Three steps for better performance
This works for me, mainly because I’m less task-oriented. But I learnt long ago it can help in several ways, especially for leaders: Three steps I use are: Side benefits: Any more?
Ben Sorensen
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DuxNotes Newsletter – Three questions the best leaders ask to beat competition
Industry-Research collaboration is at the core of strategy for successful organisations. There are a couple of truths that challenge all leaders who have an inkling about strategy: How do the best leaders respond to this reality? They seek the advice, guidance and partnership of others with new perspectives that can illuminate new possibilities and paths.…
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DuxNotes – Simple steps to effective communication
Effective leadership turns on influencing and persuading others to invest their time and effort to work on achieving a goal together. In turn, effective communication is key to enabling others to perform under uncertainty, whether they are in your team, customers, suppliers, bosses or any other stakeholder. Effective communication is a process of influence and…
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How do you enable creativity?
How do you enable creativity? A truly competitive organisation needs creativity and ideas to survive, thrive and win. But ideas aren’t enough. Creativity requires an environment where ideas are encouraged, nurtured and explored.
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Leadership and serendipity
Leaders create fertile conditions for serendipitous outcomes.
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Bridge builders create the future
Look for bridge builders. (I’m not talking about engineers.) Everyone wants to move to a better future. But while we may be able to describe the better future we want, we often can’t see the path. Bridge builders are path finders. They help others overcome inertia and show the way, building bridges between now and…
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Clever, lazy, industrious and stupid
Four qualities of workers – clever, lazy, industrious and stupid. From German General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord 1878–1943: “I divide my officers into four classes; the clever, the lazy, the industrious, and the stupid.Each officer possesses at least two of these qualities.Those who are clever and industrious are fitted for the highest staff appointments.Use can be…
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We’re all in the business of confidence
No matter what your job or role is, at work or at home. Confidence is something others feel from you. We give confidence to colleagues, managers/leaders, subordinates, customers, and our partners, family, and kids. And it’s essential in leadership and relationships because: But confidence needs to be realistic to build trust. Confidence is also something…
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Innovation is simplicity
What’s the simplest thing that could possibly work? This is the central design question for strategy and innovation. Put another way: what’s the least complex solution, without cutting corners? Einstein supposedly said: “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” But this is harder than it sounds. Especially when a funder says “this would…
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Murphy’s Law and venture building
Something I’ve learnt in building ventures… Murphy’s Law is real. Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. And the corollary in venture building is: Everything will take twice as long and cost twice as much. So your assumptions and models are always wrong. The question is by how much are they wrong? How to…
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Be discerning
Innovation isn’t post-its and sharpies. Anyone telling you different is just selling innovation theatre. (And probably also trying to convince you to buy their big name expensive products.) What matters is in two parts: And it’s enabled by experienced leadership. Anyone can give you some markers and a whiteboard and read instructions from a playbook…
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Strategy and Strength
Strategy = strength (when done right). “Having a coherent strategy… [which] …creates strength through the coherence of its design”and“The creation of new strengths… [through] …insightful reframing of a competitive situation.” Richard Rumelt, “Good Strategy, Bad Strategy” 2012 Check out the Strategy Canvas.
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Never outsource responsibility for strategy
Ever. Your organisation must own its strategy. A consultant or advisor can provide essential perspective or insight, but they can’t own it for you. While an outsourced strategy might be excellent, only you can implement it. Externals don’t have the same skin in the game as you. You need to understand and own every facet…
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Be attentive
Act on small things. Small things become big, so they’re as important as the largest. Keep watch, anticipate difficulties. Act early to keep order without much effort. A small challenge now avoids large challenges later.
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Problem definition and strategic misadventure
Problem definition can prevent strategic misadventure. Strategic misadventure is something that doesn’t need to happen. It’s effort, time and treasure expended doing something that’s not just peripheral, but a distraction. And distractions can have huge opportunity cost. Problem definition is a human process. This is why we often get it wrong and strategic misadventures result.…
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Leaders eat last
True leaders are the last to take credit. The best leaders attribute success to the performance of the team and its key players. It shows up in language. When celebrating success they say “you did” or “we did”. It’s never “I did…” except when taking responsibility for failure. Don’t try to own the outcomes or…
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Executive bandwidth and opportunity cost
The most valuable and most scarce resource in any organisation is executive bandwidth. Opportunity cost is a challenge for everyone. But the challenge for executives – those in leadership roles – is amplified by the consequences of different choices. That depends on the size and nature of the organisation. In the commercial world it’s about…
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Key Insights and a Theory of Victory
This article explains a concept in the Strategy Canvas to help achieve success – Key Insights and Theory of Victory. It covers exploration of key insights to develop a theory of victory as a strategic narrative, with a broad-brush view of a historical example.