From the category archives:
Mention the word “change,” and large numbers of people will head for the antacid aisle of the local pharmacy. Many people simply don’t like change; they prefer the status quo unless overwhelming evidence exits that the status quo won’t work anymore. Even then, you may encounter significant resistance to it. Why? Why do people dislike [...]
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Enterprising and resourceful—those are words that describe a successful change initiative. “Enterprising” implies an innovative, inventive, creative approach to the status quo, and “resourceful” indicates an imaginative but practical orientation. Both words are apt for the changes Enterprise Rent-A-Car has implemented in the last few years. Who can forget Avis claiming “We’re number two, but we [...]
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Companies that try to be all things to all people confuse customers and endanger their brands. No better examples exist than those in retail. On February 28, 2005, Federated acquired May Department Stores for $11 Billion, creating the nation’s second largest department store chain with $30 Billion in annual sales and more than 1,000 stores. On July [...]
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Why do some people trust their instincts and win while others stumble to erroneous conclusions? How do brains really work? Unlike Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Blink, I don’t think most people should think without thinking. A select few should, but the vast majority should not. Most people should gather data more carefully, engage others [...]
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The best business lessons often come from unrelated news stories. The one that has dominated the media since April 20th has been the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and it is rife with lessons for senior leaders. This catastrophic explosion that caused an oil spill from a BP offshore drilling rig is [...]
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How many times did we hear that Hertz was number one but Avis tried harder? Avis attempted to play leapfrog with the unicorn of the rental car business. Enterprise knew better. Enterprise didn’t try to get you out of the airport faster. That was Hertz territory. Even though they did try harder and give better [...]
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The Berlin Wall came down twenty years ago, but apparently someone forgot to notify the Ahornia deer of the region. They still refuse to cross the line. At the height of the Cold War, an electric fence, barbed wire, and machine-gun-carrying guards cut off Eastern Europe from the Western world, which also severed the herds [...]
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