“Strategy is about moving from where you are to where you want to be. Smart strategy is the shortest route to desirable ends with available means.” Max McKeown Strategy, historically a Greek military term (see below), is now used very loosely to describe any plan of action to achieve a long term aim (see here). In […]
Author Archives: Max
November
04
What you could learn from ‘The Strategy Book’ by Max McKeown (2012, 226 pages)
posted by Max
October
31
What could you learn from ‘Ambidextrous Leadership Driving Strategic Innovation’ by Maria Potoroczyn (2013, 100 pages)
posted by Max
Balancing exploitation and exploration is a critical for business (see here). Maria argues that Ambidextrous leadership is needed to balance the requirements of exploitation and exploration. In her dissertation, Maria exposes the conflict present in many organisations – the need to drive innovation initiatives, as well as maintain the profitability of core business. She goes […]
October
28
Leadership hack – 014 asking questions is more powerful than telling people what to do
posted by Max
Evidence suggest that if you tell people exactly what to do, they will be less motivated, less likely to improvise if things go wrong and you will experience poorer results – see The Human Side Of Enterprise, published in 1960! So, if you are not going to tell people exactly what to do, how do […]
October
24
What you could learn from ‘The Innovation Book’ by Max McKeown (2014, 245 pages)
posted by Max
What is innovation? How do you and your company become more innovative? How do you lead and manage creative people? How to you turn your companies best ideas into reality? All of these questions are challenging for leaders in large organisations. Max McKeown’s ‘The Innovation Book’ is an excellent resource to help you answer these […]
October
21
Leadership hack 013 – balancing exploitation with exploration
posted by Max
Success only lasts so long. If you, or your company, are successful others will imitate, and competition will erode your advantage. Therefore, to remain successful, you need to capitalise on your current success, and use then redeploy the resources from this success and invest them where they while hopefully generate future growth. Exploitation is defined as ‘the action […]
October
14
Leadership hack 013 – be the fox and not the hedgehog
posted by Max
‘The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing’. Isaiah Berlin Are you someone who sees the world very clearly? Do you have firmly held views one subject? Or do you operate in shades of grey, where there are no right answers? The rise of popularism in politics is clear. The US […]
October
11
What you could learn from ‘On Innovation’ from HBR (2013, 171 pages)
posted by Max
If you do not update your business model and your products the market will conspire to erode your profitability as your products will descend down the life-cycle to their demise. This decline can be stopped. By renewing both your product and your business model, you can ensure that you remain competitive (see below). Therefore, this act […]
October
07
Leadership hack 012 – precision is not accuracy
posted by Max
No matter what the question is, getting a number as an answer is soothing. Logic suggests that in order to have arrived at a number, someone must have done a calculation. Numbers are clear, numbers are facts. However, while numbers can be very precise (e.g., 67,600), this does not mean that they are accurate. Anyone […]
October
05
What you could learn from ‘Ego is the Enemy’ by Ryan Holiday (2016, 217 pages)
posted by Max
How do you stay on a true course? How do you deal with life’s successes and failure? Philosophy has a few answers, and so does Ryan Holiday. In ‘Ego is the Enemy’ Ryan charts the three phases in his life – before success, success and failure. Ryan draws on his experience, the experience of other to make […]
September
30
Leadership hack 011 – Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men (and women)
posted by Max
We have rules for a reason. They keep us safe. You would not get onto a flight if you knew that the pilot was going ignore the aviation air rules during takeoff or landing. However, what if something happens, something that is not in the rule book? Or what happens if someone else breaks the rules? […]
September
28
What you could learn from ‘Leading Quietly’ by Joseph Badaracco (2002,181 pages)
posted by Max
How do you change an organisation from within? Some would propose heroics, battling hard to bring about the change needed. Others suggest that success lies in a quieter form of influence. Joseph is part of a growing body of academics and practitioner that suggest that leaders should avoid the ‘hero’ option, and seek to change people […]
September
27
What could you learn from ‘Followership’ by Barbra Kellerman (2008, 261 pages)
posted by Max
“A leader is someone who has followers” Peter Drucker I am sure that you have done far more leadership training, than training on being a follower. While teamwork, collaboration and cooperation are often key criteria in job descriptions and company mission statements, there seems to be little evidence that businesses are investing in building followers. In ‘Followership’ Barbra explores what […]
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