If you’ve been in my community for even a little while, you’ll have seen me mention the 9EOI Strategy Certification. And it occurred to me that while the name makes sense to me, you might be wondering, “9EOI? What the heck does that mean?” 😄 Fair question. It stands for Nine Elements of Organizational Identity. […]
Your strategy isn’t landing? Here’s why. Read Post »
The gap between leadership expectations and support simply blows my mind. Most leaders rise to their positions through deep subject matter expertise. If their organizations are forward-thinking, they may also invest in leadership development to help them grow into their roles. But when it comes to strategy, arguably one of the most critical leadership skills,
If you’re reading this, the chances are that you’ve found yourself in a position where you’re expected to be involved in strategy either for the entire organisation or the department where your responsibility lies – and you feel a little out of your depth. I’d like to reassure you that you are not alone. Many
Strategy isn’t a job – but you need the Skill Read Post »
For decades, the saying went: “No one ever got fired for hiring McKinsey or BCG.” These firms, and others like them, represented the gold standard for corporate strategy. But recently, a seismic shift is shaking this narrative. A top executive I know of was recently unceremoniously removed by their board—not for incompetence or malfeasance, but
If You Hire Big Consulting to Design Your Strategy, You Might As Well Be Fired Read Post »
One of the surest ways to burn money is to invest in a culture initiative. Culture often gets treated as something that can be improved with workshops and by by hanging up posters reminding people of company values. But in reality, culture is not something you can directly build. It’s an output—a reflection of how
How Leaders Shape Culture without the Fluff Read Post »
When you’ve been around long enough, you see patterns in behavior, individual and organizational. And you hear people say things, and repeat them again and again, sometimes really stupid things. When I say ‘stupid’, I mean misinformed, shortsighted, and simple plain wrong things that people hear and then repeat. Often they perpetuate fads and myths
10 uncomfortable truths every leader should read Read Post »
If you ask 10 CEOs whether they’d like their business to have a winning strategy, you’d probably get 11 “yes” responses. Everyone wants their business to lead with a great strategy, of course. Chances are that out of those same 10 CEOs, the majority would start strategy at the wrong end: the strategy itself. Yes,
What effective team development looks like – and what you should avoid Read Post »
Executive Leadership Teams (ELTs) often find it challenging to shift gears, from day-to-day operations to long-term strategy. This brings a number of challenges, the most obvious ones is that the No.1 ELT responsibility is shaping strategy and culture. No-one else can take this job off their plates. Here are the main reasons behind this struggle
Why ELTs struggle to focus on strategy and how to overcome It Read Post »
“Here we go again.” This was my initial thought when a client was reluctant to establish structures for strategy implementation. I had seen similar hesitation before – and the negative consequences of lacking strategy governance. Neglecting governance – reasons vary, see below – is a bad idea. Without strategy governance, leaders and staff often get distracted
Avoiding the Tyranny of the Urgent – The Power of Strategy Governance Read Post »
When a client had just completed a merger, they were shooting for the top spot in the market. While the physical aspects of the merger, such as housing and IT, went well, the cultural merger was dragging behind. The company struggled to overhaul work procedures and create a general work philosophy across all units. As
The Hardest Thing to get Right – How to Solve Your Communication Issue Read Post »
When it comes to designing strategy, I often see two approaches collide. Vision-driven strategy versus problem-driven strategy. Vision-driven strategy starts with describing a desired status quo, at some point in the future, for example 3-5 years from now. Problem-driven strategy, on the other hand, aims to define and address the biggest immediate hurdle to overcome
Vision or no Vision – The Art of Storytelling in Strategy Read Post »
The first leadership job typically comes to a person because they are great at what they do. And because they master their subject, someone thinks the expert would make a great leader, teaching others how to do it. That someone often doesn’t understand much about leadership in the first place. Subject matter expertise has little
From Time Teller to Clock Builder – How I Failed to Lead and Started Over Read Post »
Developing effective leaders is a critical component of any successful organization. But simply training individuals in leadership skills doesn’t cut it. For maximum impact – and return on investment – development programs must be integrated with an organization’s business strategy. 15% Improvement in Organizational Performance Organizations that link leadership development to their business goals see
How Strategic Leadership Development Creates RoI Read Post »
The environment in which we design strategy matters more than leaders often realize. The leadership culture, and the wider business culture, dictate the nature of strategy, and its chances of success. In this article, I introduce you to the Culture Continuum, and I describe why good business strategy can only be cultivated in a people-centric
Dog Eat Dog and Tree Huggers: Why the Wrong Environments Can’t Create Good Strategy Read Post »
If you didn’t get to know Mark, the resources I share in this article will make your life richer. Mark built an incredible legacy, the warm and kindhearted person he was, witty and powerfully eloquent. Originally a UCLA professor of psychiatry for over 25 years, and a former FBI and police hostage negotiation trainer, Mark
In memoriam: Dr. Mark Goulston Read Post »
What’s the job of an executive leader? So many thoughts come to mind. But in a nutshell it comes down two two things: they’ve got to define the choices to win in a company’s chosen marketplace (that’s business strategy) and make sure everyone’s vibing on the same frequency (that’s company culture). Crafting a Business Strategy
The Essence of Executive Leadership: Nailing Business Strategy and Culture Read Post »
This is an excerpt from an interview with Alex Brueckmann that was first published by Authority Magazine – read the full interview here. In order to make sure that we are all on the same page, let’s begin with a simple definition. What does Operational Scalability mean to you? At its core, operational scalability is
This feature of Alex Brueckmann is part of Exeleon Magazine’s listing of The 100 Most Dynamic Leaders of 2023. Check out the entire issue and listing by clicking on this link. Brief us about your journey. What prompted you to shift from music to management studies and business strategy? Following 9/11, I had lost my job
100 Dynamic Leaders Award: Facilitating Strategies that Impact Businesses Read Post »
Wayne Gretzky, often hailed as the greatest hockey player of all time, holds a legacy that transcends the rink. Beyond his exceptional skills on the ice, Gretzky’s mindset and approach to the game offer valuable insights that resonate far beyond the realm of sports. His strategies, adaptability, and leadership qualities can be applied to various
What Wayne Gretzky Teaches Executives About Strategy Read Post »
Strategic decision-making is a crucial aspect that determines the success or failure of organizations. In executive meetings and boardrooms, diverse perspectives often collide. Sometimes they lead to innovation and growth. Sometimes, the outcome is less positive. And that’s where I often hear the phrase “let’s agree to disagree” – a sentence that hinders progress and
