A strategy articulated by the most beautiful and elegant diagram of neatly-fitting geometric shapes is often laid waste by the less elegant actions of totally ungeometrically-shaped and unpredictable objects. Humans. The military’s long known this. The noted and successful Prussian general military strategist Von Clausewitz based much of his strategy work on it. (See the […]
Tips, News & Views
Mess in your strategy is normal
“No one should develop a strategy without taking into account the effects of organizational friction. Yet we continue to be surprised and frustrated when it manifests itself. We tend to think everything has gone wrong when in fact everything has gone normally.” This from Stephen Bungay’s excellent book on getting strategy done, “The Art of […]
5301 trees and 7 women entrepreneurs
Beyond the Quarter’s mission is to create a world where business serves humanity. We help leaders build companies that are human, profitable and sustainable. So our very reason for existing is to positively contribute. In addition, in 2021 we undertook 2 initiatives which align with our core purpose and work of making business better. \- […]
On Boris, on values, on apologies and on leadership
Liz Truss this morning said in interview that there are more important things to focus on than whether Boris Johnson broke lockdown rules. This debacle is a treasure trove of lessons on values, on apologies, and on leadership. Values I tell all companies I work with to get their values in place, and to make […]
Being authentic is not the most important thing
The “Be Authentic” religion has always troubled me. Dogmatic. Non-negotiable. Supreme. I don’t buy it. It’s not the most important thing, because it positions your “authenticity” as more important than the collective good. “Be authentic” is a selfish mantra. The top of the hierarchy isn’t to be authentic. It is to “do the right thing”. […]