In the “shift-age” innovation is essential to the success of every

organization.  Experience (as a director of sales and marketing for a telecommunications company, founder of a successful international consultancy,  advisor to the CEOs and senior teams of Fortune list companies, and as a coach to small and midsize business owners) leads me to...

Many companies are trying to get and retain customers using an outdated

playbook.   The dominant factors determining corporate success cross traditional departmental functions.  Sales, service, and profit engage the entire company—there is no logical argument for the preservation of independent organizational silos.  Success is determined by...

Industrial age organizations operate using a chain of command structure

...

In the “shift-age” it’s not the largest or best ,  

but the fastest that will survive and prosper.  To be fast you must personally have, or have access to, people who see emerging patterns (who instinctively focus on forests, not trees).  Studies indicate that females generally score higher than their male counterparts when...

At an Easter church service, I learned three Greek translations of the

...

Black & Decker had made a large acquisition.  They erroneously assumed

that corporate earnings would facilitate internal funding.  Shortly after the deal closed, revenues from the acquisition went south—the  status quo made internal funding a non starter.  Black and Decker companies were already performing to world-class standards, so demanding...

Like an expert jazz group, successful small companies can create beautiful

music because a limited number of players are motivated by the founder’s vision. They know the team’s strengths and limitations, cover for each other, are experts at; shooting from the hip, changing direction on the fly, and multi-tasking.  In short, they will do whatever...

 Have you been struggling with radical changes in your world?  In the

olden days, with more fat in the system, we could afford waste, rework, and high-risk initiatives.  Executives danced shamelessly from one silver bullet to another.  Management teams would return from offsite planning sessions with their eyes blazing—another grand solution...

 Much of the attitudinal and behavioral dysfunction on shop floors and

in our offices is the consequence of conditioning.  Prior to the 60’s, societal discipline came from a code of ethics framed by the constitution—we were a nation of laws. I believe that our historical conformance to the “rule of the law” is being overshadowed by what progressive...

In ancient times, actors played multiple roles by covering their face

with a variety of masks called facades.  Modern language adapted the word facade to mean, “putting on a front or false appearance.”  Facades are useful at times, for example, forcing yourself to smile at a well intentioned friend when you are really disappointed or masking...