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’?
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Strategy's purpose... on becoming a moat builder
The term strategy has acquired a certain ‘Humpty Dumpty’ quality: “it means just what I intend it to mean, nothing more, nothing less”. Before we explore what strategy is, we should be clear about the purpose of strategy.
Looking back, looking forward... a strategist's view
2016 was my second year of serious blogging. In the last year, I wrote 23 blogs and LinkedIn posts. My focus reflects my roots: the strategy process, strategy execution, and leadership. This year, corporate behaviour got a couple of (dis)honourable mentions.
Apparently, mining blew the boom ... but who's the greater fool?
Each year, PwC release a comprehensive report on the state of the mining industry. What can we learn from the PwC Mine 2016 report?
Business behaving badly... we're no worse than the others
Business leaders often lament the lack of political leadership and community support. It’s only going to get harder. WA Premier Colin Barnett, at LNG 18 – the premier global conference of the LNG industry – offered some advice to the industry: you guys have to do more of the heavy lifting.
Strategy's fundamentals ... better practice, not neater theory
Henry Mintzberg was right when he declared ‘we need better practice, not neater theories’. Three theoretical paradigms provide an overarching framework for strategic thinking. And these were part of the economics discourse 50 years ago. But any one of these by itself is insufficient.
Breakout strategy: what if anything were possible?
At its core, strategy is design. And great design starts with the question: what if anything was possible? If we start with constraints, we get designs for tomorrow that merely tweak today.
Looking back, looking forward
2015 will go down as the year when I really started to blog, with 36 blogs. The dominant themes reflect my roots: leadership, strategy and business models. Based on reader responses, the three favourite posts were…
Austerity is not a strategy
Three clients, three strategy workshops, 8 days: intense. Each client is at a different stage of the strategy life cycle. And each workshop highlighted a theme which reflected where that client sits on the strategy life cycle.
The more things change... strategic innovation
I am often struck by how today’s 'insights' reflect the writing of past decades. Here are a few recurring themes on strategic innovation. They are important levers in the pursuit of strategic innovation.
Purpose is at the heart of strategy... but it's complicated!
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?