Commentaries

Think Twice Before Challenging a Negative Performance Review

August 6, 2017

Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here. * * * No one likes to get a bad review, especially one…

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One of the Greatest Business Decisions: Boeing bets big on the 707 (1952)

August 5, 2017

The material that follows is adapted from The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time: Apple, Ford, IBM, Zappos, and others made radical choices that changed the course of business, by Verne Harnish, CEO of Gazelles, and the editors of Fortune,…

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The Bureaucracy Mass Index (BMI)

August 5, 2017

In an article written for Harvard Business Review, Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini observe: “Upending cultural norms isn’t easy. It takes courage, a dose of righteous indignation, and, perhaps most critical, data. People pay attention to things that can be…

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One of the Greatest Business Decisions: Henry Ford decides to double his workers’ wages (1914)

August 4, 2017

The material that follows is adapted from The Greatest Business Decisions of All Time: Apple, Ford, IBM, Zappos, and others made radical choices that changed the course of business, by Verne Harnish, CEO of Gazelles, and the editors of Fortune,…

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How to transform your organization’s DNA to thrive in the digital age

August 3, 2017

Michael Gale and Chris Aarons have identified what they characterize as “seven drivers of digital opportunity.” Each is thoroughly explained in The Double Helix (Greenleaf Book Group Press, October 2017). Here they are, accompanied by questions I think leaders must…

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Profile: Howard Gardner, multiple intelligences, and education

August 3, 2017

Here is a brief excerpt from a superb profile of Howard Gardner that is featured by infed, a not-for-profit site provided by the YMCA George Williams College. “We are part of the British Library archiving project and a number of…

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Nathaniel Philbrick on In the Heart of the Sea

August 2, 2017

Looking for a great read this summer? Here is an excerpt from an interview of Nathaniel Philbrick during which he discusses one of his most popular books, In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. His…

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The Wit and Wisdom of Milton Friedman: Part 1

August 2, 2017

Milton Friedman (1912-2006) was an American economist who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and the complexity of stabilization policy. These are among my favorite Friedman observations:…

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What’s the core business?

August 1, 2017

Home Depot was founded in 1978. The way I heard it, as soon as it had a total of 25 stores, the co-founders convened a meeting for all managers to discuss where it had been, where it was, and where…

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Taking the pulse of enterprise IoT

August 1, 2017

Here is a brief excerpt from an article written by Michael Chui, Vasanth Ganesan, and Mark Patel for the McKinsey Quarterly, published by McKinsey & Company. To read the complete article, check out other resources, learn more about the firm,…

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