For decades, organizations have used the same blunt instrument to reward good work: a promotion. The best salesperson becomes a sales manager. The strongest engineer takes over the engineering team. The most reliable analyst gets handed direct reports. We tell ourselves we are advancing top performers. What we are actually doing, in most cases, is […]
In the book The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Michael Porter suggests that differentiation is one way that companies can set themselves apart from competitors. While some advantage may be possible at a national level due to inherent natural resources, for example, we now know that this, as well as all the other means he suggests, […]
Time for a vocabulary test. What’s the difference between sympathy and empathy? Think about it. If you don’t know the difference, then you’ll gain nothing from this article. The problem is that the two words are now used interchangeably, as synonyms for each other. Even Thesaurus.com thinks they’re the same. But when you look at […]
Organizations would love to have their cake and eat it, too. They’d love to obtain the changes they want without having to change the culture to do it. That’s because changing the culture is so much more difficult and time consuming. In other words, they’d love to get the benefits of change by keeping the […]
Change management has always shared similarities with customer relationship management. They both sought a positive outcome for the instigators, and they both tried to do so with almost a total disregard for anyone other than themselves. True. This is a harsh conclusion to draw. But when you think about the motives behind the desired outcomes, […]
How often have you heard someone say they didn’t want a new computer when you announced that the old ones would be replaced? At the risk of sounding like an ageist, those under 35 probably cheered; those 35-50 may have smiled, and at least some of those who still had a little ways to go […]
The need for organizational change is ongoing. It never stops. It can’t, because just as you get a handle on one thing, something else pops up. It’s like trying to keep flies off your picnic lunch. There’s always one. You have to be flexible. You have to be able to not just respond to the […]
Until quite recently, the expression “As rare as hen’s teeth” meant pretty much never. But several years ago, scientists at two universities (Manchester and Wisconsin) learned how to make them grow. Chickens, it seems, didn’t need dentures after all. That is an especially appropriate metaphor with respect to great managers, because although they can be […]
Jeff Shuck
Jesse Jacoby
