Strategic Clarity

What changes the rules are disruptive forces driven by technology. Technology is often a mere enabler of a disruptive force; very seldomly is the disruptive force technology. The disruptive force is the mere fact that people change the way things are done!

In early 2020, media reports indicated that an antiviral drug produced by Johnson & Johnson that was used to treat people with HIV might be effective against COVID-19. Orders for the medicine surged beyond what the pharmaceutical company could produce. Instead of ramping up production, though, the company paused and followed a specific playbook for responding to crisis.

How I learned to recognize and overcome the Einstellung Effect

The acceptance and financial upside of artificial intelligence (AI) continue to lag far behind the hype, except in one surprising and often-overlooked area: pricing.

Pricing goods and services may seem a rational, well-thought-out formula driven by market demand and savvy analysis. However, all too often, it’s more like a wet finger stuck in the air to determine which way the wind is blowing. That’s why the time my Vistage members and I recently spent with Jill Campen from Boost was so enlightening and useful.

Formal processes, constructive debate, and logical rigor are the key ingredients to crafting consistently great strategies.

By using technology as a tool to empower employees and customers, the largest beer maker in the world now shares qualities of the tech giants of Silicon Valley.

Companies that utilize business ecosystems will be better positioned to drive innovation and capital efficiency to create customer value.

Innovation comes from changing trends but long-lasting products and businesses come from capitalizing on what doesn’t change

The simple truth? You should be focusing on the vital few, not the trivial many. It’s time to simplify.

It’s a fairly regular thing with tech pundits and Apple enthusiasts and some who just complain that Apple isn’t innovative, either at all or not enough. That is to misunderstand both Apple’s approach to innovation and its business model. Apple is quite innovative but not in the way we sometimes think about innovation. It’s also important to understand that Apple is a business. It has a duty to provide its shareholders with value. That means being profitable.

Corporate narratives offer a powerful opportunity for differentiation. A good narrative helps companies go beyond the fear of things like ever-increasing competition and an unyielding the pace of change. Unfortunately, very few companies are good at crafting an inspiring, customer-focused narrative. To do one well, resist the temptation to simply hand task off to your PR team. An authentic narrative should be led by the C-suite.

“The world has a way of changing. But there’s one thing that always stays the same”

In his new book, London Business School’s Constantinos C. Markides explains how leaders can ensure that employees know how to deliver on a company’s strategy.

Innovation is not in itself a strategy but the mechanism for achieving a change in either magnitude, activity, or direction.

The change-strategy advice commonly given to businesses misses the mark for two-thirds of them.

At 6:45 on a Sunday morning in October, hundreds of New Yorkers waited in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The line wrapped around the block but was still fewer than expected, the cold rain separating the casual fans from the die-hard loyalists. They weren’t in line for concert tickets, for the latest iPhone or Nike drop, or the DMV. They were in line for groceries. But this wasn’t just any grocery store.

It is not uncommon for a strategic business plan to be developed during a retreat, approved at a subsequent board meeting and then filed away. Actions will be taken, and maybe after 6 or 12 months, it will be pulled out to tick-off progress. But what is ‘best practice’ when it comes to getting the most out of this strategic document?

One’s strength could eventually become one’s weakness. When we look around today, most of the businesses plummet to their deaths because of the very same reasons as their successes were once. Today, we call this phenomenon the “Icarus Paradox”.