Strategic planning

Bonuses and other forms of incentive compensation are an effective motivator of executives to achieve ever higher earnings per share. The drive to produce short-term results, however, often influences management to forgo investment in capital equipment and R&D that would benefit the corporation several years hence even more than improved earnings next year would. The […]

Be wise, not SMART.

Too many executives have "shiny object syndrome."

Managers can break through the barriers that keep their performance expectations too low.

Despite the enormous time and energy that goes into strategy development, many companies have little to show for their efforts. Indeed, research by the...

It's been only four years since First Rangeway Consulting went public, but to CEO Kenneth Charles, it seems like a lifetime. In the grand old days of...

Even the most brilliant strategy is worth nothing if it isn’t executed well, especially by your front line — the employees who interact daily with your customers. Unfortunately, these employees are regularly asked to execute strategies that others developed and that they may not understand, never mind feel committed or connected to. In fact, according […]

Ten steps to craft actionable insights amid soul-crushing uncertainty.

The best leaders don’t let themselves get too busy to reflect.

Many executives have grown skeptical of strategic planning. Is it any wonder? Despite all the time and energy that go into it, strategic planning most...

Leaders need to use more vivid imagery to communicate their vision for the future.

Environmentalists argue that sustainable business makes economic sense. If only it were that simple.

Cyberspace can be made safer from the chaos and crime that threaten to overwhelm it. But most recipes for security and order come at a very steep price: the loss of the Internet’s creative potency.

Over the past decade, business units have increasingly taken the role of strategy formulation away from corporate headquarters. The change makes sense:...

Don't overlook a useful pattern just because it isn't driven by a causal relationship.

To understand your customers’ expectations, look beyond your industry.

Back in September, my colleagues at HarvardBusiness.org asked if I had any reaction to the decision by Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis to pay $44 billion...

We’ve all been there. Trapped on a plane, heading home — only to be diverted to another airport. The mind races head — what to do? Caught in this situation our world view narrows to focus on one singular objective: how to get home. Mid-course, the options are few — take a bus, rent a […]

An update to one of the most successful management tools of all time.