How to Have Tough Conversations About Returning to the Office
04/08/2021
Are you dreading the conversations with your team about returning to the office? Or maybe you’re already back and need to tell one of your direct reports that your agreed-upon approach isn’t working. Fostering a safe and constructive dialogue about re-entry can be challenging. Ironically, some of the mistakes you might make will stem from […]
Getting real about hybrid work
03/08/2021
Once in a generation (if that), we have the opportunity to reimagine how we work. In the 1800s, the Industrial Revolution moved many in Europe and the United States from fields to factories. In the 1940s, World War II brought women into the workforce (if not the C-suite) at unprecedented rates. In the 1990s, the […]
4 Strategies for Building a Hybrid Workplace that Works
02/08/2021
By all indications the future of work is hybrid: 52% of U.S. workers would prefer a mix of working from home and the office, saying it has a positive impact on their ability to be creative, solve problems and build relationships. Global research tells us 72% of corporate leaders plan to offer a hybrid model, […]
Ranked: The Most Innovative Companies in 2021
30/07/2021
Ranked: the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2021 This year has been rife with pandemic-induced changes that have shifted corporate priorities—and yet, innovation has remained a top concern among corporations worldwide. Using data from the annual ranking done by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) using a poll of 1,600 global innovation professionals, this graphic ranks […]
When Trusting Your Family Hurts Your Family Business
29/07/2021
Globally, family businesses comprise 75% of all firms and contribute 65% to GDP. However, evidence of whether families improve or impair their companies’ performance remains mixed and is ardently debated. In order to better understand the findings of prior studies, we conducted a meta-analysis (together with the University of Trier’s Joern Block and Dominik Wagner of IUBH […]
Olympics 2021: Comparing Every Sports Ball
28/07/2021
The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 have 17 sports with balls or spheres of some sort. Here are the different sizes and weights of each Olympic sports ball. This content was originally published here.
Research: Why Rejected Internal Candidates End Up Quitting
27/07/2021
There is perhaps no better experience for a hiring manager than seeing the resume of an outstanding internal candidate land on their desk. You can fill the job immediately and, because current employees know the organization and its quirks, they require less handholding in order to get up to speed quickly. You also rarely have […]
How to Prevent a Rising Star from Flaming Out
09/07/2021
If you had to name the top reasons some projects turn into spectacular failures, you probably wouldn’t put “having too much trust in leaders with strong track records” high on your list. However, our research found that managers with the highest status in an organization actually have the greatest risk of experiencing a spectacular failure. […]
The trailblazing consumers in Asia propelling growth
08/07/2021
Asia is already the world’s consumption growth engine and is likely to reinforce that position over the next decade. Disregarding Asia’s consumer markets would mean missing half the global consumption story. Asia’s consumer markets are not only a story of scale, but also one of diversity and shifting preferences and behavior caused by powerful demographic, […]
Research: What Inclusive Companies Have in Common
07/07/2021
The killing of George Floyd catalyzed a reckoning around racial injustice that led many corporate leaders to seek to evolve their organizations to meet today’s tremendous societal challenges. Many U.S. organizations have publicly pledged to increase diversity by filling more executive positions with individuals from underrepresented groups. Some boards of directors, like Nike, Starbucks, and […]
The growth triple play: Creativity, analytics, and purpose…
06/07/2021
The next normal is the ‘no normal’ The year 2020 was unlike any other, as lives and livelihoods were upended by the pandemic. COVID-19 affected every aspect of our lives, forcing customers and businesses alike to embrace new behaviors, including digital ways of working, shopping, and relaxing. Within a span of a few months, a […]
What Does It Take to Build a Culture of Belonging?
