While on a scrum call, one of our sales people posed this question: Does the 50-70% failure rate of change programs reported by McKinsey apply to change efforts in response to the pandemic? Although it may be too early to tell if the failure rate will be similar, we did a little deductive reasoning to … Read More
Leadership Development: Beyond the Pandemic – What are Your High Potential Talent Really Thinking?
Interviews over recent months with senior HR managers and corporate leadership about their experience with the pandemic have revealed some surprising insights and developments. Not just about the benefits (and challenges) of working from home, but also about how employees’ attitudes and motivation have changed. One high potential leader we recently interviewed remarked that “the … Read More
The Who and How to Operate in a Post Pandemic World
On May 15, McKinsey & Company published an article, “Reimagining the post-pandemic organization.” Widely regarded as a global thought leader, and somewhat guiding light for consulting firms in general, many organizations eagerly waited for a strategic announcement from them regarding what to do next. About a month earlier, on April 17, Psynet Group discussed its … Read More
Death of a Salesman? I Sure Hope Not
In Arthur Miller’s play, Death of a Salesman, the main character Willy Loman struggles to understand who he is in a new society and reality. He is a 63-year-old salesman who just lost his job and quite frankly, doesn’t know who he is anymore. Sales were his life, all he ever knew, actually. So when … Read More
Forget the New Normal, Understand Your Organization’s Systemic Connections Instead
When Andrew Winston spoke about COVID-19, Climate, and the Clean Economy during his MIT Sloan webinar last week, his intention was to provide “observations on this moment and what business and people should potentially be thinking about.” Observably, the world is changing. At the same time, collective businesses and individual leaders across the country are … Read More
The Role of Emotions and System Thinking in Crisis-Based Decisions
As I looked at the empty streets of New York on my way to an almost deserted airport, the gravity of the current pandemic was not lost on me. The anxiety and sadness is palpable. Every decision made by our government, our clients, and our friends seem to happen within the context of tremendous emotion. … Read More