Explanatory Placebos
Think about how much of your life you spend asking “why”. Why didn’t I go to the gym? Why did I yell at my PA? Why can’t I stop smoking? […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Upside of Anxiety
We often think of anxiety in negative terms. And of course, it can be debilitating and miserable. But it can also be a tool that you leverage, either for your […]
Pigeonholing People
No time to read? Watch the video here. When I finished the last article I sent you about apophenia—seeing non-existent patterns in data—I knew that I had only touched on […]
It’s The Employee’s Fault!
We’re at that point in the year when if you haven’t already developed your strategy for 2023, at the very least you are reviewing the results for the past year. […]
Mind the Gap, Employee Edition
We often hear about the execution gap in strategy. Researchers have said for years that 90% of strategies fail because they don’t get executed. I’m skeptical about that number. But […]
Neutrality Can Sniff Out Bad Strategy
I was listening to a radio interview with David Cohen, an experienced Special Master. You are probably familiar with the title as it has been in the news lately. But, […]
Less is More in Product Too
Strategy, product, and service offerings are inextricably linked. Although obvious, it’s worth saying, because the same thing that often makes it so hard for leaders to develop excellent strategy, often […]
If Culture Eats Strategy, What Eats Culture?
Everyone knows the line: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It’s usually attributed to Peter Drucker, although for the life of me I can’t find any evidence he said it. But […]