I read an interesting saying the other day, "People who take caution with every step make little progress." In my experience as a management consultant I have seen many people who require a tremendous amount of information before they make decisions. In some cases there are many uncertainties which need to be worked through and in others it is simply a management style.
Read MoreBusiness 101 starts with defining a business model that solves a real problem for a set of people, and doing so at a price which people will pay to address their need. This business model will account for risks, and a conscious decision is made to pursue the business (or not) based on these risks. In some cases, the risks are very high and the potential rewards correspondingly high. The most extreme of these are called "bet the company" decisions - and rightfully so, the risks are realized it could destroy the company. The fundamental concept that both extremes are possible serves as an internal regulator for decisions
Read MoreFor a 24 hour period today I will be in an area with very poor Internet connectivity. This isn't backpacking in the Andes, it's downtown Tacoma, WA. This is in no way a condemnation of Tacoma, but a reminder that even in the urban environments we often have "dead zones" that we have to deal with.
Read MoreI frequently work with organizations at the lower end of the maturity scale, due to no fault of their own. In many cases business has rapidly outgrown the IT capability or capacity to support them, or there was a conscious prior decision to outsource much of the IT operation and is now being brought back in house albeit without the people or process infrastructure to support it. In these cases, IT Departments which demand to have solid business cases before they undertake any new work are doing themselves and their organizations a disservice.
Read MoreGiven that leadership is something that virtually all people look for, what does leadership mean, and is it different for each person? Is it as simple as understanding that people will follow a person who will make some aspect of their life better, or is there more to it? Do people look for some of themselves in their leaders or do they want something different? Do people look to their leaders to inspire them? Do people look for different things in their leaders in good times and bad?
Read MoreRecently I had the opportunity to dine with Ken Majer who has been doing outstanding work in the area of values and their effect on companies. He makes a great case that the corporate values should be established before the vision, and mission of a company as misalignment of values will inadvertently cause the strategies to fail during execution. From a company growth perspective, companies in start-up mode typically involve only a handful of people. It will also be likely that each of these people will hold in common a value set, and be passionate about these values. Everyone in these companies will typically wear many hats and quite often cover for each other. In a small company, if these people did not share the same values they likely could not coexist. Likewise, if they did not share a passion for what they were doing they would likely not be in a start-up.
Read MoreLayoffs are bad. Layoffs hurt. They are devastating to those people being laid off. The individuals being laid off and their families are hurt financially and emotionally. Assuming those performing the layoff are not masochists, they will go through a great deal of pain as well. The people who remain in the company after the layoff will have lost friends and in some ways grieve for them while they pick up their workload.
Read MoreIn a corporate setting there are many occasions when bad news must be shared. How management performs this critical function will go a long way in how they are perceived by those around them. We are currently experiencing a severe economic downturn. Bad news is everywhere. Companies missing targets. Sales people missing their bogey. Orders cancelled. Companies laying off staff. There is plenty of bad news to around, and pretty much everyone has felt at least a little of it.
Read MoreDecisions are interesting things. It can be argued that not making decisions well can cause significant damage to any organization. A friend of mine, who happened to come out of the military, explained to me that decision making is the essence of leadership. Another friend of mine once told me that perhaps the most important job of an executive is to make decisions (and to make them decisively).
Read MoreWe help organizations take their next steps, whether that be by through establishing a vision, and supporting operations to realize the vision, introducing emerging technologies, or working through the human capital challenges, we are there for you, engaging at whatever point you are in your journey,.
