How to grow a strategic culture

What do you look for in a new hire? Immediately no doubt all the cliches come to mind.  Hardworking, team player, problem solver, etc.  Cliches are quite helpful like that: by on the tip of our tongue, they guide us effortlessly to good solid solutions.  Solutions that have been tried and tested enough to become […]

How successful brands die

Understandably we talk a lot here about growth.  That’s what most founders are interested in.  However, this is should only be one part of their agenda.  The other, less discussed, is survival.  Simply sticking around and maintaining your brand’s position – hopefully long into the future. When it comes to the growth side of the […]

The danger of knowing too much

Consider the following paradox: The more news you consume, the more ignorant you may become. How can this be true?  After all, clearly the person who reads the paper regularly, watches a 24 hour news channel, devours current affairs podcasts, and spends hours on Twitter will end up knowing an awful lot of stuff.  Certainly […]

Strategy can never be “scientific”

When you’re facing a task that doesn’t have a solution that you know will work at the outset. There is no “strategy” to fixing a muffler, or flying a jet, or tying pigtails; there is just a method. Strategy is reserved for the many walks of life where there are no neat and tidy solutions […]