Before learning, we must unlearn by letting go of previously held knowledge

and assumptions.  Unlearning is a form of death. Throughout our lives we must  “die” many times in order to grow.  One of the more traumatic human transitions is going through what parents call the terrible-twos. Until the age of two, human babies feel omnipotent—assuming...

If your competitor becomes process disciplined while you continue operating

traditionally, odds are they will eventually eat your lunch (shrink your market share and profit).  Organizing people for work using industrial-age concepts such as a departmental structure, the traditional chain of command, or relying exclusively on the personal authority...

An inordinate amount of meeting time is spent solving problems.  Even

so, many organizations experience the ‘recurring issue’ syndrome.  Resources get poured into trying to solve what turns out to a symptom, not the root cause.  This frustration confronts decision-makers all the time.  The answer is not working harder at doing more...

 Blindsided by the North American success of Apple’s I-phone and Google

’s android operating system, RIM (Research in Motion) the creators of Blackberry, are rebooting.  Investors have lost faith in the company that a just a few years ago, invented the smart phone market. To survive and prosper, in spite of fierce shift-age competition, there...

Today’s workplace doesn’t look like it did just a few years

ago — yet many people are operating from an industrial-age mindset that is no longer based on reality. Instead of looking at their job as a business relationship, they view coworkers as family. Instead of questioning their company’s direction and assessing the capability...

The digital revolution has eliminated the requirement for middle men. 

This transfer of power to field units has made middle officers obsolete.  In effect there is a “writing” component and an execution component…like the composer who creates music and scores it, so that players (think special force groups and their support units) are integrated in terms of pace and harmony.   The capacity to perform is the responsibility...

Many companies are trying to get and retain customers using an outdated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

...

If you’ve ever stood under a high-voltage transmission line, you know

the sound of energy flowing.  There’s a similar hum from high performance organizations.  It’s evident the moment you step through the door because every employee is turned on—they agree with what their organization stands for and are excited about being part of it.  The...

Why do the insignificant behaviors of other people get on our nerves

at times?  I remember experiencing a bad hair day because a colleague  I would be spending a great deal of time with smacked his lips while chewing food.  The closer people are to each other, the more powerful the annoyance factor seems to become.  For years, I drove my family...