05/07/2021
As we continue to adjust to Covid-19’s disruptions and see Black Americans killed by police, hate crimes against Asian Americans surge, and people in Georgia fight for equal voting rights, the question of what “belonging” means in American society is reaching into the workplace as it never has before. CEOs, corporate boards, investors, consumers, and […]
Business building inside older, established companies
02/07/2021
If you think it’s hard teaching elephants to dance, as Lou Gerstner once characterized change programs at large businesses, 1 1. Louis V. Gerstner Jr., Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Inside IBM’s Historic Turnaround, New York, NY: Harper Business, 2002. here’s a choreographer for you: Bart Schlatmann, the CEO of Allianz Direct—a thriving digital business […]
5 Questions Boards Should Be Asking About Digital Transformation
01/07/2021
The CEO of a large retail company recently brought a $500 million digital-transformation-investment plan to his board. The board reviewed the proposal, but after asking a number of questions, they were unable to evaluate it. Was it too costly? Was it aiming too low? Was it focused on the right priorities? One board member admitted […]
What’s next for digital consumers
18/06/2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven rapid adoption of digital channels across countries and industries, but digital’s growth has plateaued in the past six months and may begin to slip back once the pandemic eases—even as total digital adoption stays well above prepandemic levels. That’s one of the findings from a new McKinsey survey of global […]
3 Strategies to Reduce Bias in Leadership Assessments
17/06/2021
Leadership questionnaires are ubiquitous in organizations today. Surveys are a common tool to measure leadership potential, help determine whether employees should be promoted or afforded a bonus, and understand the leadership culture of an organization. The push towards survey-type assessments was driven by a general dissatisfaction with older, more anecdote-driven processes that came with a […]
‘Back to human’: Why HR leaders want to focus on people again
16/06/2021
For years now, human-resource leaders have found themselves on a cost-efficiency treadmill that applies analytics and big data to existing HR operating models. Their departments have lived by a worthy but uninspiring mandate: to optimize labor costs, reinforce compliance using standardized measures, and support the adoption of technology beyond IT. Even in the areas of […]
Inside IKEA’s Digital Transformation
15/06/2021
What does it mean for one of the world’s most recognizable retail brands to go digital? For almost 80 years, IKEA has been in the very analogue business of selling its distinct brand of home goods to people. Three years ago, IKEA Retail (Ingka Group) hired Barbara Martin Coppola — a veteran of Google, Samsung, […]
Rethinking operations in the next normal
14/06/2021
Regionalization has been accelerated by the pandemic, as countries closed their borders and protected their supply chains. Globalization was already under strain before the pandemic: the intraregional share of global goods trade increased by 2.7 percentage points between 2013 and 2018, according to an analysis by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI). Regionalization is most apparent […]
The future of the $1.5 trillion wellness market
11/06/2021
The concept of wellness has been around for a long time. Remember Jane Fonda workout tapes, neon legwarmers, and the “cookie diet”? These days, consumers view wellness through a much broader and more sophisticated lens, encompassing not just fitness and nutrition but also overall physical and mental health and appearance. They also have more choice in […]
Is the Stock Market Accurately Valuing Your Company?
10/06/2021
Traditionally, price discovery — determining a company’s fair value price — is based on the interactions of buyers and sellers in a marketplace. The publicly quoted share price demonstrates how capital markets value a company, and it’s the basis upon which the company issues debt and equity. It also helps determine how the company allocates […]
A Map of the Online World in Incredible Detail
09/06/2021
The internet is intangible, and because you can’t see it, it can be hard to comprehend its sheer vastness. As well, it’s difficult to gauge the relative size of different web properties. However, this map of the internet by Halcyon Maps offers a unique solution to these problems. Inspired by the look and design of […]
From survival to renewal: Transforming the consumer-goods industry
08/06/2021
Prolonged lockdowns because of COVID-19 outbreaks have acted as an accelerant for a number of trends, such as the dramatic shift to e-commerce and evolving consumer behaviors and preferences. Another big visible trend is the increased scrutiny from multiple stakeholders on sustainability issues that affect product strategy, sourcing and supply chain, and access to capital. […]
How Workplace Culture Enables Investment Firms to Do Better
07/06/2021
In today’s highly competitive business environment, workplace culture is becoming increasingly recognized as a source of competitive advantage. What does this mean for the investment industry, and how can asset managers use it to improve performance? The Top Cultural Edges to Develop Workplace culture was gaining traction for several years prior to COVID-19, but after […]
How Inclusive Is Your Leadership?
