Watching the promises made at COP26 fritter away brings to mind the similarities between it and most company strategy awaydays and self-help retreats. One of the things that most of the multi-$Bn self-help industry knows is that it’s easier to sell a dream than the hard work to do it. And that people can come […]
Execution
The list is not the thing
Lists are the most underused and undervalued weapon in building companies and bringing control to them. I use them (with a particular structure) for executing strategy, for managing improvements to a company, for monitoring its health, and to manage operational pulse – the four process layers in our Build on Purpose framework for bringing control […]
The dullest word. Structure.
Brilliant ideas are what separate great CEOs from average ones. Not. Most CEOs, and most often founder CEOs, are the visionaries in their companies. And for good reason – it takes some form of vision to start a company in the first place. But most new companies go to ground within the first five years. […]
Debates aren’t to win – they’re to learn
One of the most unspoken pressures I see in CEOs comes from the feeling that you need to have the answers. You’re the boss. People turn to you for an answer. You give it. The challenge is that if it’s as linear as that – if people look to you for an answer, and every […]
The squirrel’s guide to making your strategic goals happen
What can a squirrel tell us about meeting our strategic goals? (Stay with me – this isn’t a post to just get pictures of a squirrel onto my blog – honest!) I don’t know about your garden, but in mine, we have strategic geniuses for squirrels. And I was handed a lesson over the weekend […]