strategy

“When I grow up, I want to be a follower,” said no one.  No kid aspires to follow others.  No employee says his best quality is being a follower.  No MBA student signs up for followership classes (and not just because business schools don’t offer them.)  Being a leader is what counts these days.  Leadership is rewarded.  Leaders are glorified.  A leadership role is the ultimate goal.  A Google search for leadership produces 353,000,000 results.   Followership?  9,100,000 — less than 3%.  And yet, a leader needs followers; a good le

Breaking up may be the hardest thing to do in relationships,* but scaling up may be the hardest thing to do in business. Something like nine out of 10 start-ups fail. 

The most common complaint among senior executives is that the short-termism of capital markets and the board, along with the need to meet or beat quarterly earnings, is limiting a company to invest in riskier innovation – but many supposedly game-changing innovation projects that align with long-term business strategies are not getting board level approval. 

Everyone is searching for a game changer. In a dorm, a basement, a bedroom, a lab, a hip co-working office space or a tiny start-up, someone, somewhere is just beginning to really give shape to an idea they’ve had for a while. 

In David and Goliath, bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell explains how small upstarts often have surprising advantages over larger, more powerful opponents.

Building brands in the mad men era was a relatively straight forward endeavor... 

A brand needed to effectively communicate its value to the consumer, plainly stating its functional benefits and for the more enduring brands—connecting with consumers at the emotional level typically through a story told via television led advertising campaigns. 

Guest Post by Anja Thielsen Valentino, Loyalty Group

"We are customer-focused", "we have a clear insight into our customers and carry out Customer Surveys" are comments often put forward by company managers. But what does it really mean to be Customer Centric? - And how can it be used as a strategic management tool to scale your company?

How do you know where to start your CX journey? 

I've been asked this very question a few times in the last couple weeks.

Companies that are facing industry disruptions are bad enough; during these times, leadership faces the most important test – the ability to lead during a crisis. The need of foresight, change and organization design are what true leadership looks like.

A couple of times a year I guest-lecture for several Masters in Marketing/Customer Management programs in The Netherlands. Almost every time students approach me with a question regarding their master-thesis or other assignment.