Posts Tagged ‘economy’

Have we entered a New Normal? Hardly.

I have a bone to pick with the phrase “The New Normal” and how frequently it’s being tossed around these days. Yes, we’re emerging from a disastrous global economic crisis. In the aftermath of a tsunami, it’s tempting to look around and call the new landscape “The New Normal.”
My discomfort derives from the [...]

Your business model, strategy, organization & execution: A year of CEO Challenges!

It seems like only yesterday that we were throwing around ideas for what would become the CEO Challenge. It’s been a year now, and we’re so pleased with the feedback we’ve received from clients, colleagues and collaborators. Seems we’ve struck a few chords, and that’s great to hear, especially because our messages aren’t always pleasant. “Your business model is Best of the Worst! Your organization is in chaos! You need to think like a Chief Revenue Officer!”

This month, Jane and I decided to revisit the twelve posts we’ve published to date. For those of you who have been reading a while … how many of these Challenges have you accepted? Have you implemented the action plans?

You know the saying about assumptions. Why are you still making them?

Assumption testing has always been important in organizations. Right now, however, it’s more critical than ever. Markets are evolving so fast that the wrong assumptions can be fatal.

Worse yet, an organization’s inability to routinely identify and test assumptions is a cultural defect that can be very difficult to correct.

Rick and I often see this problem when we participate in leadership meetings held by our clients. During these meetings, we frequently hear executives mistakenly state assumptions as if they were facts.

How To Fix A BOTW Business Model

It’s strategic planning and budgeting season. The end of a difficult 2009 and possibly a new beginning for your business. What are you thinking about doing differently next year? Are you setting more ambitious revenue goals, or are you trying to slash costs as much as humanly possible? Are you launching a new product or service, or are you contracting your offerings? Will you fix small nagging problems, or will you reinvent your business model?

In this post, I’ll address your business model and how you can change it this next year to evolve from Best of the Worst (“BOTW”) to Best of the Best (“BOTB”).