Leadership and Management Book Talk #7: Talking About Clayton Christensen

The world of business lost a giant thinker recently, who by all accounts was a fabulous person. I'm referencing Harvard's Clayton Christensen, perhaps best known for his thinking and books focused on The Innovator's Dilemma. Wally Bock and I connected on the latest episode of our podcast to talk about Christensen and his books.

Inspiration and Hope: Encouraging Sound Bites in a Challenging World

There’s enough negative going around. Here’s a few worth reading that will leave you thinking and maybe even feeling a bit more upbeat. Students of strategy and performance excellence might want to take a closer look at how McDonald’s is using leadership, strategy, customer relations and information to successfully beat back the economic doldrums. And for an extended dose of hope and encouragement, check out the March issue of Fast Company, where the focus is on the world’s most innovative companies.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:12-05:00March 10th, 2009|Decision-Making, Leadership, Strategy|0 Comments

The Right Stuff: Sprinting Towards the Future

It’s easy to focus on the bad news. Everyone’s talking about it. We’re bombarded with news flashes and human disaster stories as the layoffs mount and the foreclosures climb. And make no doubt about it, these are tough times, but let’s start giving some coverage to the firms, leaders and entrepreneurs that have turned off the news channels and are too busy building or rebuilding to worry about the dire forecasts. For a good dose of “can do” spirit, get out of your office and go talk with some smart people working to strengthen, build or start businesses. I’m doing just that, and here's why I continue to be optimistic:

By |2016-10-22T17:12:13-05:00February 20th, 2009|Leadership, Leading Change|1 Comment

“If I had asked customers what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

The notion of not asking customers what they want and responding directly to their needs may seem like heresy to those individuals and organizations consumed with improving customer satisfaction and creating customer loyalty. In fact, you should always listen and importantly, observe. The real art in this process is understanding what customers really need, what problems they really would like to solve and what approaches and experiences that you can create that can surprise and delight them.

By |2016-10-22T17:12:19-05:00October 2nd, 2008|Decision-Making, Marketing, Product Management, Strategy|1 Comment

Towards an Independent Product Management Organization

Product Management's position in the organization is a topic that invites vigorous debate, usually around whether marketing or development should own the function. While any debate about optimal organization structure can sound a lot like the radio and television sports shows where people argue fiercely over the greatest running back or quarterback of all time (there is no one right answer!), the PM issue merits some consideration. Of course, the right answer may be, "It depends."

By |2008-03-05T07:47:04-06:00March 5th, 2008|Product Management|0 Comments
Go to Top