The operator you bring in when growth stalls
Strategic Leadership
that scales
with your business
The Abilene paradox
The previous post on the Asoh defense led me to another real gem, the Abilene paradox. Where I work, they have something called "disagree and commit". It's a good principle if it works, and when there is ample time to discuss, as this post explains. It tends to get a...
The Asoh Defense
The Asoh Defense is real simple:If at first you don't succeed ... just admit it. "Yup, my fault, I f***ed up."Not something you ever really here in the corporate world, do you?Click here for the story behind the Asoh defense.The part where they link it to the...
Reading: The Elephant and the Flea
The Elephant and the Flea (Charles Handy) The Elephant and the Flea is both a poignant personal memoir and a deep reflection on the past and future of world capitalism, with all its possibilities and pitfalls. In a tone that is at once learned, genial, witty, and...
Second Life
Yes … Second Life … The NextBigThing. Everyone's been writing about it frantically. Except for me. Because I'm not a believer. I have seen hypes come and go, I have seen companies rise to fame and disappear into oblivion. And I am not convinced by SL. Sure, it has the...
The average lifecyle of a CMO
23.2 months. That's how long a CMO (Chief Marketing officer) tends to survive in a company. That is less than 2 years... doesn't seem long at all does it? More on that here.If you're a CMO, you might want to go read BtoB's take on how to survive: Be indispensable....
Getting Things Done, a reminder
I read the book, I'm using the software, and it really keeps my inbox clean and myself organised. What am I talking about? "Getting Things Done", the system of David Allen, which offers a system to get organised and get the clutter out of your head, into what he calls...
Reading: Value Based Marketing for Bottom Line Success: 5 Steps to Creating Customer Value
Value Based Marketing for Bottom Line Success: 5 Steps to Creating Customer Value (Nicholas, Debonis, Balinski, Allen) Marketers get too caught up in selling features and competing on price. Because, when all is said and done, customers buy and and will pay well for...
Reading: Only the Paranoid Survive
Only the Paranoid Survive (Andrew Grove) Ever heard of ‘strategic inflection points’? If not, catch up and read this book. It's about recognizing, overcoming and even profiting from the inevitable groundshifts in commercial life that, by changing the fundamentals of...
Reading: Advanced Brand Management
Advanced Brand Management (Paul Temporal) If you’re into branding, read this book. It reveals the sophisticated branding techniques implemented by some of the world’s leading companies. It covers up-to-date strategies such as brand stretching and brand architecture....
Reading: The Myth of Excellence: Why Great Companies Never Try to Be the Best at Everything
The Myth of Excellence: Why Great Companies Never Try to Be the Best at Everything (Frederick A. Crawford, Ryan Mathews) "Figure out what you do best and don't dwell on the rest." Some mistakes in business are obvious. One that may not be so apparent is "the mistake...