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.
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.
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?
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 rule of three and four
Scanning the newspapers recently, I noticed that the revenues of our three largest telecoms players – Telstra, Optus and Virgin – were respectively $16.4B, $9.4B and $5.3B. Why did that capture my interest? It looked like it might satisfy BCG’s rule of ‘three and four’.
5 tips for better strategic decision making
Imagine you are a major retailer planning to enter an ‘adjacent’ $50B retail market, and you specifically want to attack the market leader for ‘strategic’ reasons. But there’s a catch.
Want to grow – Deepen your position
Michael Porter famously remarked, “The pressure to grow is among the greatest threats to business”. And yet there are few executives who haven't felt that pressure. So what are the best growth options?
'Playing to Win' as a strategy process framework
A friend was looking to engage a consultant to guide their business through a strategy process. We chatted about it over a few drinks one night, and a few days later he asked: what do you think of the framework in ‘Playing to Win’? Here’s what I told him: maybe you’ll find the advice useful.
Building a Growth Platform
Bain has extracted some key messages from the growth performance of the Global 2000 companies. It’s not pretty.
Horizon 2 - 'no man's land'
There's a reason Horizon 2 was referred to as 'no man's land' in a recent HBR article. It is the catalyst for organisational transformation, but it presents unique challenges for senior managers.
Growth & Organisational Renewal - the work of Horizon 2
McKinsey's three horizon strategy model highlights the distinct elements of strategy which tackle the challenges across different time horizons.