02/06/2021
America is housing a racially traumatized workforce. Many managers are ill-equipped to lead and connect with Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) employees. The physical traits, values, behaviors, and workplace identities of BIPOC employees continue to be compromised, minimized, and excluded. The reality is that professionalism has become the pseudonym for assimilation. Until white […]
Mapped: The Greenest Countries in the World
01/06/2021
From widening wealth disparity to the environmental ramifications of economic development—the growing focus on global sustainability is a clear sign of the times. Research reveals that when a sustainable ethos is applied to policy and business, it typically bodes well for economies and people alike. By providing benchmarks for those decisions, indexes like Yale’s […]
What Psychological Safety Looks Like in a Hybrid Workplace
31/05/2021
“Our office policy is that people should come into the office once per week. Now they are organizing a team meeting with 15 people. I guess some people seem to feel comfortable with that, but I’m not; I have a young family at home and we have been very careful. I can’t say that though.” […]
A Visual Guide to Human Emotion
28/05/2021
A Visual Guide to Human Emotion Despite vast differences in culture around the world, humanity’s DNA is 99.9% similar. There are few attributes more central and universal to the human experience than our emotions. Of course, the broad spectrum of emotions we’re capable of experiencing can be difficult to articulate. That’s where this brilliant visualization […]
Ransomware Attacks Are Spiking. Is Your Company Prepared?
27/05/2021
With the migration to remote work over the last year, cyberattacks have increased exponentially. We saw more attacks of every kind, but the headline for 2020 was ransom attacks, which were up 150% over the previous year. The amount paid by victims of these attacks increased more than 300% in 2020. Already 2021 has seen […]
When an Iconic Founder Overshadows the Family Business
26/05/2021
Sometimes a founder’s image is so publicly associated with his or her company, one rarely stops to ask, “Who is that person?” A few, such as Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Henry Ford, and Ralph Lauren become something even more than that; they become “iconic.” For many family businesses, having an iconic founder has […]
To Make Lean Startups Work, You Need a Balanced Team
21/05/2021
The lean startup approach has taken the entrepreneurship world by storm. Even established companies such as Dropbox, Slack, and General Electric have embraced it as a way to rapidly test and refine ideas for products or businesses. But is lean startup all it’s cracked up to be? In a recent Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal article, we […]
Mapped: The Top 10 Billionaire Cities
20/05/2021
Mapped: The Top 10 Billionaire Cities in 2020 In 2020, the world gained 493 new billionaires—that’s one every 17 hours. For the last seven years, New York City has been home to more billionaires than any other city in the world. However, last year marked a monumental shift in the status quo. Beijing has […]
Childcare Is a Business Issue
19/05/2021
When the Covid-19 pandemic removed the safety net of schooling and employee-paid child care for working families, the damage was cataclysmic. Without a stable form of childcare as part of the business infrastructure, the world stopped working for the vast majority of working parents around the world. One third of the U.S. workforce, or an […]
How Accountable Teams Drive Performance in Challenging Times
18/05/2021
The future of work is changing, and new rules are being written before our very eyes. Teams are more important now than ever before, but many of them are struggling to step up and drive high performance when it matters most. Accountable Leaders Build Accountable Teams Weak, mediocre teams demonstrate behaviors that can breed a […]
10 Proactive Questions Every Board Member Should Be Asking
17/05/2021
Being a board member isn’t easy. You have responsibility for a company but limited means to really understand it — and that understanding is often mediated by management. How aware are you of what’s really happening in the company you’re responsible for governing? What did board members at Boeing, Carrillion, Wirecard, and Theranos know about […]
