Don't Leave Change to Chance ... Gain the Edge and Beat the Odds

         Make your own history and invent your future, constantly. Apply the basics dynamically. Don’t deny the potential of the force of insight from data analytics, but don’t rely on technology or data scientists to rescue your future.         From the days of the Silk Road and forever after, in business it is always the age of “uncertainty” and the age of “flux and agility.” Remember, the choice to shape your own tomorrow is yours—and it has always been that way. “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” —Alan Kay, Computer Scientist         The future belongs to leaders who have the will and the foresight to allow themselves and their organizations to use the force of data analytics as the wind in the sails of their imagination and innovation. The best tennis players understand that a good tennis racket may help improve their game, but will not make...

        History, the great teacher, suggests that the basics of strategizing, blocking, and tackling have not changed over decades and perhaps over centuries. Strategy formulation has always been a lot more than tinkering with process.  History also points to the source of failure: refusal to alter our mindset and approach in order to deal with change and uncertainty.         The challenge ahead is how to adhere to the basics of business while breaking the rules and detaching from old habits. Experts over the ages agree that good strategy is rooted in figuring out “what not to do.” Apply that advice when planning for your future: choose not to strategize statically in a dynamic world. Decide to challenge yourself and alter your thinking and actions. Lip service around change and agility will not result in success! “Going to church doesn’t make YOU a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes YOU a car.” —Billy Sunday, Baseball Hero ...

    The future will be ruled by visionary leaders who are not derailed by the hoopla of big data and analytics and are focused on comprehension, innovation, and strategy. Leaders who see information and data as a critical asset and not just a byproduct of doing business will gain the winning edge by discovering advantages and adjusting course as needed.     The force of insight from data is without a doubt massive and getting increasingly more powerful. Although technology facilitates the access to the force and the insight it carries, it does not guarantee a win in the marketplace. Advantages don’t magically appear because we are “competing on analytics.”  They are a result of “competing on analytically informed strategies.”     Fuel your strategies with a constant flow of innovation coupled with rapid and decisive actions.  Put this force data analytics and its offspring, insight, behind your thinking and doing. Com...

Many people think that businesses should develop a strategy and stick to it at all costs ...  But Sid Mohasseb, serial entrepreneur, investor, venture capitalist, and former the Head of Strategic Innovation for KPMG’s Strategy Practice teaches an entirely different approach: It’s the ability to adjust your strategy, almost constantly, that brings success. The environment is uncertain and changing, and changing with it is vital. Sid teaches that we must push for more and evolve from one approach to another.  For the full article by Skip Prichard < Click Here > 

“It is the economy, stupid” was the campaign slogan that fueled Bill Clinton’s win over George H. Bush.  In the today’s competitive world “it is comprehension” of data and analytics that will drive success. Newton’s second law of motion suggests that force is expanded as the mass of an object and its acceleration are increased. Force equals mass times acceleration ( F=ma) and when either element increases, the force expands. In other words, faster speed of change imposed on a larger body of matter leads to an amplified force.  That is the story of data today—more data created at a faster pace generating greater force. More computing power coupled with the trends in digitization (turning data into machine readable format) has led to the creation of a tremendously large body of data (the mass). On the other hand, advancements in technology and shifts in consumer use patterns have caused an increase in the speed of change (the acceleration). The combination of these two factors h...

Permanent and absolute wins in the business world are marvels of the past... Visit Post: < Click Here >  The competitive world of tomorrow is “Do or Die,” to succeed you must understand and overcome the natural frictions.                                  Chapter 6 –   The Caterpillar’s Edge

I have learned from many over the years: my clients, my colleagues—those who invested in my companies and entrepreneurs that I believed in and invested in—my students, my mentors, and my teachers. I am grateful to all for helping me shape my thoughts.   In writing this book the following individuals were particularly generous with their time and thoughtfulness.   Donald Beall Former CEO and Chairman of Rockwell International and former board member for Procter & Gamble, Amoco, and Time Warner. A true leader of complexity. Austin Beutner Co-founder of Evercore Partners (the investment banking group with over $1.2 billion revenues in 2015); former First Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles; and past publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union- Tribune. An expert in spotting opportunities and executing flawlessly. Adam Coates An MIT Technology Review recognized under-35 innovator, a Stanford University ...