Holly Green
I recently came across a very interesting book that provides convincing evidence that we’re all more human than we think, including the experts we turn to for political and economic advice. Expert Political Judgment, by Philip Tetlock, a psychologist who teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, presents findings from a nearly 20-year project in…
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…
As a business consultant, behavioral scientist, and keynote speaker, much of what I talk about runs counterintuitive to conventional leadership thinking. I constantly urge business leaders to slow down to go fast. Unlearn to learn. Stop making stuff up (or at least be aware when you are). Regularly challenge what you think you know about…
There’s a lot of people talking about innovation these days, myself included. The good news is that business leaders seem to be sitting up and taking notice of this important subject. The bad news is that once a topic becomes popular in the media, people have a tendency to see it as the next “management…
Seeing as how summer is supposed to include some rest and relaxation, I took advantage of a rare day off last week and went to Sea World (one of the many perks of living in San Diego). I especially enjoyed the Shamu “House of Douse” show, in which several large killer whales do their best…
Are yours updated or out of date? Have you taken a serious look at your customer relationships recently? If not, now would be a good time. Recently, IBM polled more than 1500 CEOs, general managers, and public sector leaders around the globe on a variety of topics, including customer relationships. This cross-section of executives represented…
In most organizations, it’s common practice to conduct “postmortem” or lessons learned review sessions upon completion of major projects. If the project achieved its goal, management questions typically focus on what went right. “What did we do well? How can we sustain this success? What could we improve to make the outcome even better?” If…
It’s been said that in today’s chaotic markets, the only sustainable competitive advantage may be the ability to learn faster than your competitors. I disagree. The ability for leaders and managers to learn quickly is certainly a critical advantage. Especially in industries where new technologies and/or rapidly changing customer expectations can disrupt the status quo…
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…
In my last blog, I talked about the importance of communicating your strategic planning framework to employees at all levels of the organization. And not just once, but over and over again so that people never lose sight of the goals. I also noted that most employees prefer to hear this information directly from their…
Which is more important for a business to engage in – strategic planning or strategic thinking? If you answered “both,” you win the prize. What’s the difference between the two? Typically, strategic planning involves a formal process whereby company leaders and senior managers gather for a day or two and peer into the future to…
