Sustainable Advantage: I don’t know how we can claim we have a sustainable competitive advantage unless, that is, that we believe that advantage to be our ability to learn faster than the competition. Technology is moving much too fast for us to think that some sort of product or service is really our competitive advantage. But continuous learning, a willingness …
Values: I spend a fair amount of time discussing culture with executives and entrepreneurs. In my view, values underpin the culture in an organization. They are the foundation of decision making. And the decisions that get made define the culture of the organization. Yet many (most?) organizations do not pay significant attention to developing values that differentiate them from the …
More Pain: Finally. But who’s going to jail? According to the 2/2/18 article in the Los Angeles Times, the Federal Reserved ordered Wells Fargo & Co. to “cap its growth and improve its corporate governance.” This is supposed to be punishment for “widespread consumer abuses and other compliance breakdowns.” But who’s going to jail? And who, really, went to jail …
Accountability I’m often asked about the difference between accountability and responsibility. The distinction I make (perhaps a bit oversimplified?) is that responsibility can be and often is shared with others. However, one cannot share accountability. Another distinction I’ve heard in our leadership circles is that one takes responsibility, but one is held accountable (by oneself and/or others). In the recent …
Culture: An organization’s culture can be simply stated as “The way things get done around here.” Notice that isn’t a list of values found on walls, coffee mugs, T-shirts, or ball caps. It’s what actually happens in our organizations, and how it happens that matter. That is how stakeholders see us. Not as some empty words or unfulfilled promises. Words Matter …
Leadership Owns This Scandal And just where was (is) the leadership at Wells Fargo in this ethical failure? What kind of culture would lead an employee even to consider falsifying emails, establishing unauthorized accounts, issuing unauthorized credit/debit cards, collecting fraudulent fees, and impacting customers’ credit scores? How can customers ever trust Wells Fargo again? Full disclosure: I am a Wells …
Well, I suspect that the title got some emotional responses. I am sure to see many emails from my friends in sales. So I might as well get started. Sell: to deliver or give up in violation of duty, trust, or loyalty and especially for personal gain Betray – often used with out <sell out their country> (a) to give …
Security Grab: Previously, I posted my thoughts on Tim Cook and how he is handling the FBI security grab controversy. I refrained from stating how I felt about the issue to stay focused on Mr. Cook’s leadership. In this post, however, I will wade in on the technology, privacy, and security issue. First, let me make it clear that I, …
Words to Live By I had the privilege of spending part of my youth in the Boy Scouts of America (way back before all the controversies surrounding that organization). I can still “rattle off” the Scout Law, Motto, and Oath. They were committed to memory as well as spoken out loud very frequently. I learned some beneficial things – how …
Yesterday I had lunch with a good friend and colleague. We had a wide ranging discussion as usual, including talking about the water situation here in Southern California. Recently a court ruling found that a small town’s water district here in SoCal did not calculate their rates properly. I suspect the Water District knew that, but had other reasons for wanting …