To The Trenches
Leaders need to know customers and front-line workers well, and to deeply understand their reality. But usually, they are safely distant from that experience. As individuals, a new year invites new intentions. Lose weight, travel, save more money. Organizations are similar. At any temporal threshold— whether the next quarter or January 1 — we craft new […]
Metrics Over Mission
When results are poor, check that everyone's north star is the customer’s experience rather than the scorecard. because focusing on the score takes you away from customers. And of course, that defeats your entire goal.
In Vino Innovato
Inventing an unprecedented technology or strategy demands fearlessness. But if everyone is afraid to look silly, who creates the breakthroughs? Habit and Mimicry As human beings, we observe and follow behavioral codes. According to sociologist Gabriel Tarde, almost all our behavior is due to either habit or mimicry. Mimicry gives us license to do the […]
The Disagreeability Premium
Every team has a renegade. They refuse to follow the prevailing wisdom – and that’s a good thing, even if they annoy everyone along the way. If you were a honeybee, finding nectar would be your prime objective. The entire hive depends on it, and so there is the equivalent of an advanced team. That […]
When Rank Means Right
Have you ever had a boss who simply wouldn’t listen to your perspective? Maybe they dismissed you despite tons of supporting evidence that you might be right! Experience does eventually yield expertise and credibility. That brings a lot of perks. Novices look to those “old-hands” for guidance, and we all benefit from the wisdom of […]
Director of Slide-Greasing
Hopefully, you had a spectacular summer and a wonderful holiday weekend. If you’re in the US, Happy Labor Day! Now, it’s back to work! In honor of Labor Day week, I thought we should consider the ways that we think about employees. One of my clients, “Vijay”, is head of engineering in a SaaS startup. […]
The Case of the Shrinking Executives
In some organizations, people grow and expand. They become more powerful and effective. In others, they shrink–shriveling in impact, disempowered. When that happens, once influential individuals transform into shadows of their former selves, never asserting strong positions and easily deferring to superiors. Organizations lose the value they meant to hire because the person they interviewed […]
You Push, They Push Back
When things aren’t going in the right direction, how do you approach your team to get better results? Do you talk more, push harder, change managers, insist louder, impose longer hours and harder standards? That’s the path of force, of pushing. It’s also the one that’s most intuitive. Or, do you harness your internal power and […]
When You can’t Say No. Or Yes.
I’m terrible at saying no! The refrain is so common that I hear it in my sleep.. Usually, when clients feel overloaded that is their self-diagnosis. There are too many projects, deadlines, and tasks. So, they haven’t seen their family, been to the gym, or done anything except work in weeks. Clearly, they don’t say no enough. On […]
Just One More Dataset!
In 1815, Napoleon was going to face the British and their allies in what would become the Battle of Waterloo. The French had many more troops, and certainly could have won. But Napoleon was preoccupied with getting greater certainty by obtaining more information. While he was requesting infantrymen run to the front and bring back […]