Holly Green
Is constant multitasking wearing you down and eroding your effectiveness as a business leader? Here are five steps for recapturing your time, attention and productivity: 1. Focus. Focus starts with having a very clear definition of what winning looks like for your organization. Be as specific as possible. What will it look like at the…
If you have an interest in strategy, I highly recommend subscribing to the “McKinsey Quarterly” e-newsletter. It doesn’t cost anything to sign up, and the well-researched articles keep you up to date on the latest in strategic planning trends and thought leadership. The research tends to be conducted with, and geared toward, larger company CEOs…
At the end of last year, I wrote about the need to put the old strategic planning model out to pasture and embrace a new method that focuses on developing strategic agility. Here’s why this is so critical. At its core, strategic planning involves a process of analysis. You do some research into what is…
Without question, the past recession has hit many companies hard. But as business leaders struggling to keep our companies afloat, we sometimes forget that it’s been hard on employees as well, including those who managed to keep their jobs. According to a survey conducted earlier this year by Kelton Research, today’s employees are feeling under-empowered,…
It seems like I touched a nerve with my two recent blogs on complexity. The feedback I’ve received from clients and business associates reinforces my belief that managing complexity represents one of today’s most compelling leadership issues. With that in mind, here are some more strategies for keeping your organization ahead of the complexity curve:…
In my last blog, I suggested that many business leaders are struggling to deal with the increasing complexity of today’s business world. Here are some strategies you can employ to cope with this emerging “complexity complex.” Let’s start by defining what we mean by saying the world is getting more complex. We all know the…
Recently I was doing a keynote presentation on innovation when a member of the audience, a senior manager at a large company, posed this question: “What’s the difference between individual and organizational innovation? We have plenty of people who come up with good ideas, but nothing new ever seems to get done in our company.”…
Okay readers, it’s time to test your business IQ. Which word does not belong in this group? Radar Kayak Raven Repaper If you answered “kayak,” you’re right! It’s the only word that doesn’t start with the letter R. But wait. If you answered “raven,” you’re also correct because it’s the only word that isn’t a…
People ask me all the time what I consider to be the biggest challenge facing today’s business leaders. I don’t even hesitate on this one. It’s the automatic assumption by most business leaders that we still live in a fairly predictable world. Think about it. Six months ago, who would have thought that Toyota would…
Three Strategies for Creatively Recognizing Employees Valentine’s Day is for lovers. Usually we stay away from the topic of ‘love’ at work but we’re talking about positive recognition here, not the stuff that gets you in a sexual harassment lawsuit! Smart leaders and managers know that it’s a good time to show your employees some…
When Shakespeare said that all the world’s a stage, he probably didn’t have employee performance evaluations in mind. But for anyone who has ever endured a less-than-candid performance appraisal, his words definitely ring true. Giving and receiving feedback is a complex process made infinitely more complicated by our human emotions and reactions. In particular, our…
It’s that time of the year we all dread. No, not fighting the crowds at shopping malls or maxing out the credit cards with over-indulgent holiday spending. I’m talking about the bane of managers and employees everywhere — year-end performance evaluations. Let’s face it. Most managers dislike giving performance evaluations and most employees hate receiving…
