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: Change
Our phone battery tells us its remaining capacity on a scale of 0–100 percent. In a similar way, we each have a limited daily capacity—attention, energy, patience, and focus. When we overload a phone with too many apps and photos, it slows down, drains faster, and becomes less effective. Life […]
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 […]
As organizations mature, their focus naturally shifts toward incremental innovation. The emphasis moves from big, disruptive change to smaller improvements that enhance existing processes. These refinements help protect what has already been built, reinforce operating rhythms, and meet the evolving needs of customers and suppliers. In many ways, incremental innovation […]
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 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 […]
In both business and personal life, three fundamental forces shape our direction: 1. Strategy – The long-term vision and goals we set. Where are we headed? What do we want to achieve? When we fail to think strategically, we become reactive rather than intentional. We drift instead of directing our […]
Short term strategic shifts cannot be avoided. Often times though, an organization defines a strategy and then sticks with it, without understanding how to make strategic adjustments along the way. Some reasons for strategy shifts include responding to external changes or adapting to internal business pressure or new capabilities. Strategic […]
Frustration is the feeling of being upset or annoyed at the inability to change or achieve something. Frustration with the status quo results when you actually do want things to change (you have your own buy-in), but for a myriad of reasons, the situation cannot or does not change.
In addition to understanding the details of your business operations, it is imperative that you also make time to understand what is happening in the market and economy around you. It is often very easy to get caught up in the latest customer issue, or repair, or production requirements that […]
In any organization or venture, there are resources, capabilities and activities of the firm that drive value. These “secret sauce” ingredients help make up the unique combination elements that make the organization competitive. Whether these resources provide your organization with a long-term advantage is the primary question in assessing their […]
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 […]
If you are not around people who openly talk about their insecurities or fears, it can be easy to think that you are the only one who experiences feeling confused, lonely, or scared in life. As you continue to get older, you will realize that everyone is on a learning […]
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 […]
The year was 2006. Sheryl Sandberg, a then 37-year-old vice president at Google had just made an error that cost Google several million dollars. After she realized the magnitude of her mistake, she decided to inform Larry Page, Google’s co-founder. Even though she knew she was doing the right thing, […]
Have you ever been at a point in your life where you know that a change is coming, but you are not sure in what direction? Perhaps your job has ended and you are actively applying for new roles. Perhaps you found out that you are pregnant but are not […]
Did you know that what happens inside your company only impacts about 55% of the overall performance of your firm? Approximately 45% of your firm’s performance can be explained by what is happening outside of your company, in your industry or by other things outside of your control. A PESTEL […]
As one ventures out in life and faces risks and adversity, it is helpful to learn from people who have traveled the road before you and have navigated the journey. The list below includes a few people from a variety of backgrounds who have overcome tremendous hardship and have been […]
When working to make a decision in life, especially if it is something important, it is helpful to have a few things in mind to reflect on as you get started. The following tips will help you think through your options and take care of yourself along the way. Tip […]
This poem was shared with me by a coaching client as we were working together. It beautifully describes the stages of change. It is written by Portia Nelson, and is titled, Autobiography in Five Short Chapters Chapter I I walk down the street.There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.I fall […]
You know the proverbial fight or flight principle? Well, sometimes a stress response is neither – you pretty much just freeze. If there is a lot of change going on around you, sometimes all you want to do is sit down and breathe. You want time to stop – so […]