—and what it would take to get close anyway. Upon taking the helm at Starbucks in 2024, CEO Brian Niccol issued a rallying cry: “Back to Starbucks.” He wants to reclaim the “Third Place”—that essential social anchor between home and work – the original Starbucks’ strategy that had once made them the undisputed leader of […]
Category: consulting
Q7-Lite: The One-Minute Tool That Reveals What Drives People
… and Unlocks Millions in Lost Productivity. Every company on Earth keeps pouring money into “culture initiatives,” “alignment workshops,” and the usual parade of buzzwords. And yet the underlying problem never changes: People don’t understand what truly motivates them – or anyone else. They think they know. Everyone swears they know. But when you put […]
The Oasis of Progress: A Sustainable Path to Peace in Gaza
If you came here to read about effective management and leadership, don’t be surprised: the Gaza problem is not just about politics. Rather, it is a business case where the global progressive business community can apply its collective experience to help create a prosperous future for millions of people who have been neighbors for eternity. […]
Frogs as Lubricant: The Good, the Bad, and the DOGE
My guide on a tour of an ancient windmill, dressed as the 18th-century miller, explained with a nasty smile that he used frogs as lubricant. “Not the best lube,” he chuckled, “but widely available and virtually costless.” Simple and effective, like all ingenious things. Indeed, if cost-cutting is your only concern and “biotic resources” are […]
Canada Post: Road to Reinvention
Is it time to shut down Canada Post? Canadian postal workers plan to strike if their demands aren’t met. While this news could raise eyebrows, it didn’t raise much concern for most Canadians, who are unlikely to feel the impact even as the holiday season approaches. Canada Post’s slide into irrelevance seems almost inevitable—but is […]
Enhance Your Process Performance
Are you looking for ways to improve your business processes without a hefty investment? Look no further! Our simple and effective method and tool will help you assess and enhance your process performance, delivering measurable results within days. Introducing the Process Performance Potential (PPP) tool, developed in collaboration with a client striving for excellence. This […]
Is leadership better than management?
This is a popular question, but I find the entire “leadership vs. management” dichotomy to be misguided and unproductive. Comparing the two concepts along the better–worse axis is almost from the realm of apples vs oranges. Originally, management was viewed as a formal organizational role focused on planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling resources to […]
The Insidious Art of “Patter” – And How to Resist It
A Leadershit Lesson from Trump Have you ever felt mesmerized by a politician’s speech or a salesperson’s pitch, almost unconsciously being lulled into agreement? You may have experienced the powers of “patter” – an insidious technique of using strategic repetition and cadence to bypass rational thinking. At its core, patter involves the strategic use of […]
A Hidden Benefit of 360-Degree Reviews
Ever wondered if there’s more to 360-degree reviews than meets the eye? In this article, we’ll uncover yet another A360 secret that could transform your team’s dynamics. We’ll explore real-life examples and offer practical insights that may change the way you view feedback and leadership development. In Part 1, I outlined the benefits of 360-degree […]
360-degree Assessment: Best Practices
Every New Year celebration comes with the burden of annual performance reviews. More often than not, the review includes a dreaded 360-degree assessment. I am not going to spend your time on the well-documented downsides of this tool. On the contrary, the tool may be essential for people development – if you follow these Assessment-360 […]