Category: Strategic Planning

Reading Time: < 1 minute“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”  wrote the Russian novelist Tolstoy.   The same seems to be  true for “happy” (successful) businesses.  Regardless of the nature of the product or service offered,  the most successful companies today can be considered “software” companies in that

Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt’s hard to imagine a sector that’s been disrupted more than retail. So disrupted in fact that one retail observer has concluded that “great is no longer good enough.” Wharton School marketing professor Barbara Kahn explains her comment in this podcast and review of her book “The Shopping Revolution.”

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe founder of Ikea, Ingvar Kamprad passed away on January 31. His extraordinary success (he was number 10 on the world’s richest persons list) by bringing a new business model to an old category is the stuff of business legends. What was so different about his offering? Vistage’s premier speaker

Reading Time: < 1 minuteFew people had more important and momentous careers that President Dwight (Ike) Eisenhower. During World War II he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe.  He not only led the planning for the invasion of Europe, his remarkable interpersonal skills held together a fragile coalition of US, English,

Reading Time: < 1 minuteIt’s hard to believe that the legendary Peter Drucker’s been gone for over a decade; perhaps it’s the timeliness of his work that keeps him top of mind with so many executives. Many companies will be focusing on their strategic plans during December and it’s easy to get lost in

Reading Time: < 1 minuteMost of us realize that thanks to science, and perhaps more importantly, scientific method, that we enjoy a level of technology and therefore comfort that the kings and queens of a century ago would have envied.  Maybe we should apply the scientific method to how we run our businesses. Specifically,

Reading Time: < 1 minuteWhere have all the leaders gone? Or at the very least, where are they going? The quest for experienced and effective leadership is getting harder… and it is not only the executive search and placement companies taking notice. Companies of all sizes are increasingly finding it difficult to successfully fill

Reading Time: < 1 minuteAll executives should heed Malcolm Gladwell’s warning that “No one — not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses — ever makes it alone.” A recent installment in Vistage Speaker Andi Simon’s new podcast series explores why “Leaders Need Coaches to Succeed.”   Andi invited me

Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe two most eagerly awaited events every spring are the opening of baseball season and Mary Meeker’s, (aka Queen of the Internet,) annual Internet Trends presentation.  As the lead internet analyst at VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers,  millions of business people rely on her analysis and predictions. Whether

Reading Time: < 1 minuteProfessional sports team employ full time talent scouts.  Do you?    You may not need to go as far as the sports team do in this regard, but with the economy at near full employment, all the low hanging fruit has moved further up the tree. Wouldn’t you be well served