The trouble with values

Here’s a quote:

Good corporate governance practice is an important ingredient in creating and sustaining shareholder value, and ensuring that behavior is ethical, legal and transparent.

Nothing special there. Much the same turns up in most value statements. Roughly translated, it says “lets make our business succeed rather than fail, and let’s do that by playing fair”.

Most would agree. So much so, that I’m not sure why people insist on stating it in lofty terms and enshrining it in fancy bold type. It’s like saying maybe we are not really like that but we’d like to be.

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Make sustainability pay

Real changes don’t just sound good.

Unsustainable green initiatives make no sense. To be embedded in a business model, they need to impact on two things: cost and volume. Either they save money, or they produce more by using less.

It sounds simple, but sustainability is a tricky subject at any level.

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Staying simple in complex times

Does rapid change call for big shifts in strategy?

It’s all going quicker. Product cycles are shorter. So is time to market. And, so the logic goes, marketing strategies and selling propositions need to change as well. Is that right?

On the contrary, refocusing on your core message can guide you through the complexity and overthink that characterizes rapid change. It keeps the business grounded and the firm’s identity intact.

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How to maintain business passion

Your great idea and the three stages of love

You have a brilliant idea. Your boss will love it and you can already see your career growing on the back of it. Or maybe it’s an inspired concept for a new start-up. It’s the one that will launch your entrepreneurial dream.

This is love at first sight. You speak about it in those terms. It’s an expression of you; an extension of yourself. This perfect mate will help you manifest your real desires by creating something special.

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Inquisition versus Acquisition

The case for window shopping.

Mergers and acquisitions are exciting stuff. This is the sexy end of the growth equation. It’s all about structures and strategies, and trying to rearrange the mix so that one plus one equals three. If you like strategic board games, you’ll love this.

Sadly, in the real world one plus one usually equals only one – or less. The history of M&A is atrocious and the list of casualties grows each year. Why is that?

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