How Do You Compete ? Its All About the Organization

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The rate of change in the world is very rapid. What you or your team might have become adept at can quickly evaporate. If your organization is unable to stay on top of radical change, it will be unable to stay ahead of new or existing competitors. Staying ahead means having an organization able to learn and get better. Unfortunately, this can run counter to leaderships abilities, often based on dated beliefs and linear thinking perpetrating the status quo. Brutally confronting facts, being straight forward and having people with the accumen and ability to understand the best path is a rare combination; hence the reason applications of learning organization disciplines are uncommon today. Watch Harvard Professors David Garvin and Amy Edmondson describe how learning organizations generate and act on new knowledge enabling companies to stay ahead of change and the competition.


Welch, This Oracle Is Just What the Doctor Ordered

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Organizations and their leaders can react in different ways during tough times. With many industries experiencing tumultuous and fundamental change compounded by recession, it is more daunting then ever for leaders to understand what the best choices are for the future. From Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions to Collin’s Good to Great , theories abound regarding the relevant paths to success.

Such uncertainty makes the advice of those who have “been there and done that” quite refreshing. Jack Welch should be the “poster child” for such enlightened and valuable counsel . As with the Oracle character from the Matrix films, he possesses the power of foresight, and his experience serves to advise and guide those attempting to overcome serious challenges. His back to basics philosophy, founded on the four pillars of mission, behaviors, candor and differentiation, is just what the doctor ordered for many leaders in today’s world. Watch Jack during this Managementv interview explain what is truly relevant to organizational success as he outlines his beliefs in the four pillars. An adoption of these rules is a good place to begin when evaluating how to move your organization forward in the best manner possible.

Eric Schmidt On Transparency & Open Immigration

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Google's head, Eric Schmidt, recently shared his views on a series of topics at the Aspen Ideas Festival. He addressed how "old" institutions are inefficient and in particular governments. His solution is transparency because as he puts it, "many bureaucrats know what they are doing is not effective". Schmidt goes on to question why the US attracts foreign students and then kicks them out, a significant impediment to retaining the brightest minds from around the world. Finally, Eric touts the excitement that instant translations tools and photo identification being created by Google will offer. Check out this brief 6 minute interview to learn more.

Words Matter - The Mehrabian Myth

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Yesterday a colleague shared the observation that the term "systems" is being increasingly heard as a negative in the marketplace by prospective buyers. The context of our discussion was the fitness industry and how buyers perceive terms or words. This led to my thinking about communication and the often misunderstood Mehrabian Myth, 7% of communication is derived from words, 55% body language and 38% via tone. As my friend pointed out, words do matter and this video brings the point of what Mehrabian's findings really meant.