I have had the pleasure of knowing Ashok Vasudevan about 7 years and over the years I have enjoyed our discussions about a topic we both hold dear, Strategic Planning. Ashok is the CEO of Preferred Brands International, makers of Tasty Bites, a line of Indian and pan-Asian cuisine. Launched in 1995, the company participates […]
Leadership
Are You Managing With Purpose, or Just Managing Activities?
Wednesday, July 17th, 2013Posted in Leadership, Newsletter, Strategy Management
Why is Change Such Hard Work?
Thursday, June 20th, 2013I am reminded of a great analogy a friend shared with me recently about a football coach who wanted to change his offensive system. He brought his players together, explained the new offense, and told them that they need to be ready for the next game. He then left the team to figure it out […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter, Strategy Management
Family Business Owners on Public Policy
Sunday, January 20th, 2013Economists seem to be in agreement that 2013 will be a repeat of 2012, with only a slight uptick. GDP growth will be at best 2%, unemployment marginally better at 7.5%, and consumer confidence flat to slightly up. A recent survey completed by the Family Enterprise USA (FEUSA), an independent non-profit organization, provides a look […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter
How Can Organizational Structure Unlock Strategy?
Monday, November 19th, 2012Even though 2012 elections are now decided, they will not reduce the “dizzying velocity of change in our economy,” as stated by Robert Safian author of Secrets of a Generation Flux Leader (Fast Company – November 2012). We are witnessing the boom of companies such as Apple, Facebook and Amazon; and the bust of companies […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter
Stop Wasting Valuable Business Resources
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012I had a client recently tell me that one of his mature, declining businesses needed to be resurrected. In reality, the market dynamics were all running against this decision. The product line had run its useful course as substitutes were becoming more important to the end user. Competitors were dropping pricing to maintain share and […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter, Strategy Development
Execution Intelligence (XQ)—Without it, You Can’t Succeed
Monday, September 10th, 2012If you have been following our newsletters, you know we are fans of Harvey McKay, author of several books including one of his original books, Swim With the Sharks, and his most recent, The McKay MBA of Selling in the Real World. In a recent newsletter, McKay wrote about the importance of execution. Consultants would […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter, Strategy Execution
Business Killer – Complacency
Wednesday, July 11th, 2012From the Wall Street Journal, Friday, May 18, 2012…”Jamie Dimon, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Chairman and CEO had just committed the most expensive blunder of his 30-year career, failing to detect the risk of trades that had begun to generate huge losses at the bank.” Dimon was quoted as saying “The big lesson I learned: […]
Posted in Business Killers, Leadership, Newsletter, Strategy Management
CEO’s Are Only As Good As Their Last Decision
Saturday, November 26th, 2011Over the last two months Netflix has been making headlines regarding the strategic decisions they made on their DVD and video streaming services. Reed Hastings, CEO and Founder, has received enormous criticism for Netflix’s decision to separate the two services and raise prices by 60%. Netflix has been severely punished by the market for losing […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter, Strategy Development
6 Months To Go in 2011…Sprint or Stroll
Wednesday, June 15th, 20116 Months To Go in 2011…Sprint or Stroll The economy is still tenuous as many of our clients, associates and business resources have told us over the past month. Although certain data points seem to point toward an uptick, there appears to be continued concern that there is the prospect of a double dip around […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter
The CEO’s Promise
Saturday, February 26th, 2011The most important responsibilities of any CEO are to develop the strategy, clarify the organizational strategic initiatives, communicate them to employees and make sure the initiatives are achieved. It is in essence the CEO’s promise to the company’s stakeholders. However, in our experience working with mid-market companies, all too often CEOs focus primarily or exclusively […]
Posted in Leadership, Newsletter, Strategy Management
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