Missing in action
It’s 4:30am Saturday. Raining. I should be asleep. Perhaps if I could focus on the rain. But as I’m lying there, in my mind I’m drafting a note to the bank. My story has been told before, but I wanted to share my experience.
AI. Brilliant but flawed - just like humans
I was recently reminded of the Lassonde Curve which illustrates the value shift during the lifecycle of a mineral discovery. Coincidentally, whilst working on a consulting project in biotech currently, I was made aware of a similar curve in biotech which describes the phenomenon of escaping the valley of death.
Starbucks and the US$100M hire?
In August 2024 Starbucks removed its then CEO, Narasimhan, and appointed a ‘rock star’ CEO & Chair, Brian Niccol, with a hiring package worth more than US$100M. SBX shares immediately jumped almost 25% adding ca. US$25B to their market value.
Uber and the business model test
Joan Magretta once argued that all business models must pass two tests: the narrative and the numbers. Does the story make sense? Do the numbers stack up?
Walmart v. Amazon - lessons in diversification
According to the Wall Street Journal, Walmart’s reign as America’s biggest retailer is under threat from Amazon.
Is your strategy compelling?
In my regular MBA teaching session on strategy execution I offer 7 principles that underpin execution. Number 1 on the list: start with a compelling strategy. It might seem obvious, but can you, hand on heart, declare your strategy is ‘compelling’?
The Board/Executive strategy workshop - a practise note
Henry Mintzberg wrote 25 years ago: we need better practice, not neater theories. Amen to that. Much of the writing on the ‘formal strategy process’ ignore the practical reality that strategies have a life cycle.
Slowly, then quickly...
In mid-2015 Woolworths was the poster child for a board and executive that forgot managing a company is about more than shareholder returns. Today that moniker belongs to QANTAS.
35 Innovators Under 35 - MIT Technology Review
Every year, MIT Technology Review “takes a look at not just where technology is now, but where it’s going and who’s taking it there”. Their Change Issue gives us a glimpse into the future with their ’35 Innovators under 35’ feature.
Tesla deep dive - advantage Tesla (part 1)
Tesla often evokes strong reactions: positive and negative. Its challenger status, battling the entrenched motor vehicle industry to drive the transition to electric vehicles (EV’s), is a strong positive. Its heady valuation draws a lot of negative press.
Fintech: a classic Christensen disruption
Is disruption the most abused term in modern business parlance? Perhaps the best line on disruption belongs to Peter Thiel, a billionaire tech entrepreneur:“Disruption has transmogrified itself into a self-congratulatory buzzword for anything new and trendy”.
Making strategy - it's complicated
McKinsey was reportedly the laggard in strategy in the mid 70’s, losing the competitive battle to BCG and Bain. Fred Gluck was appointed as McKinsey’s first head of their strategy practice to address the gap.
The COVID accelerator - what sticks?
I recently posted a link to an article from Adam Grant, a leading organisational psychologist and Professor at Wharton University. He highlighted research which indicated that people need to be in the office about 2.5 days per week to maintain a sense of connection and identification with an organisation.
Understanding VUCA: a strategist's guide
In the world of strategy these days, people often toss around the acronym #VUCA: volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity. But can you tell the difference between each?
Lessons from one of the great success stories... and it's not tech (Part 1)
Whether a 40-something exec or a middle manager, you probably look for insights from big tech: Amazon, Facebook, Google; or the unicorns, Uber and Airbnb. But do you recognise the name Herb Kelleher?
Let's talk about purpose: One community, one shadow
Have you sometimes found yourself confused at best, frustrated or cynical at worst, by the vagaries of ‘mission, vision, values’?
Purpose: Why do you exist?
Why does your organisation exist? Because if you can’t articulate your purpose, then I’m not sure how you determine your strategy. That might seem a simple question, and yet if you asked your executive team I wonder how many different answers you would get?
Smartest guys in the room… what could go wrong?
Commonwealth Bank (‘Which bank?’) is just the most recent example of overconfidence in the ‘intellectual capacity’ of a leadership team to steer the organisation through the ‘white water’ of modern corporate life.
MBAs, strategy and judgement
The objective of an MBA strategy program is to expose leaders of the future to various theories, frameworks and concepts of strategy. But the reality is that many of strategy’s concepts are not necessarily settled.
Building the moat… the work of strategy
In my previous blog I explored the purpose of strategy: the creation of a sustainable competitive advantage. In Buffet’s terms, it is about building a moat wide enough and deep enough that marauding invaders cannot bridge the gap.