Electronic double edged sword.
The electronic revolution in all its guises is a paradox, and a huge challenge to any management group, and individual who seeks to make a mark. On one hand, the advances in the capacity to process, store and transmit data is ravaging 20th century business models, on...
Error recovery, not error avoidance
The core skill of a successful innovator is their ability to recover from disappointment and failure, to learn from it, and go again, to embrace and recover fom error, not avoid it. As Steve Jobs Pixar's founder said, "The people who are crazy enough to think they can...
Avoid Brand Depreciation
A consumers relationship with a brand is a bit like a friendship, if it is strong, you will be prepared to put up with a bit of nonsense and still be friends, if it is weak, you may not be. If the poor behaviour continues, it will normally be the end of the "brand...
Profit, purpose, and motivation.
It seems that the carrot and stick approach will work less in the future than it has in the past. Science is demonstrating that for tasks that require even a modest amount of cogitative skill, paying more for the task actually reduces performance. Again, the higher...
Why is Qantas different?
Yesterday's question time, a childish brawl over who knew what and when about the Qantas decision to ground its aircraft, lock out staff, and leave customers around the world stranded, got me thinking. Not just about the pointless squabbling amongst the pollies over a...
Disruptive view of the future
Gary Hamel is one of the leading management thinkers around. Every time he speaks, he is worth listening to, and whilst you may not always agree, there is always depth to his views. In this post he proposes that management as we know it will be destroyed by three...
Qantas wins the right for some to manage.
The Fair Work Australia decision overnight to order the termination of industrial disputation immediately, rejecting the unions request for a 120 day moratorium on action, is a win for managements right to manage for the long term health of a business at the expense...
Future Leadership skill requirement
The old axiom that there are two certainties in life, death and taxes, has been expanded by a third certainty: change. Should this third certainty have an impact on the nature of leadership in the future? My view, Absolutely!. In uncertain environments, a core skill...
The cost of quality
What a great phrase to start a debate around the board table, often heated, as most still see the two as a trade-off, the better the quality, the higher the cost. How much better to beat the bean counters at their own game by quantifying it: Quality cost = the number...
Momentum and Initiative.
A while ago, when Google+ was first launched, I questioned its value, and by extension, future. The reason for my skepticism, was that an initial look at Google+ led me to the conclusion that the inherent switching costs involved in moving the focus of on-line social...