Generalize and Thrive
You can certainly be an "expert" and also be a "generalist." Peter Drucker's expertise was strategy, which he pretty much "invented" at GM, but the application of his strategic processes applied to any industry, any profession. In most cases, the
Motivation
If you give an unhappy employee more money, you create a wealthier, unhappy employee. More than ever, people seek agency (which was once called "empowerment"), the ability to apply substantial latitude of action to their work and have the "freedom to
No One Right Way
A key aspect of organizational consulting (and individual coaching) is that there is seldom "one right way." There is almost always a "feasible set" within which success can occur. Picture a gauge indicating too little pressure, ideal pressure, and too
What’s Your Story?
There is an old, probably apocryphal story about a British visitor to the Middle East long ago who sees a long, serpentine line leading to a palace. He asks his guide why people are so patiently waiting. "It's Saturday morning," replies
Keeping It in the Green
On my pool filter there is a gauge which indicates whether water pressure is acceptable. If the needle goes into the red zone, the filter must be back-flushed or it could be damaged. If the pressure falls into then white
The Rip Tide Principle
You escape a rip tide by, perhaps counterintuitively, by swimming perpendicular to it (parallel to the shore) and not against it. Think about escaping the client "rip tide" in the same manner. Instead of trying to help recruit people to replace
Are You Going to Believe What You See or What You Hear?
When I take on client projects, I begin by getting myself organized in terms of what the desired outcomes are and what I know and need to know. One of the key components of that process is validating what the client has
We Might Not Make This Turn
Do you know what a "tiller man" is? It's a firefighter who drives the rear end of an aerial ladder (the old "hook and ladder" truck) to accommodate turning corners. The tiller is driven in the opposite direction of the
Don’t Blame Me for Telling You This
A "kangaroo court" is not a marsupial legal body, but rather an illegitimate court trying to find someone guilty of something without proper evidence or procedures. That's often the case in organizations, where blame is favored over cause and punishment over
I’ll Take Some Consulting with My Coffee
The owner of the coffee shop I frequent most mornings always has a wad of cash in his pocket, permitting me to cash a hundred dollar bill. (Dunkin' Donuts won't cash anything larger than a twenty because the local owner