What can entrepreneurs and professional managers learn from each other?
More importantly, when and where should these lessons be applied? A lot has been written about the differences between entrepreneurs and managers, often with the underlying message that professional managers should try to be more like entrepreneurs. The praise showered on entrepreneurs includes that they: see opportunities where others don’t have the knack of making something out of nothing are “fearless”, “independent minded” and “adaptable” are constantly scanning for new opportunities are avid information-gatherers and opportunistic learners see and pursue opportunities without the need...
Read MoreHow to prioritize for faster strategy implementation
The hard choices of strategic prioritization So you know you have to finally decide Say yes to some and let the other ones ride There’s so many choices, not all can be tried Yes you know you have to finally decide (With apologies to the “Lovin’ Spoonful”) In last week’s article we discussed the importance of setting a few critical strategic priorities to accelerate implementation, and the reasons why teams often neglect this important step. This week we’ll set out guidelines for prioritization to help your team become very clearly focused on the most critical...
Read MoreWhy plan in a retreat setting?
Retreats can be highly productive During my career I’ve worked with more than 100 client organizations, public, private, for-profit and not for profit. The most productive planning meetings I’ve facilitated have been multi-day meetings held offsite, usually in locations requiring an overnight stay. The reason for selecting a retreat location is well known to those who have participated. These meetings are nobody’s idea of a vacation. It’s common to work 10 to 12 hours per day, interrupted only by breaks, and without the distraction of people rushing off to deal with “emergencies” or...
Read MoreAre CEOs really overpaid and mostly not worth it? Part 1
Are the highest paid CEOs really worth what they’re being paid? And does paying top dollar for a CEO add to the bottom line, where it really matters? CEO compensation has come under the spotlight in recent years like never before. Smoldering public outrage burst into a brush fire after the US government bailed out major financial institutions with more than 1 trillion dollars in taxpayer money only to see some of it doled out as bonuses to bank executives whose actions either caused the debacle or whose inaction allowed it to happen. The discontent this has sparked now threatens to spread....
Read MoreIn the absence of strategic thinking, strategic planning will probably maintain the status quo
How to Stimulate Strategic Thinking In last week’s blog we wrote about the importance of advance preparation for strategy sessions. A comment from one of our clients got us thinking more systematically about what kind of advance preparation is most helpful, and we decided to share our thoughts in this week’s article. What is best for advance preparation depends on where the leadership team is in its progress towards becoming a strategy-driven team. Most clients come to us in when they are in one of four categories. Each benefits from a different approach to advance preparation. This...
Read More
![[Valid RSS]](http://www.knowlan.com/valid-rss-blue.png "Validate my RSS feed")
Recent Comments