How Leaders Get in the Way of Organizational Change
15/05/2021
I received a call from the chief transformation officer of a midsize financial services company. Their company-wide change effort to shift from a product company to a services company was in shambles after being underway for nearly two years. “We thought we’d done everything we needed to do to keep this transformation from derailing,” he […]
How Leaders Get in the Way of Organizational Change
15/05/2021
I received a call from the chief transformation officer of a midsize financial services company. Their company-wide change effort to shift from a product company to a services company was in shambles after being underway for nearly two years. “We thought we’d done everything we needed to do to keep this transformation from derailing,” he […]
Fact Check: The Truth Behind Five ESG Myths
14/05/2021
Fact Check: The Truth Behind 5 ESG Myths In 2021, investors continue to embrace environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments at record levels. In the first quarter of 2021, global ESG fund inflows outpaced the last four consecutive quarters, reaching $2 trillion. But while ESG gains rapid momentum, the CFA Institute shows that 33% of […]
Fact Check: The Truth Behind Five ESG Myths
14/05/2021
Fact Check: The Truth Behind 5 ESG Myths In 2021, investors continue to embrace environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investments at record levels. In the first quarter of 2021, global ESG fund inflows outpaced the last four consecutive quarters, reaching $2 trillion. But while ESG gains rapid momentum, the CFA Institute shows that 33% of […]
How Midsize Companies Can Maximize Growth and Efficiency
13/05/2021
A few months into 2021, middle-market companies are eager for growth and sense unique opportunities, including the chance to profit from pent-up demand and the momentum of a rebounding economy — and, for some, to take share from or acquire a weakened rival. The International Monetary Fund is forecasting U.S. economic growth at 6.4% this […]
6 Leadership Paradoxes for the Post-Pandemic Era
03/05/2021
The pandemic has accelerated a trend that has been unfolding over the last decade. As the world has grown more digital and complex, the range of decisions that leaders need to make has broadened, spanning from big picture strategic thinking to careful execution, to advancing technology roadmaps and upskilling and engaging employees. And decision-making criteria […]
Here’s What $1,000 Invested in Vaccine Stocks Would Be Worth Now
30/04/2021
The Briefing Three of seven COVID-19 vaccine stocks have outperformed the S&P 500 since the beginning of the global pandemic Novavax is the highest performing vaccine stock, returning 1,549% to shareholders Vaccine Stocks During a Pandemic It’s often said that with every crisis comes great opportunity. While such catastrophes do create upheaval and uncertainty […]
The Surprising Power of Nostalgia at Work
29/04/2021
Many people assume that nostalgia is purely entertainment, a feeling individuals enjoy because it takes them back to the more carefree days of their youth. Some view it as maladaptive fixation on the past, perhaps indicating a fear of change. I’ve heard business analysts and leaders argue that, although nostalgia may help some companies sell […]
Mapped: The 25 Poorest Countries in the World
28/04/2021
Mapped: The 25 Poorest Countries in the World Having looked at the richest countries in the world, which nations are at the bottom of the list in terms of GDP per capita, in nominal terms? This map looks at the world’s 25 poorest countries by this metric. Country GDP per capita (USD) 🇧🇮 Burundi $263.67 […]
Mapped: The 25 Richest Countries in the World
27/04/2021
The Briefing The richest country in the world is Luxembourg with a GDP per capita of over $109,000 The world’s 25 richest countries are located across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania Mapped: The 25 Richest Countries in the World Which are the richest countries in the world, by nominal GDP per capita? This […]
How Much Does Big Tech Make Every Minute?
