Excellence has been a hallmark of my career. I am trained as a process improvement SME, have operations experience, and my doctoral dissertation was on performance excellence at the industry level. But as life and responsibility have expanded, excellence alone is no longer my primary goal. It feels heretical to […]
Category: Career
Organizations love listing strengths: strong people, good culture, great service, solid reputation. Taking a strategic perspective results in a more difficult question: are those actual advantages, or are they the same things that everyone else also has? This is exactly what the VRIO framework, developed by Jay Barney, helps clarify. […]
One of the key lessons for me in life is that there are seasons when you want to take the next step, but it feels surprisingly unclear. A relationship changes. A career direction no longer fits. You’re not in a crisis per se, but you’re not moving forward either. You […]
In strategic management, few tools are as enduring and as clarifying as the Value Chain. At its core, the value chain helps leaders distinguish between what creates value and what supports it. While every function in a business matters, not every function plays the same role. The Value Chain Teaches […]
Have you ever felt like you’re doing a lot, but not really getting anywhere? Your calendar is packed, your tasks are checked off, but deep down, something still feels off. It’s not just a time management issue, it’s a direction issue. What if you had one sentence that could re-center […]
Have you ever felt like you’re working hard—but not sure if you’re working toward something that truly matters? This can leave you feeling…a bit fried. Whether you’re running a business or managing your own life, the shift from simply doing to strategically designing is where transformation begins. Strategic planning is […]
Your Value Chain are those activities that your firm engages in as you transform inputs into outputs. There are two types of activities as part of your value chain, primary activities and support activities. Primary activities are those that are associated with generating revenue for your firm and often include […]
Clear and compelling vision and mission statements are important in the context of strategic planning. They help to provide the foundation and guide for your forward-looking efforts. Ideally, the scenarios, ideas, and opportunities that are developed and pursued in your organization are aligned with your vision and mission statements. But […]
There is a special skill that is required to be a true visionary. Your head has to be a bit in the clouds to dream of options beyond today’s possibilities, but you also must position yourself to ensure that those ideas are executable. There are many examples of people who […]
Speak with anyone about decisions and it’s likely that you will get an eye roll. When I was young, I could not wait to grow up so that I could finally make more decision in my life. I had the type of childhood where many of my decisions were made […]
For many professionals, we have been told over and over by our companies to make our goals SMART. SMART is an acrostic which stands for goal characteristics: Specific – narrow enough to result in effective planning Measurable – able to be tracked over time Attainable – achievable and able to […]
Failure is defined as non-performance – when you don’t achieve an outcome that you would like. This could include things such as not achieving your desired outcome on a plan, performance, financial goal, etc. It is important to learn, however, not to internalize situations that happen as a reflection of […]
A mentor is a trusted advisor. This person can offer you experience, guidance, advice, help, wisdom and encouragement as you travel your career or life journey. There is a very distinct difference between someone who gives you training vs. someone who mentors you. Training is usually led by someone with […]
Companies usually implement some type of feedback system to provide employees with an evaluation of their performance. These reviews or check-ins are usually focused on progress toward goals that have been already identified. Generally, if you did more than what was expected, you get rated higher. If you did less, […]