Stop the Madness
When you find yourself in an organization with a politicized environment, don't take your client's "side" and make it "us against them." You'll lose all your credibility. You need to be perceived as a mediator and facilitator who is helping
Let Me Give You A Little Culture
I've always thought that "culture" is simply that set of beliefs which governs behavior. Hence, if you want to change a corporate "culture" or a school board "culture" you have to change the belief systems or the people with inappropriate
Soaring
Birds don't have to flap their wings as much in strong winds because the air flow is sufficient. Only when there are no winds do birds have to work hard at creating sufficient lift. Don't be afraid of the winds: strong
AI Often Means “Artificial Ignorance”
A contrarian viewpoint (surprise!): Artificial intelligence is not putting any consultants out of work. Au contraire, it will create far more work, at least for the good ones. Why? Because my spell check on my iPhone causes more errors than it corrects. Because we used to
The Value Distance
Every client (buyer) knows what he or she wants, but not necessarily what is needed. You arrive at the true need by asking, "Why do you want that?" The "why" raises the level of discussion to true end results, often
What’s Distinct?
Critical Thinking Skills are vital for all of us in this profession. For example, when you're faced with a person or a department or a team that is performing much better or much worse than all others, begin your investigation
Higher Fees for Higher Performance
In non-profit fund-raising, it's hard to raise money to pay down debt or repair things. It's easier to raise money for future expansion, or providing services to new groups, or hiring new staff. In business, buyers don't want to pay a
If It Hurts, Stop Doing That
I've helped both my Fortune 500 clients and my entrepreneurial clients over the years mostly by asking a few simple questions when they come to me for help. I don't let them drown me in "background" information, and I force
The Option Paralysis
Research has shown that when consumers have TOO MANY options, they tend to choose none of them and do not make a purchase. The key is to present just a few options. (Which, tangentially, makes the approaching Democratic primary fascinating,
Get Out of My Head
Our kayak guide pointed out a sand shark swimming by us yesterday. Later, he showed us a manta ray with a baby. I mentioned that sharks and rays were very closely related. He asked me an interesting question: "Why?" I don't
