There is no doubt that things are confusing in 2021 as we move through the next phase of the pandemic. Some people work at home, others are back in the office, still others are splitting their time between the two. As a result of the upheaval, we have heard three issues repeated among our clients. … Read More
Consensus Culture Kills Agility: When Decision-Making Rights are Undefined, Everyone has a Veto
As our face-to-face meetings with new and potential clients increase, we are noticing the rise of the “De facto Consensus Culture.” Such cultures secretly sap organizations of agility and drain their time. To illustrate, let’s start with an analogy. At 14 years old I cleaned the McDonald’s parking lot, dining area, and restrooms. I used … Read More
Your Mental Model Influences How You Handle Change, Uncertainty – and Your Job Performance
The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant in life.” Due to innovation and disruptions caused by technology, some have gone so far as to say the pace of change is accelerating. Whether constant or accelerating, change leads to uncertainty, and uncertainty can feel, pardon the clinical jargon, “icky.” Uncertainty produces anxiety, … Read More
Advice Culture can Keep your Company from Sailing into Hurricanes or Blocking Canals
For six days, the world’s eyes were on the Ever Given, the container ship stuck between the banks of the Suez Canal. Although a unique news story, maritime disasters are more typical than most of us realize. According to the insurer Allianz, 41 large ships were lost in 2019 and 46 in 2018. Over the … Read More
Solve Problems, Make Inspired Decisions by Understanding your Thinking Biases
It’s astonishing how many smart business leaders struggle with solving problems. We don’t mean these leaders are indecisive or complacent — far from it. In fact, in some cases, leaders make decisions too quickly, with an incomplete data set and/or inaccurate assumptions; in other cases they hesitate to decide, lacking a clear decision-making process. Just … Read More
How Unconscious Bias Creates a Conflict of Interest
The Unintentionally Unethical and Biased Employee — I believe that most people try to do the right thing most of the time. If they make a commitment, they try to keep it. When they have to choose between an organization’s best interests and their own, they often err in favor of the organization. We see … Read More
Transactional vs. Relational Leadership – Which is Best?
Fans of the multiple Emmy award-winning television series The West Wing enjoy a deep and accurate insight into the dynamics and impact of different leadership styles. At one moment the fictitious President Bartlett will be building common ground and consensus with foreign or domestic leaders; the next moment he and his staff will be counting … Read More
Leadership: Developing Resilience in a VUCA world
If nothing else, the global pandemic — and our leaders’ responses to it — has taught us that nothing is certain. Over time, we have seen it all: Stock markets losing, and then gaining hundreds of points in a day. Investors adjusting their portfolios to deal with the uncertainty. Complex decisions to re-open being based … 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