A few years ago, I had a moment of realization that changed the way I think about leadership. I was working on a particularly thorny challenge one of those problems that doesn’t have a clear solution, just layers upon layers of shifting variables. At some point, I found myself longing for a simpler time, a …
Yes, we know—it’s a bit of a cliché to start a Women’s Day post with Maya Angelou. But honestly, nobody puts it better than she does. So sometimes, cliches are good. “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them …
Ed Catmull, the co-founder of Pixar, has been known to say that he considers smart people, working together as more important than good ideas. To some that is quite shocking, coming from a creative powerhouse that has spawned ideas into blockbusters. But, a closer look at Pixar’s culture reveals that collaborating may actually be Pixar’s …
On January 27, 1967, a cabin fire occurred during a pre-launch test of the Apollo 1 spacecraft, resulting in the tragic deaths of all three astronauts aboard: Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee. A huge blow to the morale of the team and the engineers at NASA. A massive overhaul ensued in engineering, flight …
In 1911, Endicott, New York, a company called “Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR)” was founded by Herman Hollerith, Charles Flint and Thomas J. Watson Sr. A company we now know as IBM. The founders enshrined three core values into the company: “Respect for the individual”, “The best customer service” and “The pursuit of excellence”. The values that were meant …
Analysts refer to LEGO as the Apple of Toys. And the system continues to thrive. LEGO’s steadfast belief in continuously learning, experimenting and reinventing, speaks to our research on the attributes that make businesses thrive and be resilient in the face of chaos and complexity.
What does it take for companies to go from ‘good’ to ‘great’? As per Jim Collins’ work on great organisations, one of the important factors in going from ‘good’ to ‘great’ is getting the right people on the bus. Imagine your organisation as a bus and you are the bus driver. The company is at …
We want to share a story with you; a true story. The setting is a corporate boardroom after a poor quarter. The Managing Director asks, very calmly, but seriously, on how the team feels the quarter went. One by one, each functional leader speaks. Each of them is well prepared, anticipating the question and keen …
‘I’m so used to focusing on getting things done all the time, that I no longer know how to find that calm, peaceful space within me where I find clarity. I know I need time to reflect, to be with myself with no agenda, and the answers will emerge – but I haven’t done that …
In his book, The Ride of a Lifetime, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, compellingly tells the story of the time he was in Shanghai to open Disney’s first park in China. He was preparing for a grand, star-studded event, when he got the news of a little boy succumbing to an alligator attack in …
