Global leaders have more complexity than domestic leaders – to push the global agenda, establish global priorities, and align performance incentives. For example, the company vision must unify the employees across cultures. The operating model needs to be scalable to an optimized footprint, while mitigating risks. It is not sufficient to just expand the domestic…

Firms adhere to strict accounting rules with filing earnings. Yet, they also release “adjusted” numbers, designed to make bottom lines look more flattering. Usually, this indicates about 20% better profits. For many, corporate earnings seem to cause confusion amongst the fibbing. Yet, are the “adjustments” just distracting propaganda? (Source: The Economist) More than 1/3 of…

This book, by Caroline Webb, describes some corporate culture insights from behavioral scientists (umbrella for neuroscientists, psychologists, and economists) who look at why we behave the way we do. First, when companies try to improve their corporate culture, they usually attempt big-ticket interventions (i.e., CEO speech). However, the small items (i.e., how disagreements are handled)…

When you have a BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) to accomplish, it is easier to divide it up into sub-goals.This enables progress monitoring, while making goal attainment more manageable and plausible. At NASA in the 1960’s, there were many employees who were far removed from the famous goal of landing a man on the moon….

An old investment adage is “the trend is your friend.” Industry and geographic trends contribute to business results, and some companies adapt better than others. With short-term gyrations becoming more significant, it is easy to lose sight of the long-term trends (Source: McKinsey). Of the 1955 Fortune 500, only 12% are still on the list…

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…