas of beliefs, […]
Leadership: Can You Master It?
Great leadership is fine art, not painting by numbers. During a recent conversation, I asked one of my closest colleagues, an outstanding leader: “Do you know the secret of great leadership?” His response was an excellent one, “Humility?” I said, “No, that’s important but not it. It’s the willingness to work with people better than […]
The Purpose of an Organization
Edwards Deming described the purpose of an organization in New Economics, on page 51, as: “The aim proposed here for any organization is for everybody to gain–stockholders, employees, suppliers, customers, community, the environment–over the long term.” Like so much of what Deming said, that makes sense to me. It is my sense the “conventional wisdom” […]
4 Business Metrics Everyone Needs To Know
Business metrics matter. They measure how successful a company is and well it is performing. We seem to live in a world saturated with data, metrics, and performance reports. Our corporate rivers are overflowing with them drenching everything in numbers and targets, drowning us in data, while leaving is gasping for insights. I have helped […]
Teach Strategic Thinking with These 3 Simple Questions
When the Big Strategic Idea someone pitches you is blatantly boneheaded and un-strategic, you might remind yourself that strategic thinkers are made, not born. If this person is your friend or subordinate, then maybe it’s your job to help them learn the skill called “strategic thinking.” These three simple questions will get you off to […]
