I realize there have been a thousand articles posted on this, and I suspect my thoughts aren't terribly unique. However below is my response to a young guy who I've known for several years and who is well on his way to success in the business world. His question: What have you found to be … Continue reading A couple thoughts on resumes, CVs and job applications
I don't mean to be abstract, but I wonder sometimes if lack of engagement with (or even awareness of) Corporate Strategy has something to do with our delivery and positioning, and much less with the message itself. Vitruvius' three principles of firmitatis utilitatis venustatis, from his semenal work De Architectura, roughly translates as durability (it should be robust), utility … Continue reading Why can’t Strategy be Inspiring?
I love simple ideas that seem so obvious after-the-fact, but have real and immediate impact to business problems. This was one of those solutions and the problem is fairly common, even outside of this industry. We’ve all experienced it. You show up at 7pm at a restaurant that you have your heart set on only … Continue reading Making VIPs of the Rejected
I just met with a former colleague who explained that one of objectives of his role was in simplifying the complex. We explored that concept a little further and agreed that sometimes simplicity is not really the desired outcome. In fact, some organizations are just plain complex. How do you distil the manufacturing processes of … Continue reading Clarity from Complexity
A business is simply a collection of related services that together produce and deliver value. Even within manufacturing, energy, agriculture and other resource-based organizations, it is the effective management of services that distinguishes the good from the great.
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without Strategy is the noise before the defeat.” Sun Tsu (”The Art of War”) If there is one thing missing from so many otherwise great organizations I’ve worked with, it is strategy execution. Many managers understand that a strategy is essential for success over the … Continue reading It’s all about Strategy Execution
I just finished reading an article by Gartner (“CEO Advisory: Information and Technology Leadership Jobs Are Proliferating”, October 16, 2012) introducing several new “Chief Officer” roles within corporate IT, or at least the trend as Gartner perceives it. It strikes me that there are already so many “chief officer” roles (including Chief Sales Officer, Chief … Continue reading Too many Chiefs?
A colleague of mine mentioned a curious and “unscientific” observation today regarding the organisational effectiveness of team members “liking” each other. The example he used was a meeting that recently took place where two mid-level managers from different departments who obviously knew each other fairly well, coming in to take their seat at the conference … Continue reading Being Liked
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