Why strategy books are more interesting than self-help books

Why strategy books are more interesting than self-help books

Self-help is a huge genre of business books. They mostly leave me flat. I admit I’m biased. I started with advantages both economic and talentwise. I’ve always believed I could do things — at least academic and career-type things — so doubt was rarely a problem. But put my biases aside for a moment. I…

As a patient, how do you prepare?

As a patient, how do you prepare?

A business leader preparing for a strategic shift begins by gathering resources: preparing for the future, determining and communicating strategy, gathering financial assets, and applying talented teams and workers. But in our personal lives, we rarely think that way. We should. Planning for medical challenges I’m in this situation now. My wife will have shoulder…

Why you should write a strategy document — even if it’s just for yourself
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Why you should write a strategy document — even if it’s just for yourself

Writing a strategy document is the best way to make sure you, your business, or your organization move forward in a thoughtful way. It’s a discipline you should follow. What is a strategy document? “What is strategy?” is a tricky question, addressed by everyone from Michael Porter to every boss on the planet. But there’s…

Stop chasing your tail. Think a few weeks ahead. Your crisis messaging demands it.

Stop chasing your tail. Think a few weeks ahead. Your crisis messaging demands it.

It’s hard to think long-term right now, with everything changing rapidly. But you don’t have to react — and communicate — as if your time horizon is measured in hours. Think a few weeks ahead, and your messaging will look a lot smarter. I thought of this because of the string of messages I got…

You’re sharing essential content. Here’s how to get colleagues to read it.

You’re sharing essential content. Here’s how to get colleagues to read it.

As I work with companies on internal communication, I see amazing and pervasive levels of inefficiency and waste. These groups work hard, generate valuable content, and then despair when it has less impact than they had hoped. This is fixable. I’ll share six ways you can change what and how you write to properly value…

A monopoly always prioritizes strategy over customers. That explains a lot.

A monopoly always prioritizes strategy over customers. That explains a lot.

The alternate title for this post was “Why things suck.” I’ve been analyzing corporate behavior for 25 years. I’ve covered Microsoft, Comcast, Facebook, sports leagues, and government. And one simple statement — monopolies prioritize strategy over customers — explains so much. Monopolies are not evil. It’s not that they don’t care. It’s just that once…

A play-by-play analysis of what ESPN said about firing 100 on-air personalities
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A play-by-play analysis of what ESPN said about firing 100 on-air personalities

Sports network ESPN dumped 100 of its 1,000 on-air staff yesterday. Why? Based on the company’s statement it has something to do with strategy, but if you can figure out what that strategy is, you’re smarter than me. The statement seems like something from the Russian government published in Pravda — you need to be a Kremlinologist…