“It would be better if everyone worked together as a system.” W. Edwards Deming These few, simple words reveal a mindset and worldview capable of transforming everything we do. Transforming what? A divisive, zero-sum-game way of doing business and managing/controlling people. If the tragedy of the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we […]
Goldman Sachs is WRONG About Managing Remote Work
Goldman Sachs wants its people back on the office five days a week. Thank you Janet Granger for sharing the article with us: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/14/goldman-sachs-wants-workers-in-office-5-days-a-week-and-other-companies-could-follow.html The CEO of Goldman Sachs even considers remote work an “aberration” and said “I do think for a business like ours which is an innovative, collaborative apprenticeship culture, this is not […]
Systemic Leaders Who Get the Big Picture – Here’s How
The City of Cambridge in Massachusetts has released a leadership profile for their next City Manager. We were thrilled to read the description in the Harvard Crimson: The City Manager will demonstrate an ability to work closely and creatively with the City Council, City departments, stakeholders, and residents,” the profile reads. “The ideal candidate will […]
Peace Is a Mindset and a Thought Process
This photo was published yesterday on Twitter by Marcus Yam, a journalist from Los Angeles, who received the heart embroidered by the little girl while they were sheltering in the subway in Kyiv. For those of us who grew up with parents or grandparents who remembered World War II, the notion of being at war […]
Domenico Lepore on Deming and Goldratt and a Better Way Ahead
We have all been saddened by the events this week in Europe. In these troubling times, the teachings of W. Edwards Deming remind us that we all have the power to raise humanity’s efforts to a level where everyone wins through wise and intelligent management. Yes, this is possible, and it’s been our mission for […]
Business Performance Metrics Every Entrepreneur Needs
“Without this information I would have gone out of business long ago.” Those are the words of a CEO in a recent conversation and he was not talking about Cost Accounting. Cost Accounting is not giving companies all the information they really need. That may seem astonishing but it is a fact. There is a […]
Get Your Focus Back with an Antidote to Distraction – a Systems Approach
Your focus is more scattered now. This appears to be a fact. Whatever you are trying to achieve in your business or personal life is being undermined by a lack of focus. It’s not your fault. An article this week in Fast Company states that our attention has been “stolen by big and powerful forces”. […]
Organize, Control, Compete: Building Sustainable Growth for Businesses
The Problem Every business needs to grow to succeed. But company leaders feel torn: while they must develop and expand to succeed, at the same time, they must have control over the way they operate and manage risk. Trying to satisfy these needs simultaneously often leads to a situation of blockage, even paralysis. The context of the […]
The Biggest Bottleneck for Business Today is Management
Why is management the problem? Because the scenario in which companies operate is radically different from even 20 years ago. Digital technology and the complexity of a global environment impact every business in every sector. Human expectations and wants have evolved so that simple, top-down interactions are insufficient. And yet management style, methods and […]
20 Leadership Takeaways for Today’s Scenario (Part Two)
In Part One of this post, we stated that it was a joy for us at Intelligent Management to read an interview with Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips (over 80,000 employees worldwide) and to discover how much it mirrors the work we are doing with our own clients. It is a constant source of satisfaction […]
