Hard choices often end up in one of two ugly places: Analysis paralysis – no decision, but just an ongoing slow pain, or flip-flopping decisions – often depending on who you’re speaking to. I’ve seen this a lot in many leaders, including CEOs. Sometimes, it’s because the choices are genuinely difficult to compare. Other times […]
Execution
Hire the right people, and then trust them
People problems in companies tend to boil down to one of two things. Wrong people hired, or right people hired, but then not empowered. We need to both (1) hire the right people to bet on, and; (2) place our bet. Doing either of those well isn’t easy. But I see so many businesses ruin […]
Teams are good, but networks make them stronger
Suppose for a minute that there’s this country with a government comprised largely of an old boys’ network from the same schools, universities and degrees. Crazy, but just suppose. That’s the kind of scenario that (rightly) gives networks get a bad rep. But inside a company, networks can create real strength. Where we create multiple […]
Strategy Sessions are a waste of time
Strategy sessions (especially, bit not only) in SMEs are usually a waste of time. Mostly because they don’t turn into what the company does. In my experience, it usually comes down to a combination of these issues. No coherence. The strategy is a smorgasbord of ideas rather than a plan to get somewhere specific. It prioritises […]
Generating activity makes problems harder
“Generating activity is not a problem; in fact it is easy. The fact that it is easy makes the real problem harder to solve. The problem is getting the right things done – the things that matter, the things that will have an impact, the things a company is trying to achieve to ensure success. […]