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 five year old that still lives in all of us, loves to hear and tell

stories. Brand power comes from carefully developing an emotional relationship with consumers.  Relationships with a brand are built on a story foundation.  They all speak of, and relentlessly deliver on a compelling brand promise—think Apple, Starbucks, or McDonalds.  Most...

align using the corporate equivalent of a north star: your brand promise

Companies need the equivalent of the North Star to make it through uncertain times.  In what futurists are calling the “shift-age”, people will feel less threatened when meaningful purpose is shared with likeminded others.  Unswerving commitment to a brand promise fosters tenacity and courage because it promotes faith that after a crisis, the...

A rapidly changing world has of necessity changed CEO and executive behavior

from the autocratic application of personal power to delegating responsibility and organizing to accommodate collaborative teamwork.  An old adage remains true—with one critically important alteration:  “Speed of the leader (S) -speed of the pack”.  Effective CEOs...

Surviving today while securing a prosperous tomorrow will not happen using

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successful implementation of strategic initiatives require cultural alignment

Quality is no longer a competitive advantage.  Today’s priority is to be heard in a “noisy” marketplace. What strategic imperative will set the pace tomorrow?  Whatever it turns out to be, rest assured that  strategic imperatives will continue to change at an ever increasing rate.  Without adjustment,  the capacity or willingness of employees...

Establishing an Ethics Platform requires clear boundaries. When boundaries

are blurred or poorly defined, cultural-values slip to ‘what the company tolerates’. CEOs must work diligently to close the tolerance gap. Executives, managers and supervisors must be taught then held accountable to deliver an immediate performance redirection session based...

structure a business with a scalable model that can accommodate the inevitable

I began my role as senior VP international operations, by reviewing the performance of offshore sites around the world.  Most were profitable, but a few existed only to serve large international clients who demanded  global capacity from their suppliers. The UK office employed a skeleton staff with  expenses cut to the bone.   Five people with...

Like an expert jazz group, successful small companies succeed when a limited

number of players are motivated by the founder’s vision. They know the team’s strengths and limitations, can cover for each other, are experts at shooting from the hip, can change direction on the fly and are capable of multi-tasking—in short, they do whatever it takes...

Aligning a culture to support strategic initiatives such as delivering

on a brand promise, begins with the clarification of shared values—a task that is easier said than done—the critical factor is the word “shared”.  Values are not what organizations claim or wish them to be.  Values are signaled to the world by what a company tolerates. ...