My introduction to the issue of risk in business decision making came rather abruptly and rudely during what I thought was going to be another routine quarterly business review with the executive committee. My particular agenda item was to present the business case for a “lite” version of one of
Somewhat surprisingly, we all probably know what we mean when we use strategy as an adjective, “strategic”, but manage to make a complete muddle out of the word as a noun, “strategy”. Can our tactics be strategic? I would think yes, if they are in accordance with some strategy. Can
The term “military intelligence” is often put forth as the epitome of an oxymoron, and while it is true that many military processes and approaches do not easily make the transition to the business world, there are several that should not be overlooked, intelligence being one of the most significant.
At the beginning of each year our Scout Troop puts the newly elected boy leaders through JLT, Junior Leader Training, in order to prepare them for the roles they will assume within the troop. About mid-way through the day-long training session, after we have covered the duties of all the
When I attend a conference as a participant, one constructive practice I have acquired is to, immediately after completing the post-conference evaluation form, create my own personal “take away” worksheet. Nothing complicated, just two columns which can be labeled left/right, debit/credit, sooner/later, or plain/peanut. Don’t attempt to create this worksheet
This Tuesday, I had the opportunity to participate in a half-day seminar on “What Sustainability Means to a Company’s Bottom Line.” The event was hosted by SAS in our green LEED-certified Canadian Headquarters in Toronto. As I was preparing for the seminar, I reflected on the topic at hand. I
The announcement that SAS’ new conference center will support LEED standards is a great opportunity to ponder some of the converging trends in environmental sustainability. With evidence that the economic benefits rival the environmental gain, companies are really taking notice. The Climate Counts Scorecard showcases companies taking steps to mitigate
I'm writing from the freezing cold press room in a resort in sunny Orlando, Florida, where SAS is hosting its annual customer and executive conference, SAS Global Forum. Amid the buzz from journalists arranging interviews with SAS customers, executives and industry thought leaders like Guy Kawasaki and Thornton May, I
(editor's note: our first guest post comes from SAS Strategist Gary Cokins.) I don’t know why I was recently surprised to see tangible evidence of performance management applied by public sector organizations. I know that its components – such as strategy maps, balanced scorecards and activity-based costing – are common
