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Identify Strategic Thinking with One Simple Question
I used to work on a research team for a company that produced an operational risk software product. I always found it interesting how different members of the same team answered an important question: what do you do? Here is the way Person A and Person B...
4 Reasons Business Intelligence Systems are Like an (Unused) Gym Membership
My business intelligence (BI) and analytics software salesman friend said something interesting to me the other day over lunch. He said, “I don't sell software, I sell gym memberships. When someone joins a gym they are not really buying the membership....
Don’t Be THAT Guy!
A very distraught woman (we’ll refer to her as Vera) recently called the Balanced Scorecard Institute office in panic. Vera: “Hello? I need those flags. Can you please overnight the flags to me? It’s urgent!” Us: “Excuse me? I think you may have the wrong...
The “Words with Friends” Strategy Disruption
Umiaq is defined as a large open Inuit or Eskimo boat made of skins stretched on a wooden frame, usually propelled by paddles. I looked it up only because my Words with Friends opponent just played that word. There are several possible explanations for...
In Search of the Canadian Hippo
During the years we lived in Canada, my family became fond of Canadian Heritage Moments. These were sixty-second vignettes that depicted formative moments in Canadian history. One of my favorites has the intrepid French explorer Jacques Cartier arriving in the valley...
“Fight” of the Bumblebee
Have you heard the common legend that scientists have proven that bumblebees, in terms of aerodynamics, can’t fly? This is a myth that came about because about eighty years ago an aerodynamicist made this statement based on an assumption that the bees’ wings were a...
Wigs, Pigs, and Desserts
Some of our clients use Franklin Covey’s methods to improve human and organizational performance, including the use of WIGs (Wildly Important Goals). I’ve wrestled with how to integrate Covey’s approach, which is sometimes loosely or creatively applied,...
What’s the Value in Having Values?
“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” – Roy E. Disney Values can sometimes seem like the stepchild of strategic planning. The guts of a strategic plan can include a results-oriented vision translated into specific...
Hungry for Some Perspectives?
One of the participants in a recent Balanced Scorecard Professional Certification workshop was struggling with the difference between Strategic Themes and Balanced Scorecard Perspectives. In fact, he fundamentally questioned the need for both. His argument was that...
Are Strategic “Leaps of Logic” Leaving You Dazed and Confused?
Have you ever known someone whose brain works faster than they can talk or write? They often appear to be making leaps of logic when actually, their brain is working through logical steps but they are only communicating their first and last thought in the...