At Your Service

Throughout the course of a recently completed 18 day trip to India, Vietnam, and China, I (Robert) had a unique opportunity to visit/meet with a dozen different companies and their leaders, and also observe their cultures…what struck me above all else was their concept of customer service. To be sure, they had distinct differences in their … Read more

Have you created a “bias for action”?

How does your organization communicate your direction, your azimuth? How do you set your teammates up for success?  How do you set the conditions to encourage initiative?  How do your team members respond to the question, “In my company, is it better to ask forgiveness or permission”? Do you create a “bias for action” in … Read more

Are Your Ends, Ways, and Means in Balance? Planning and Strategy

Planning and strategy is always vital. As the old saying goes, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.’  You and your team don’t want to find yourselves on the ‘bus to Abilene’, as introduced by Jerry Harvey in his 1988 article, The Abilene Paradox: The Management of Agreement.  … Read more