From the category archives:
There “they” go again, changing something that was just fine to start with, but this mistake may have been short-lived. Coca-Cola Co. plans to switch back to its time-honored red can just one month after rolling out the snow-white animal can the company introduced for the holidays. I’m no innovation-averse Luddite. On the contrary, look [...]
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Some thought the snow in the Northeast last weekend would cause the Wall Street occupiers to go home. It didn’t. When a friend commented on the fact, I responded, “They can’t. They haven’t achieved their objective.” That’s the rub. When you don’t have an objective, you don’t know when you can go home. The same [...]
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Yesterday The St. Louis Business Journal sponsored a program for CFOs to discuss the current decisions in Washington and their impact on individuals and businesses. To make his point, one of the panel members asked audience members to raise their hands if their companies had laid off workers during the recent economy. While those people [...]
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Steve Goodman aspired to write the perfect country / western song, “You Don’t Have to Call Me Darling.” He had a clear strategy, but he initially failed in execution because he didn’t seek the voice of the customer. He sent the song to David Allen Coe, who wrote Goodman back that it was not was [...]
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You don’t want your operating plan to concentrate on the past—to focus on the reflection in the rearview mirror. You also don’t want it to be a distortion of future possibilities—like an image in a fun-house mirror. Instead, your operating plan should be a kaleidoscope that exhibits various symmetrical patterns that reflect the loose bits [...]
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I use WIN—What’s Important Now–to help people keep priorities top of mind. This short acronym also reinforces the admonishment I used to issue to my children before they left the house: “Do what’s right, and avoid what’s wrong.” To the untrained ear, all this advice might seem the same. Au contraire. Doing what’s right means [...]
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Much of my consulting and coaching work involves industries and functions that must follow the rules—exactly and profoundly. The SEC demands compliance from publicly traded companies; specific industries require adherence to prescribed protocols; and best practices dictate practical approaches. All good. However, overusing a strength creates a weakness. People who operate in regulated industries and [...]
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Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reported that Wal-Mart is in the midst of the worst U.S. sales slump ever, posting its second straight year of declining sales. How can this happen to America’s behemoth? They misstepped. To jumpstart lethargic growth and counter the rise of competitors, decision makers veered away from the winning-formula mission: “Saving People [...]
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This week the Wall Street Journal carried an interesting story about the growing need for sheep. Apparently the Border Collie has gained renown as a great family dog—good with kids, loyal, smart—you name it, these dogs seem to have the corner market on the trait. The only drawback is these dogs have an enormous instinctive [...]
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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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