Why vision is key to successful implementation
….. Typical Bicycle Cab ….. My wife Mary and I were on an anniversary trip to take in a couple of new shows in New York City. One of the challenges we faced as theatergoers was finding a cab to … Continue reading
The business power of social engagement in planning for success
When Rome was the power to reckon with, a Roman soldier could legally require anyone else to carry his pack for a mile. (In Matthew 5:41 Jesus suggests carrying it a second mile in part to have a greater understanding … Continue reading
Chance favors the prepared mind
One might think that the Greeks, who sustained a central role for mathematics, would have discovered the laws of probabilistic thinking. The evidence is that they didn’t. Greeks considered matters of chance to be the exclusive purview of the gods. According to … Continue reading
Unconscious decision making can be detrimental to your company’s health
Late one Sunday evening I pulled a couple of frozen yogurt bars from the freezer we keep in the garage. Earlier in the week, my son had mentioned that we should defrost that freezer, a task I’d been putting off. … Continue reading
Reading the market
As an electronics enthusiast, I started tracking videotape recorders in 1956, when Ampex introduced its first unit, which sold for $50,000. By the early 1970s, the arc of enabling technology suggested the feasibility of a consumer device within five years. … Continue reading
Commit, explode, recover – a winning strategy
Bill Walsh, who coached the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl championships, had a simple strategy for winning. He felt that his football team needed to follow a cycle of “commit, explode, recover.” To win in football or in … Continue reading
Are you floating or navigating toward your goal?
A squid fishing boat ended up off the western shore of Canada a year after the 2011 Japanese tsunami. Without anyone on board to navigate, it still crossed the Pacific intact, illustrating a paraphrase of an old saying, “if you … Continue reading
What strategic planners can learn from honeybees
New research on how honeybees choose a location for a new hive reveals a decision process that parallels how the most successful companies identify new markets to enter. There is an ideal size for a new hive, according to an … Continue reading
Why you need face-to-face meetings
I recently participated in a five-hour videoconference. In so many respects, the technology was amazing. We had participants from across the US who only had to step into their office at work or at home to join the meeting. I … Continue reading
Smartphones, iPads, multitasking and not really “being there”
When I was ten, I asked my dad why we didn’t have a telephone like all the other kids’ families had. I remember his answer to this day. “If we had a phone, people would just call us.” My dad … Continue reading