A diversified portfolio is a really bad idea when it comes to strategic initiatives. A big part of my work is helping SMEs and scale-ups turn their vision, values and strategies into reality. How do we take a list of goals, or our grand vision, or what we say we stand for, and turn it […]
Tips, News & Views
Leaders grow fastest in service of something far bigger than themselves
My times of most significant growth at work always came when I was serving something bigger. Turning around a very dispirited team, the most obvious thing for me was to put myself in their service. And to do it in action, not just in words. It wasn’t some grand sacrifice – it was simply what […]
When is it enough?
One of the truly beautiful consequences of building a company serving a purpose bigger than itself is that the enormity of the mission can free you from unhealthy personal or financial ambition. When you build with a deep rooted desire to make a difference, a dent in something you care deeply about, then having more […]
Netflix and Blockbuster – the key lesson isn’t the one that’s in the lore
Nearly a decade after the demise of Blockbuster, we still hear it often cited as an example of the failure to see or act on innovation. It’s still bandied about as a lesson in how a dominant player can be disrupted out of existence. But that’s not the real lesson. When Blockbuster saw the Netflix […]
I wish you a happy journey for 2020
The journey is everything. For the last 15 or so years of my life, I’ve been realising more and more that everything we do is just a journey, and that we never get to the destination. And that this is a good thing. In all areas of our lives, including when we follow the business […]