When you are a leader, you need to determine: 1.     Who you are; 2.     What you are committed to accomplishing; 3.     What is missing in your plan.   During this process, remember: ·       The goal is not to make a decision, it is to make sure the best decision is made o   Leaders…

In an increasingly dynamic and changing world, businesses must anticipate discontinuities. In addition to this, there is the ability to react to this volatility, where there are no perfect answers. In the mobile phone market, many leading manufacturers were caught off-guard with the iPhone and Android a decade ago; but Samsung used it to rise…

During financial downturns, countries tend to turn inward (protectionism) to shore up economies; vice versa, there is more trading (liberalization) during prosperity. China & India recently opened their economies to foreign trade and competition. They have robust exports, a vast population, a rapidly rising middle class, and infrastructure needs…all of which will impact the global…

Business acumen training is increasingly important, especially for non-finance employees, who need to understand the principles of value creation. Research shows that numerical thinking is a significant predictor of managers’ career potential (Source: University of Toronto, 2005). Business acumen training in high-potential future leaders broadens their functional knowledge to include a strong financial compass. This…

You are what you learn…whether that is engineering (machine), lawyer (competition), human resources, drug dealing, bullying, etc.…until you learn something else and gain a new knowledge base to shift your paradigm…you can learn your way out of your current situation. Reactive tendencies are leadership styles emphasizing caution over creating results, self-protection over productive engagement, and…

Few executives believe they are making an unethical choice. Instead, they look at it as purely a business decision. The moral dimension was not part of the equation. “Ethical Fading” (Tenbrunsel) takes ethics out of consideration, and even increases unconscious unethical behavior.   Consider these types of ethical fading:     Negative Performance Metrics:  Goals…

Speaking with a salesperson last week, she could not understand why I was not purchasing her company’s product, even though I really liked what it could provide me. I explained to her that we had multiple initiatives currently ongoing, and each of these competes for employee attention and completion. Change fatigue comes from an increasing…

Kraft Foods, who recently merged with Heinz, has a 27-brand portfolio representing $18B, yet many of these brands are old. Recently, they had a breakout innovation (big, broad and aggressive), instead of an incremental improvement… Mio!  1.     Started as Crystal Light (liquid version of powder) o   Part of funnel of new ideas – constantly working…

Boston Consulting Group detailed in July 2014 a growing issue of labor shortages. Of the four BRIC countries widely recognized for growth potential, only India is safe from an impending shortfall. Japan was hit in 1995, and now Germany faces a projected 2.4 million dollar labor shortage in 2020; growing to 10 million by 2030….

How does an organization balance investments in R&D versus operational improvements? Start-ups may spend up to 20% of revenue on R&D, while mature organizations drop to single digits. This is an act of science and art, as one startup’s CEO spent heavily on sales and marketing since his previous startup lost the industry due to…