Your Health… Your Business Processes… What’s The Difference?

Recently, I was working with a senior leadership team who was convinced that the key issue in their business was industry knowledge. They were thinking that a lack of industry knowledge was the root cause of their issues in the marketplace. It was difficult to get them to focus on the other issues in their business. While I agree industry knowledge is important, it is only one of the seven business processes every business needs to do well in order to be successful. In this case, the people running the business knew their industry very well, but were lacking knowledge in many other areas. If too much emphasis is placed on one area such as industry knowledge, then the business is likely to realize mediocre results. Businesses need to: (more…)

Unless your compensation strategies are tied to your business strategies, you shouldn’t expect effective strategic execution, an organization that is properly focused and great results. Compensation practices are a key element of how you manage, engage and motivate your employees. NOW is the time to assess the effectiveness of your compensation systems. Ask yourself; (more…)

Yankee Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll wind up somewhere else.” A business interpretation: strategy needs to guide your efforts and your company’s Strategic Execution™– how effectively you implement your strategy — distinguishes whether you’ll win or be an also-ran. One of the ways effective businesses stay on course is understanding in detail where they have been, what successes they have had in execution and where they have come up short. All too often companies (more…)

You should always be taking stock in past performance: Success, Failures, Opportunities, Strategic needs. The norm is to review your financials – Sales, Revenue, spending patterns, profitability, etc. but do you strategically review one of your most critical business functions – Human Resources and the Organization itself? Most companies don’t, leaving it to the leaders in the organization. Most companies respond to the immediate needs of the organization without advanced planning or forethought, unless it is a reorganization or a huge project. To determine how prepared your organization is for the future and your “next big opportunity,” or the company’s strategic needs, ask yourself these questions: (more…)

There are lots of reasons why failure in Strategic Execution™ is so common and why only 10% of all companies execute their strategic plans effectively. Many companies do strategic planning, and may even have a well-documented process. However, the process itself has become a hollow drill—a once-a-year exercise to get a financial plan to the bank and pacify the board—instead of a meaningful way to assess the business and set a meaningful course. As well, many (more…)

Forget everything you knew about Mexico vs. China 10 years ago. Significant changes in economics, infrastructure, geo-politics and cost have made Mexico the new China from a manufacturing and distribution stand point. See how much change there has been in the following presentation. These changes in cost will compel you to: (more…)

An accountable culture is healthy and sustains strong performance. Your corporate strategy is as critical to success, as is your organization’s Strategic Execution^TM. However, the level of accountability determines whether strategic gains are sustained or not. An accountable culture features extensive employee self-management enabled by related tools, key performance indicators (KPI’s) (more…)

Many companies have a strategic plan and ALL companies have a culture. If strategy and culture aren’t integrated, you ARE UNDER-DELIVERING! Is your company poised to Deliver a Culture of Stretegic Execution? If you ask a business leader about their Strategic Plan, the typical response is… “It’s around here somewhere,just let me look.” They believe a Strategic Planning Process is expensive; costing time, resources, and promises. A scalable and sustainable Strategic Execution Process is even more time consuming and costly. Many companies fail to deliver the results and promises contained within their Strategic Plan and that’s usually a Culture issue. (more…)

The pendulum has swung too far on Consensus Leadership. In a New York Daily News article published on January 3, 2001, called “Not Exactly His Father’s Cabinet, But It Could Be,” Michael Kramer wrote that Abraham Lincoln‘s observation is worth recalling: “No matter what the cabinet thinks, only one vote counts.” Abraham Lincoln was unquestionably a great leader. That can’t be said about all leaders. More and more, we are seeing consensus leadership styles get in the way of organizations getting things done: leadership (more…)

Earlier this week, SanDisk announced its latest M&A deal: the acquisition of Fusion-IO. In the company’s press release, the CEO made the following statement:

With its fifth enterprise-focused acquisition since 2011, the Milpitas company known for selling memory cards to consumers and gadget manufacturers is officially “a one-stop shop” for enterprise customers as well, CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said Monday, which he believes (more…)