23/04/2021
The Briefing The FAATMAN stocks have a collective market cap of $8.3 trillion On average, these Big Tech companies generate a whopping $416,768 of revenue each minute Big Tech Just Keeps Getting Bigger It’s becoming increasingly difficult to wrap your head around just how massive some big tech stocks are getting, especially since they […]
Defining a Post-Pandemic Channel Strategy
23/04/2021
While consumers sheltered in their homes during the pandemic, more economic activity moved online. “In many markets, the surge in e-commerce has compressed the equivalent of several years of growth into just a few months,” McKinsey noted in a report in August 2020. Now, with vaccinations proceeding, CEOs and others who allocate resources face a […]
Which Asian Economies Have the Most Sustainable Trade Policies?
22/04/2021
Which Asian Economies Have the Most Sustainable Trade Policies? To say that Asia has benefited from international trade is an understatement. By opening its economies to the rest of the world, the region has become a leading exporter in many of today’s most important industries. Trade has also improved Asia’s quality of life, lifting over […]
Have We Taken Agile Too Far?
21/04/2021
The idea of “agile” thinking or innovation, along with its close cousin “lean,” has spread far beyond its product development and manufacturing roots. It’s not uncommon now to hear about the agile approach to budgeting, talent management, or even running a family meeting. Agile is a powerful process for product development, but many organizations are […]
The Ballooning Valuations In Private Equity Deals
20/04/2021
The Briefing Private equity (PE) deal valuations by EV/EBITDA are increasingly rich and are hitting higher double-digit figures 2021 is expected to be another home run year for PE, with 20% of buyouts estimated to be priced above 20x EV/EBITDA The Ballooning Valuations In Private Equity Deals Private equity is getting increasingly expensive. As a […]
3 Ways to Help Your Team Recover from Disruption
19/04/2021
Many organizations wrestle with how to excel in rapidly changing times. At some point or another, they encounter challenges that force them to modify the ways they do things so they can continue to meet expectations. Some do it better than others, and it usually comes down to how confident they feel about their teams’ […]
The World’s Top 10 Hedge Fund Managers by Earnings
16/04/2021
The Briefing The top 10 hedge fund managers take home an average of $1.3 billion a year in earnings The hedge fund industry manages over $3 trillion in assets Hedge funds often have a two-and-twenty fee structure, charging 2% on all assets under management (AUM), and 20% on profits The Top 10 Hedge Fund Managers […]
How Midsize Companies Can Adapt to Changing Demand
15/04/2021
Because they’re smaller than large companies and less encumbered by bureaucracy, midsize companies have an opportunity to take advantage of the market changes that will persist post-Covid (some permanently). The ones that delay risk permanently losing their market position. Big companies can inadvertently stymie innovation, whereas midsize firms have an ideal mix of sufficient financial strength, […]
Visualizing Earth’s Global Ice Loss Between 1994-2017
14/04/2021
The Briefing Due to global warming, 28 trillion tonnes of ice have melted in just over two decades Over half (58%) of this global ice loss occurred in the Northern Hemisphere Visualizing Earth’s Global Ice Loss Between 1994-2017 Nearly 70% of the Earth’s freshwater is locked up in glaciers and ice caps, ground ice, and […]
Research: Joint Ventures that Keep Evolving Perform Better
13/04/2021
Successful companies actively manage their businesses through periods of economic growth, downturn, and recovery. They do so by innovating, making strategic shifts, rewiring existing operations, reallocating resources, entering new business lines, and restructuring existing ones. For most companies, joint ventures and other partnerships are a critical part of the equation. Companies like Amazon, GlaxoSmithKline, Lockheed […]
The Secret of Adaptable Organizations Is Trust
30/03/2021
In the last year, many companies have been pushed to the limits of their capabilities, and in many cases, to the edge of insolvency. With severe pressure on operations, supply chains, and demand, their processes have collapsed, and any idea of teamwork within their ranks has been thrown to the wind. Or have they? My […]
Visualizing Top 50 Most Valuable Global Brands
29/03/2021
For many brands, it has been a devastating year to say the least. Over half of the most valuable global brands have experienced a decline in brand value, a measure that takes financial projections, brand roles in purchase decisions, and strengths against competitors into consideration. But where some have faltered, others have asserted their dominance […]
