I recently came across an interesting article in The Economist that asked a simple question. If you could give your children one quality, what would it be? Intelligence? Empathy? Confidence? The article suggested something else; an internal locus of control – the belief that your actions can influence what happens to you. The idea stayed […]
When the Extraordinary Becomes Ordinary
In a recent conversation with a client, I was asked a simple question; ‘How do we become successful in operations?’ My instinctive answer was the traditional one; good systems and processes, combined with motivated people. That answer is not wrong. However, when I think deeply it feels incomplete. Most businesses begin with bundles of positive […]
What Would Be Lost If We Disappeared?
Most organisations have a mission statement which reads something like ”To be the leading provider of innovative solutions (or product xyz) that create sustainable value for all our stakeholders.” It may sound impressive, but it could also belong to a bank, a software company, a hospital or a cement manufacturer! It tells us almost nothing […]
What Should Leaders Measure Themselves By?
Early in my career, success was easy to define. As a young commercial manager, it was about achieving sales targets and improving recoveries. Later it became market share and brand performance. As I reached senior management, success was measured by P&L. Every promotion simply gave me a bigger number to chase. Then, somewhere along the […]
When the Real Problem Is Deeper Than the Demand
A few days ago I was speaking with the owner of a business that has been struggling to grow revenues. Like many such conversations, we started talking about better marketing, better people and better processes.Then I asked him a different question; “What has changed in your customers?” Till then almost all our discussion had revolved […]
Are We Losing Our Communities?
I grew up playing cricket on the streets with my immediate neighbours and children from a few streets around us. Today, when I go for a jog in my neighbourhood, I still see cricket being played on the streets. But it is almost always the household help; the drivers, guards, cooks and domestic staff, who […]
Thinking Across Boundaries
Speaking with some entrepreneurs recently, I noticed something interesting. They were energetic, deeply knowledgeable about their businesses and quick to act on opportunities. But many of our conversations remained anchored within the boundaries of their own industries. It made me wonder whether, in focusing so intensely on building a business, we sometimes limit the very […]
Talent Doesn’t Disappear. It Gets Suppressed.
Staying with the theme of capability in organizations from my last post, I recall having worked with a woman who was very good at what she did. In one team, she was confident, decisive and always willing to challenge the way things were being done. Later, I saw her working in a different team. Same […]
Technology Has Changed. Why Haven’t Our Organisations?
I have spent much of my career believing that organisations need to build stronger capabilities. I still do. But I have recently been thinking about a question that perhaps comes before that. Why does an organisation have its present shape? Most organisational structures were created for a reason. Information was difficult to collect. Expertise was […]
The difference between Nigeria and Norway is not oil. It is institutions!
A recent case involving a large oil multinational’s operations in Nigeria offers a timely reminder. Internal company documents reportedly show senior executives discussing environmental risks and the likelihood of further pollution while production continued. Decades later, communities are still seeking remediation, while questions of responsibility remain unresolved. Yet the real lesson is bigger than one […]
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