Walking the farmland along I-20 in Mesquite, I stopped to pick up a rock. About the size of my fist. About the size of one of the biggest uncut diamonds ever discovered. If this rock were a diamond, I wondered, how might it be cut to achieve its maximum worth? Would it be two diamonds or two dozen? Or by …
Is Top Down Falling Down? YES!
By Logan Monaco, MS Conbrio Associate Is top-down falling down? It is, the evidence shows. Slowly, but pervasively. Hierarchy is still the norm in many organizations. Diagram the structure and you have a pyramid. Levels of people are arranged into fixed teams. The responsibility for teams is the manager’s, the person who sits above them. Each of the levels supports …
Humans As Interchangeable Parts: A Look Into The Future
Humans are adept inventors. Our ability to make and repurpose the different elements of our environment to suit our needs has brought us a long way – from sparking two rocks together for fire to manned space flight. Creativity and innovation, it can be argued, have made our lives better. Interchangeable parts is one such innovation. Think autos, modular furniture …
You’re Only As Good As The People In The Room
You’re only as good as the people in the room and they’re only as good as what they know. I repeat it so often it’s become a mantra. So often in working with teams or groups, there is enormous opportunity for vision, commitment and planning to do something bigger, better, more courageous, more all encompassing. There’s opportunity to take the …
To Know Millennials Is To Know What They Want
TO KNOW WHAT THEY WANT IS TO KNOW HOW TO DEVELOP AND KEEP THEM. How time flies! The older you get, the faster it flies. Here’s a milestone that whizzed by virtually unnoticed – especially by some more senior leaders. In 2015, a year ago, Millennials, people born between about 1980 and 1996, outnumbered Baby Boomers, who were born from …
Is Your Strategic Plan A Gem Or A Dog?
With 2018 around the corner, it’s planning season for many organizations. Some will update existing strategic plans; others will start from scratch. What does a good plan look like? I’ve seen both dogs and gems. I’ve collected several as part of working with organizations to help write their plans. Interestingly, some of the dogs worked really well. And some of …
Strategic Visioning: Are Your Maps Right?
I’m wondering as you do your strategic planning for 2018 and beyond what data you’re using to drive your mapmaking.
Island California
Figuratively speaking, is your data producing a map like the 1701 version of North America made by Dutch cartographer Hermon Moll? Moll’s showed California as an island off the west coast.
World of Strategy: A Complex Place
Write the word “strategic.” Now put any of the following after it… planning, visioning, thinking, conversation. Throw these words in the mix: scenario, catalyst, implementation. What do you get? Something you believe in? Or something that falls short? The world of strategy is a complex place …with believers on all sides of the concept. Everyone seems to agree on one …
Who Really Matters in Your Company, Organization
Who REALLY matters, what REALLY matters in your company or organization? Do customers come first? Or employees? Are values the centerpiece? Or open communication, or support for entrepreneurialism, or collaborative leadership. Now, be honest. The answer may be none of the above. Unless your company or organization is an exception, it’s the CEO who comes first, followed by his lieutenants. …
Save These Definitions: Vision, Mission, Strategy
Definitions of vision, mission, strategy… I find these useful in my work. Each organization uses these terms in slightly different ways, tailoring them to their needs. Some are often used interchangeably. There is no single right way, only a way that works. Yet the definitions below are ones that have worked well for me and for my colleagues. Stop a …