Twiggy's folly
Twiggy is a larger-than-life figure in Australian business and has done much that should be admired. But his latest call for governments – any government will do – to ‘do something’ sits right there alongside his call for Australia’s iron ore majors to form a cartel.
Are you ready for the next big shift?
Imagine China’s growth rate fell to 3.9% per annum within the next 12 months. I suspect you can’t. Ridiculous, right? Well, actually, no, but more on that later.
Stronger no longer - what now?
One of my resource clients recently shared his observations after returning from a marketing conference and from a series of meetings with many of his customers. The message was loud and clear: the ‘stronger for longer’ mantra of the resources sector is now ‘stronger no longer’.
Take a deep breath - iron ore markets are doing what you should expect
I remember attending an AICD forum a few years ago when one of the presenters, a non-executive Director of a mining services company, boldly declared “the iron ore price won’t fall below $100/t while I’m still around – trust me”. I hope his health proves more robust than his forecast.
GE, the CEO and Strategy
Jeff Immelt, CEO, and GE present a fascinating study on the influence of the CEO vis-à-vis the influence of the environmental context in which they operate, and the pervasive influence of a global corporation’s core competency on strategy.
Excellence... Lessons from Sting
Like Sting? Watch the full Sting: Kennedy Center Honors 2014 video clip. Just want to learn what it takes to really achieve excellence in your chosen field? Watch the first few minutes of the video clip.
Strategy, execution and accountability
Last week I posted a note on the strategy vs. execution debate. A friend and colleague emailed me to say he thought it was a good post… but he disagreed! We’re having an interesting exchange offline, but he raised the issue of accountability.
The Strategy vs. Execution debate
A recent article and posting on Harvard Business Review has again promoted debate around the distinction between strategy and execution, with two highly credentialed business professors arguing the toss.
Being 'right' is never enough
Two stories in 8 days – Emeco and iiNet – confronting the same issue. In each instance the Board has supported a strategy which is now being roundly questioned – or condemned – by major shareholders.
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?
The Diversity Challenge Meets Selma
A recent article on the diversity program at eBay noted that men and women experience the company in different ways. For example, “a majority of women felt that their male colleagues didn’t understand them very well, though a majority of men felt well understood by the women”.
'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.
Australia's leadership deficit
Earlier posts have discussed theories of high performance. Readers may wonder why it is so difficult in practise. Perhaps one of the underlying issues is our inability to consistently execute these practises.
Towards master strategist...
As I began my closing remarks to the MBA business strategy class, I wondered: How do you summarise 45 hours of teaching to an MBA class? It’s impossible, of course.
Strategy execution - the winning edge
Are you prepared to invest to lift the 'realised value' of your strategy by more than 20%? The simple truth is that this 'extra' value is usually accessible through better execution!
World Business Forum Excels
The inaugural World Business Forum in Sydney 2 weeks ago was beyond any conference I have attended over more than 25 years as a consultant and advisor working with executive teams across the domains of strategy, leadership and change.
Strategy execution and the PMO
The data on the failure rate of strategy execution has been widely reported and is no surprise in most organisations. The specific numbers reported vary, but the effectiveness in implementation of strategic initiatives is typically around 60%.
The road to high performance - why is it so hard?
In 2006, HBR published a review of 10 major studies that have since tried to develop a theory of high performance: the search for the Holy Grail continues.
Against the flow - removing robots
In a reversal of an increasing trend toward use of robotics as a productivity tool in the auto industry over the last two decades, Toyota has deliberately displaced robots to reinstall humans.
Making room for passion in business
A decade ago I was describing the celebration of safety achievements at an African mine to a Board member. His response surprised me. He was an MD with one of Australia’s leading companies and was a Director I respected greatly, but his view was that ‘there’s no room for passion in business.’