Yes, President Trump capitulated last Friday, and the U.S. government is once again open for business. But his quest for a wall isn’t going away, and it has nothing to do with securing our borders. Instead, Trump is looking to establish a symbol of his legacy that works better on Instagram than a presidential library. …more
I think we can all agree that a consultancy does not want to see this headline on the cover of The New York Times. “Turning Tyranny Into a Client” That’s the headline that greeted the good folks at McKinsey over Sunday brunch. As discussed last week, the clients of a professional services firm …more
As the world becomes increasingly transparent, professional service firms need to know more about their clients and their potential clients. You may have read how the management consulting firm McKinsey took on an assignment with the South African government and the state-owned power company, Eskom. The story did NOT have a happy ending, tarring the …more
I wrote an opinion piece in VentureBeat a few years back titled, “Attention U.S. Startups, Don’t Ignore China.” The punchline — Virtually every startup should have a China strategy. Fast forwarding to today, startups in the U.S. are starting to back off in China. This assessment isn’t based on data; it’s more anecdotal and a …more
I’ve written several posts on how organizations select communication services. Even after 30+ years, I’m still thinking there’s got to be a better way. In cases in which Procurement leads the charge, the process feels more like a tussle than a process of getting to know each other. Speaking of a better way, …more
Tech companies more than any other industry recognize that their ability to recruit A+ talent has a say in their long-term success. Magnifying the issue, the tech sector has been on a roll, and the talent pool hasn’t kept pace. With demand out of whack with supply, there’s even more pressure on companies to do …more
We tend to correlate experience with stronger leadership. The common Steve Jobs narrative swings from impetuous youth to lessons learned. It stands to reason that people who have been tested when things didn’t go according to plan — “What do you mean an impromptu YouTube video just went live with our head our marketing giving …more
Between the internet, social media and human beings’ proclivity for talking, transparency is the rage. Companies figure that even sensitive information — especially sensitive information — eventually finds its way to the outside world, so they’re better off sharing their perspective before the grapevine kicks into gear. Yet, there’s zero transparency in the letters that …more
And people say my PowerPoint decks are too long. This year’s treatise on the internet from Mary Meeker weighs in at 294 slides. After reviewing the presentation, I’ve captured the slides that got my attention. Take Immigrants Out of the U.S. Tech Industry, and the Equation Changes . Thought Bubble: At a time when …more
