1: The executive team had gathered to make three investment decisions.
“First, they discussed the investment for a £10 million nuclear power plant,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in their book CEO Excellence, citing C. Northcote Parkinson’s 1958 book The Pursuit of Progress.
Total time spent to make the decision: Two and a half minutes.
Next up? What color should they paint their … continue reading
1: Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
Searching for a bit of wisdom as we push to end 2024 on a solid note and start 2025 with a bang? Read on!
Imagine we adopt a new puppy from the pet shop, suggests Peter D. Kaufman, CEO … continue reading
1: Imagine our goal is to raise $10 million.
Which is a better approach? Would we rather solve 100 problems at $100,000 each?
Or, attempt to solve a single $30 million problem?
Dr. Alan Barnard, one of the world’s leading experts on constraint theory and decision-making, believes the second approach is a far better strategy.
Why? “For multiple reasons,” Alan believes, as quoted by Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy… continue reading
1: It was the 1990s. DBS Group CEO Piyush Gupta was working at Citibank and was halfway through a three-year assignment within the bank.
One afternoon, he sat down with his executive coach, who asked him to identify the A, B, and C players on the team he was leading.
Piyush had some A players. But many of those on his team were B and C players.
“The coach bluntly … continue reading
1: The 80/20 Rule or Pareto Principle tells us that 80 percent of our results come from 20 percent of our effort.
“Bluntly, 20 percent of our focus is producing 80 percent of our best and most desired results,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x.
And, “80 percent of our focus is producing a mere 20 percent or less of our best results, … continue reading
1: “Who are your top twenty most talented leaders?”
That was the question McKinsey consultants Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra asked the CEO of an average-performing healthcare company.
The CEO shared his list.
Next, they asked: “What are the twenty most important roles in the company?”
Once again, he shared his list, but “with a speed that suggested he hadn’t given that answer nearly as much … continue reading
“Design is intelligence made visible.” —Alina Wheeler
1: Columbia Business School professor Rita Gunther McGrath wanted to know the key difference between high- and low-growth large organizations.
Her research suggests two factors. Which seem to be in opposition to one another.
“On the one hand, they [high-growth large companies] are built for innovation, are good at experimentation, and can move on a dime,” she writes.
The second factor?
“On the … continue reading
1: “Most people reach for just a little bit more—a promotion, a little more money, a new personal record,” Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy write in 10x Is Easier Than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less.
“Going for incremental progress is a 2x mindset,” the authors observe, “which at a fundamental level means we’re continuing or maintaining what we’re already doing.”
2x is a linear mindset. … continue reading
“Culture is coded wisdom.”-Wangari Maathai
1: Seen the movie City Slickers?
At the heart of this classic 1990s comedy is the relationship between Mitch, a Manhattan yuppie played by Billy Crystal, and Curly, a tough, wizened cowboy played by Jack Palance.
Curly tells Mitch, “It all comes down to one thing. You focus on that, and everything else don’t mean s#&t.”
Mitch is confused. He asks Curly … continue reading
1: The bad news?
“Once a CEO sets a direction for the company’s future, the probability that the plan will become reality is low,” Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra write in CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest.
“Many studies, including our own research,” the authors note, “conclude that only one in three strategies is successfully implemented.”
2: What’s … continue reading