Use Art to Reignite Your Team’s Motivation
26/03/2021
As we reach the one-year mark of working from home, remote teams are at risk of losing motivation. By drawing on techniques used by creatives, business leaders can revitalize teams and spark fresh momentum and innovation. For example, studies show that jazz musicians’ improvisational skills are achieved via heightened sensory activity in the brain alongside a […]
The Crazy World of Stonks Explained
25/03/2021
View the full-size version of this infographic here You may have seen diamond hands, rockets, and r/wallstreetbets rallying cries in the past few weeks—but what does it all mean? In this graphic we explain the events that led to an explosive rise in GameStop’s share price, along with the Reddit revolution fueling it. Gamestop’s stock […]
How to Step In as an Interim Leader
15/03/2021
Your boss has left the organization and you’re named interim replacement. Congrats! Well, sort of. It’s not a given that you’ll become the permanent replacement. What’s the best way to maximize the chances that you’ll get the full-time job? How should you manage the team so they respect your authority and support your candidacy? And […]
Visualizing Countries by Share of Earth’s Surface
12/03/2021
Visualizing Countries by Share of Earth’s Surface There are over 510 million square kilometers of area on the surface of Earth, but less than 30% of this is covered by land. The rest is water, in the form of vast oceans. Today’s visualization uses data primarily from the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) to rank […]
What to Do When Your Employee Is Totally Checked Out
11/03/2021
It’s frustrating when a member of your team has mentally checked out. In some cases, this person does only the bare minimum. In other cases, they fail to meet important deadlines, or they drop the ball on critical projects. How can you determine what’s going on? What can you do to address the issue when […]
Ranked: The Most Valuable Nation Brands in 2020
10/03/2021
Can you remember a year more life-changing than 2020? Over a million lives were lost in the pandemic, oil prices turned negative, and protests swept the streets. At the same time, 10 years of technology advancements seemed to happen in mere months—and now vaccinations are rolling out at a record speed. Below, we round up […]
How to Plan Your Life When the Future Is Foggy at Best
08/03/2021
The year 2020 did not turn out as we planned. Unemployment rates in the U.S. are close to twice what they were in February of 2020, and the number of people furloughed is still towering over February averages. Plus, with the profound shakeup of our daily lives, a lot of folks are asking, What do […]
How Long Can a Company Thrive Doing Just One Thing?
26/02/2021
In a year of many changes and shakeups in the technology world, the recent news that Salesforce would acquire Slack for $27.7 billion (!) definitely raised eyebrows. What, exactly, did the veteran customer relationship management (CRM) company want from the breakout chat application? Why did Slack, which had seen record growth this year, sell? And […]
Visualizing the Most Populous Countries in the World
25/02/2021
Visualizing the Most Populous Countries in the World India’s population is projected to surpass China’s as soon as 2022. While this is consequential on a global economic level, it also leaves other population trends overlooked. For instance, Nigeria is projected to have more people than the U.S., the world’s third-largest country by […]
How to Capitalize On the Coming M&A Wave
24/02/2021
Well-capitalized companies will soon face a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make acquisitions and consolidate power. As the Covid-19 crisis continues and the full brunt of its economic impact becomes clear, weaker players that had been given some breathing room by temporary government support programs or by falling back on their cash reserves, are likely to experience […]
Global Stars: The Most Innovative Countries, Ranked by Income Group
23/02/2021
The Most Innovative Countries, Ranked by Income Group Innovation can be instrumental to the success of economies, at macro and micro scales. While investment provides powerful fuel for innovation—the relationship isn’t always straightforward. The 2020 ranking from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) reveals just that. The above map breaks down the most innovative countries […]
Giving Critical Feedback Is Even Harder Remotely
19/02/2021
Delivering constructive feedback is nerve-wracking in the best of times — most managers don’t want to crush their employees’ spirits. These tough conversations are even harder to have as multiple crises and their side effects wear on, which can make the negativity bias that often accompanies them even worse. To top it all off, a […]
