Four tests McKinsey authors Andrew Campbell and Jo Whitehead request managers and leaders to do before engaging in an instinct-based decision making process. Doing Familiarity, Feedback, Measured-Emotion and Independence tests do trigger events that would allow the human mind to be more conscious! The article does not specify what types of instinct-based decisions...

Many of today’s managers underestimate the essence and impact of their organizational cultures. The elements that control work places, values, ethics, and the untold rules and stories are often ignored, and business strategies, alone, are assumed to do the job. Drucker’s statement “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is wholeheartedly...

This is an insightful piece of work by Sanjay Khosla and Mohanbir Sawhney, published recently at Strategy+Business. Though people could argue that nothing new in this proposition, and companies did actually narrowed their expansions and growth plans, and focused more on their current offerings and inititated massive gigantic cost-cutting and optimization...

Interesting article by CCL. “The goal of leadership initiatives is to improve the ability of individuals and organizations to set direction, gain commitment and create alignment. But what specifically can be developed in people that will contribute to their effectiveness as leaders? The new edition of The Center for Creative Leadership Handbook of Leadership...

Good articulation of McGregor X & Y Theory and nice addition by having the U ‘Utopia’ and T ‘Tragic’. The full article can be read on Booz&Company here. To summarize: Theory X: “Theory X says that the average human being is lazy and self-centered, lacks ambition, dislikes change, and longs to be told what to do. The...

In addition to McKinsey ideas on how to avoid bias in meetings; I also suggest using techniques like the Six Thinking Hats approach. I’ve blogged about it here. In this technique, you ask one of your audience to wear the hat of optimism, while another one wears the hat of pessimism, other with the hat of facts, hat of creativity, and hat of intuition, and you...

This is an article that I could not wait but to blog about. The article discusses bad management practices on top talents and over-performers in today’s organizations. Mr. Smith article is very insightful and it does reflect the general sentiments in today’s markets as well it probably touches on every potential leader or top talent. In such...