Prior to taking my executive MBA course in Global Leadership in Singapore, the students (many of whom are middle or senior managers working for global firms) are required to complete a brief assignment and answer several questions. One of these questions is why it is important for them to want to be a leader. Over […]
I met Jacques Renard in Shanghai a few years ago, where he was CFO of the subsidiary of a global consumer products company. A French national, Jacques has had a long career as an expatriate for his company; the last time he worked in his native France was fifteen years ago. He has been assigned to Austria, Warsaw, […]
A recent New York Times Sunday magazine article featured the work of Ellen Langer, Psychology professor at Harvard and one of the pioneers of the concept of mindfulness. This term is almost a buzzword these days, and is used often by those who lean towards meditation and Zen philosophy. For example, Chade-Meng Tan has developed […]
In his book, The Checklist Manifesto, Dr. Atul Gawande writes about what Wal-Mart did in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. As you may recall, this was a major disaster in New Orleans, where 80 percent of the city was flooded and 20,000 refugees were stranded at the New Orleans Superdome. Another 20,000 were at the […]
A recent “Idea Watch” article in Harvard Business Review reported on some new research that Carol Dweck and her colleagues are conducting. As some of you are aware, Dweck popularized the concept of “growth mindset” (versus a fixed mindset). People with a growth mindset, according to her early research, enjoy challenges, strive to learn and […]
Many years ago, while consulting with the Customer Service unit of a consumer products company, I came across a book by Jan Carlzon, then president of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), called “Moments of Truth.” This phrase, which has now entered the business vocabulary, described the contact between a customer and a company representative that can […]
In her book “Overwhelmed” (on the pressures of work-life balance, among other topics), Brigit Schulte describes her trip to Denmark and her interviews with working couples there. Here’s what she writes about work life in that country: “Danes don’t live to work. Danes work hard … but they work in a very focused way. Lunch […]
“Culture” has been in the business news again lately, from General Motors’ failure to recall its faulty ignition switches to the replacement of an outsider for Target’s new CEO. Those of us who have worked for more than one company, and/or have friends and acquaintances who work for different companies, know how powerful corporate culture can […]
Free food! Subsidies for buying hybrid cars! No lay-off policies! Paternity leaves! Employee sabbaticals! No more performance appraisals! The list of perks, benefits and organizational practices is almost endless, and as many managers know, simply benchmarking or imitating practices or benefits what some of the “great places to work” employers offer is no guarantee that […]
Wal-Mart in Korea … Best Buy in China … Tesco in the U.S. … The list of companies that have tried to expand internationally and have failed is long indeed, as my students learn in my classes in International Business. Of course, there are companies that have also been successful as they internationalized, such as […]