The World’s Most Searched Consumer Brands
18/02/2021
Strong brands create an emotional link with consumers, and tech brands are no exception. In fact, Google, Amazon, Netflix, and even eBay rank as some of the most searched consumer brands worldwide. It’s hard to imagine life without these household names, but how do brand preferences shift and change across internet searches worldwide? This […]
The path forward for sustainable retail
18/02/2021
Retail is undergoing an unprecedented transition. The internet has led to new sales channels and new opportunities to reach out to customers, and globalization has opened markets and introduced new competitors. Then COVID-19 happened, rocking the industry to its core, as stores around the world closed and consumers had no choice but to order online. […]
The Secret to Building Resilience
17/02/2021
An anesthesiologist we’ll call Jacob used to describe his job as “90% boredom, 10% horror.” With a few exceptions of challenging surgeries and managing a department of several hundred physicians and nurses, most of the time, Jacob’s role was routine. But that was before the Covid-19 pandemic. Since anesthesiology is not a specialty that can […]
The CEO agenda for companies in advanced industries
16/02/2021
CEOs and corporate leaders are awash with uncertainty due to the persistent transmission of COVID-19, shifting regional dynamics, fluctuating customer demand, and transformational technology disruptions. For industrial companies—those within advanced electronics, aerospace and defense, and automotive and assembly—the decisions made today about their strategy, products and services portfolio, and sustainable performance transformations could have […]
WFH Doesn’t Have to Dilute Your Corporate Culture
12/02/2021
The pandemic pushed many organizations to become fully remote, and the experience has been better than many imagined. As a result, a hybrid working model that embraces the best of both remote and office-based work awaits many workers and companies on the other side of the crisis. Adapting to this new working model might seem […]
Transformation in uncertain times: Tackling both the urgent and the important
10/02/2021
In ordinary times, successful leaders continually strive to master the balance between the urgent and the important, both in their organizations and their daily schedules. But today’s CEOs face unprecedented financial, health and safety, and operational challenges. For them, the problem isn’t balancing the urgent with the important. It’s that most everything is both urgent […]
Reimagining the Balanced Scorecard for the ESG Era
09/02/2021
In August 2019, the U.S. Business Roundtable, the leading gathering for Fortune 500 CEOs, stated that “each of our stakeholders is essential. We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities and our country.” This re-orientation acknowledges widespread concerns that companies who focus only on their […]
Boards Are Obstructing ESG — at Their Own Peril
05/02/2021
The list of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues that can pose financial risks to corporations exploded in 2020: climate change, water scarcity, pollution, #metoo, #blacklivesmatter, worker welfare, employee diversity, corruption, human rights abuses, supply chain scandals…not to mention Covid-19. Yet while many investors and chief executives now take ESG seriously in their decision making, […]
How to Support an Employee with a Chronic Health Condition
03/02/2021
In the United States, 60% of adults have at least one chronic health condition: illnesses or conditions like chronic pain and fatigue that last at least one year and require ongoing management or restrict an individual’s activities. These numbers don’t include Covid-19 “long-haulers,” or the 10% of those who experience lingering symptoms, such as difficulties with […]
Your Star Employee Just Quit. Will Others Follow?
01/02/2021
Movement of talented employees across firms is inevitable, but if you’re in a leadership role, there are things you can do when a star employee leaves to prevent their departure from becoming a stampede to the exits. Ask Questions, Then Listen Perhaps the most important thing you can do when someone leaves is to listen […]
How to Set Up an Ethics Advisory Board
29/01/2021
In the face of an ever-growing array of ethical dilemmas, many organizations may benefit from establishing an Ethics Advisory Board, or EAB. While EABs are still a new concept (and they don’t always work out), they can provide very real value, offering crucial perspectives from diverse, external stakeholders on ethically fraught decisions pertaining to anything […]