Humility And Hubris

by

A recent article in Harvard Business Review (by John Dame and Jeffrey Gedmin: 11:00 AM September 9, 2013) spoke of executive humility. They suggest several points of effectiveness to achieve a humility posture: Resist falling for your own publicity. Never underestimate the competition. Embrace and promote a spirit of service. Listen, even (no, especially) to the weird ideas. Be passionately curious. Hubris is just the opposite: It conforms to our individualism, narcissism, pride of position …

Read more

“The Numinous”

by

It’s from the Latin “numen” meaning a nod or beckoning, particularly the nod of the Gods of ancient myth. It was rediscovered and brought into western thinking by the German Philosopher/Theologian Rudolf Otto in his book “The Holy” (“Das Heilige”) first published in 1917. Otto began a shift away from the rationalism and speculative side of the enlightenment and more toward an “irrational” side of religious understanding; a sense of “power” and “mystery” and a …

Read more

The Biggest Myth About Social Media

by

Marketing folks are fascinated by social media, but does investing heavily in social media really work? Does it help companies keep customers and find new ones? According to a Gallup research study of more than 17,000 social media users discovered: “Social media initiatives drive customer loyalty and acquisition.” This is the biggest myth about social media. The Gallup study indicates that “brand-sponsored social media initiatives have very little impact on customer decision making. Nor do …

Read more

Learning: Building Technical Chops

by

In working with clients we are always emphasizing learning and the building of knowledge; many forms of course from the detailed technical to the integrated experiential. It is completely surprising in this current environment that many folks (working and not working) do not work at learning and often are adamant about why (too many work hours, too many responsibilities, too tired, etc, etc, etc. . .) In Forbes this past summer (Jason Nazar | Forbes – Fri, …

Read more

Ignorance Is No Excuse

by

Bill can’t understand why his people are discouraged and frustrated. After a couple of slow years, the company is busy again so there’s plenty of work. No fairness or compensation issues have been raised. He is keeping everyone aware of their progress and communicating his expectation that goals must be achieved to accelerate their progress. So why do many in the company seem so negative? Peter Drucker and other gurus have been credited with saying: …

Read more

Liminality

by

It’s from the Latin “limen”: a threshold, a door, a passage and in our time refers to psychological or metaphysical state of being; to discuss psychological states; rituals of passage. Increasingly the word usage can be found in psychological & theological literature recognizing a sense of the holy, the sacred, and the transcendent; often the threshold between consciousness & unconsciousness (“subliminal”). Some examples from life: The feeling of always being in between and never “there” …

Read more

The Fall

by

PROJECT ONE:   “The Fall” Robert Alter/Michelangelo/GenesisMini-course on GenesisConducted by Vic Pergola We Need You:6 volunteers (first-come, first-serve)      Strong commitment to complete series When:Five Thursdays in Oct/NovOct 10th, 17th, 24th: Nov 7th, 14th 6:30-8:30 pm >Content:  We will use the book by Robert Alter: “Genesis: Translation & Commentary” Session One:  A review of the Creation Account (Alter’s Introduction) Session Two:  Chapter One: Genesis (Alter Book + Biblical account) Session Three:  Chapter Two: Genesis (Alter Book + Biblical …

Read more

Competitive Advantages Don’t Last Forever

by

Business needs evolve over time. The distinctive offering that drives your growth today has been productive because it enabled your company to solve your customers’ problems and produce value for them better than anyone else. But tomorrow those same customers will have different challenges. Will you be ready to meet them? Today’s competitive advantage will not produce the same value for your customers tomorrow.  Like you, your customers must remain competitive so their needs and challenges will change.  Remaining …

Read more

What Is Your Distinctive Competence?

by

In their book, Tuned In (Stull, Myers & Scott), the authors use the term “distinctive competence” to define the unique value produced by an organization for their customers. This is not your core competence but rather an outward looking principle that is more profound than what your company does well and more vital for your sustainable growth. Customers choose to work with companies that solve their problems better than anyone else. You earn this preference by gaining a comprehensive understanding …

Read more

Purpose Is Power

by

We all recently relived the horrific events that seared the date of September 11th into our memories. It was a tragic day, but it provoked in us a realization of common purpose that many had forgotten. Do you recall the pride and energy that our shared purpose aroused in us? There are days when you feel like your business is under attack. Meeting rapid fire challenges drains the energy in your organization and can cause …

Read more