This is a leader’s biggest responsibility – but nobody talks about it…
There’s a simple exercise that you’ve just got to try. Not only try in fact; you must make it a ritual. Every year, or half year even, you should be doing this, recording the results – and, hopefully, the progress. It will tell you more about the strength of your organisation’s strategy (and thus its […]
If you’re serious about growth, you must drop this delusion
There’s a poisonous assumption you see in business, which goes something like this: I’m the best, but the world’s unfair, so I don’t get the results I deserve. I think we’re pretty much all guilty of it. Nobody ever admits that they are where they are because they deserve to be. Nobody ever thinks the […]
To create great strategy, you’ve gotta understand this tension…
The thing about “good advice”, is that you can always be sure that the opposite will also be “good advice” too. Perhaps you’ve heard people say things like this: • Be true to yourself • Follow your heart • Don’t listen to the critics • Be authentic All very good. But then you’ve probably also […]
The deep strategic error that keeps you poor
Here I’m going to lay out a fundamental strategic mistake that I’ve been making my whole life. I expect you have too. It’s a mistake that leads most people into starting businesses, or embarking on careers, where their chances of meaningful success are minimal. Where their whole lives they will be sweat, struggle, and hustle, […]
How to get people to actually give a damn about your strategy
As you may recall, I believe strategy has two jobs: 1. To decide what to do 2. To motivate people to actually do it The first is well understood, the second, not so much. People believe that good ideas should speak for themselves, and that energy will build behind a solid plan – but this […]
How to use goals to provoke an awesome strategy
Historically, I’ve kinda thought that goals for businesses are a waste of time. After all, aren’t the goals always the same? • To grow • To increase profits • To get more customers • Etc. It’s all so obvious it goes without saying, so I’ve preferred to “cut out the middle man” and just jump […]
The humility hack – the secret weapon of great CEOs
Everybody agrees that it’s good to be humble. But why? Mostly I think it’s because we believe humility is “nice”. You are a “nice person” if you are humble. You are kind, thoughtful, and gentle. Never mind the fact that humility isn’t necessarily any of these things (it’s perfectly possible to be a humble asshole […]
How a team of accountants created the greatest brand of all time
Like anyone, when I read a non-fiction book I’m looking for lessons. Stuff I can use, and of course stuff I can bring to you in this newsletter. Naturally I want such lessons to be surprising and counter-intuitive, but even so I wasn’t quite prepared for this one: Wanna create a legendary brand? Then leave […]
How working from home kills strategy
What exactly is wrong with working from home? From what I’ve been able to gather, many organisations are starting to ask this question. It’s not a straight forward one, because the nature of the benefits and drawbacks aren’t symmetrical. The benefits are very direct and obvious. Anyone can see them, and one hardly need make […]
Are you a tyrannical leader without even realising?
Most business leaders are tyrants. Even the most kind. Even the most friendly. Even the most fair. Even the most democratic. Even, I dare say, you. When it comes to the way you run your business, you probably embody the worst archetype of leadership. One of force, coercion, manipulation, and control. I expect that intuitively […]