In the shift-age, speed and flexibility are major success factors.  Should

the situation change, time spent developing a detailed strategic plan may be at best a waste of time, and at worst a performance inhibitor.  A less detailed forward thinking process held more frequently may be sufficient to keep people aligned but flexible should the need...

The 20 point drop in the Vistage CEO Confidence Index this year is shocking

My generation grew up with a relative level of stability. We are simply not accustomed to the notion of “economic uncertainty” and we are not very happy about it. As a result, we have the tendency to overreact to stimuli in the form of collective euphoria or collective despair. This emotional response explains the nature of bubbles, as we all race...

Blue Mountain Ski ResortIntrawest found themselves lagging behind the

competition in a new market.  Since acquiring the property, ski hills and facilities had been upgraded to world-class standards.  In spite of a  multimillion dollar investment, no significant gains were being made in their customer satisfaction metric.  Our bid to help them achieve...

The WSJ wrote that Ford, Disney, Wal-mart, Sony, and Honda, experienced

serious difficulty after their charismatic CEOs stepped down.  Steve Job’s exit, may cause a similar transfer malaise at Apple.   Fortune list companies get lots of attention when a head honcho exits, but loss of financial value can be much greater when small to midsize  ...

corporate survivalNature understands the relationship between efficiency

and survival.  Bees have survived as a species for centuries.  Their life support system obviously works.  When a worker bee returns to the hive after a production trip, it struts out a triangular pattern.  The apex of this triangular waltz points directly to the source of...

Outdated thinking and habits, remnants of the Industrial-age, are causing

serious problems in many organizations—often unbeknown to CEOs and their management teams.  The crux of the problem is depending too heavily on yesterday’s knowledge and experience.  A more suitable alternative in this turbulent world (herein referred to as the “Shift...

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...

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...

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...