Learning To Smile As You Kill
Politics in business is an inevitability and so to solemnly declare that you are not going to play the game is rather naive. Simply put, others are playing the game…
The Great Training Robbery
One of the critical foundations of a successful and sustainable company is the ability to generate, nurture and regenerate talent on an ongoing basis. To enable…
Surviving Short Circuits
We have spoken a number of times before about the vast amounts of data and input that modern leaders have to analyze and make judgments on. A number of studies have…
Press Release
FORMER U.K. CONSUL GENERAL RUPERT POTTER JOINS GROWING INTERNATIONAL FIRM, OPTIMIZE CONSULTING Brexit creates great opportunity for adaptable, proactive businesses.…
Embracing the Imposter
Way back in 2008 the New York Times ran a great article on managers and professionals who suffer from feelings of fraudulence or inadequacy at work and we still…
Upside Down, Right Side Up
As we charge toward the final quarter of the year thoughts will soon inevitably turn toward the dreaded annual appraisals – the performance review. We don’t…
The Customer Management Myth
Our view on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is unambiguous. For us it is all about getting the right product, to the right customer, at the right time, via…
In Sickness and in Health
We often hear and talk about the ‘healthy organization’ and whilst corporate health is talked about quite a lot, a true understanding of the importance of monitoring…
Winning Ways
Today, organizations of all kinds are re-evaluating their strategies as they face unprecedented levels of change in their industries and the world. While the strategic…
Differing Dimensions
All organizations operate in two dimensions: the dimension of getting the work done (which is the horizontal dimension) and the dimension of reporting relationships…
Soft is Hard
Making organizational change stick for performance improvement initiatives is difficult. Different functions with different priorities and often distinct cultures…
A Transformation Tale
Transformations call for more than rhetoric and superficial conversations around change. Old and existing habits need to be challenged and potentially discarded…
If You Can Measure It, You Can Manage It
While too many companies measure the wrong thing or measure what can be measured as opposed to what should be measured, measurement is still a required function…
Meeting Mayhem
With the first day of summer upon us our thoughts naturally turn to BBQ’s, beaches, and vacations. It’s the time of year when we can easily find ourselves daydreaming…
Cracking Complexity
We view complexity in two ways. First there is the institutional complexity – which results from the number and types of interaction within the organization. This…
Simple Service Secrets
Good customer service is considered a valuable asset but the reality is that it’s actually a fundamental in delivering a sustainable organization. If you are aware…
The Dog Ate My Homework
A common response to the realization that you occasionally work from home is the question “How do you concentrate?” This is natural, given that many office-bound…
Fluffy Facts
Lots of companies are doing lots of things in the name of employee engagement and there is plenty of research out there to give them good reason to do so. Depending…
Time Lapse
In our experience too many leadership teams squander the most precious resource that they have – time. Although time is the scarcest resource in any company (not…
Attitude Adjustment
Providing outstanding customer service is one of the most rewarding yet challenging activities within any organization. Exceptional organizations that provide outstanding…