A healthcare CEO with whom I have worked has a sign on her desk, saying “Be Present.” Her employees know that checking a smart phone while in a meeting with her is not wise. Use your breaks to check your phone/laptop, so that you can be intentional during your moments with people. This intention has…

Publishers rejected Harry Potter because it was too long for children. How do you work comparing new ideas to existing prototypes (i.e., children’s book cannot be hundreds of pages)? Managers tend to be risk averse, yet we need diversity of thought (Source: Adam Grant). For originality, you need an employee who is autonomous and independent;…

In today’s global world, who owns your traditional American company?      ·  Budweiser: owned by Belgian-Brazilian conglomerate      ·  Heinz ketchup: run by Brazilian private equity group      ·  Movies: Chinese real estate company Dalian Wanda owns more US cinema screens than any other US company      ·  Jim Beam whiskey:…

All four of my children play soccer, and with television’s ability to telecast global games, it has never been easier to follow the world’s top players. FIFA, the global administration organization for soccer, recently went through a significant corruption scandal, which included agreements/shell companies to create an appearance of legitimacy for illicit payments (bank accounts…

When new CEO’s transition into their role, changes happen. They typically assess the organization design, complete a strategic review and assess the resource allocation between business units. If the CEO is external, he/she tends to outperform an internal hire because of the willingness to challenge the sacred cows and reverse previous CEO decisions. If the…

The Platform Business model is disrupting the ecosystem by matching individuals with need.  This dynamic collaboration evens the playing field for small supplier companies and aspiring entrepreneurs.  Consider:      ·  AirBNB – world’s largest accommodation provider…does not own rooms      ·  Uber – world’s largest taxi company…does not own cars      ·  Alibaba…world’s largest retailer…

Leaders have to make judgments about people, strategy and crisis. For many, it is not how many good judgment calls you make, but rather how many of the important ones you get right. This requires preparation, the decision, and then execution.  During times of uncertainty and ambiguity, a leader must first identify clear trends via…

Three financial trends impacting business innovation: First, only a fraction of money in financial system make sit to Main St. businesses. Yes, there are equity and debt transactions every day. However, the role of capital markets and the banking sector in funding new investment is decreasing. Instead, their growing activity is lending against existing assets…

It can be challenging to create a brand name that is global. Plopp chocolate, the Chinese snack Only Pukeet, Pee Cola from Ghana, Swedish toilet paper Krapp, a box of Barf detergent from Iran, France’s "Zit" ice cream, South Korea’s fruit drink called Coolpis, and India’s pillow called "Nightmare.” A Belgian chocolate company is named…

In a series of studies, subjects were told that they’d earn more money if they got their teammates (who were actually researchers) to unwittingly spread a lie. In their email signatures, some teammates included a quote about integrity (“Success without honor is worse than fraud”), while others used a neutral quote (“Success and luck go…