Far too many organizations do a poor job of translating their well-formulated strategies into their anticipated results. Whether related to unclear goals, lack of accountability or undertaking activities irrelevant to results, the inability to deliver comes from poor execution. To actively manage your organization so that everyone is working toward a common vision, strategy and set of priorities requires aligning “seven gears of execution” to alleviate the friction that’s slowing you down. These involve ensuring you have the right people in the right roles with the right capabilities; you align your organizational architecture in the direction of your strategy; you…

Prior to his private sector career, Mike served as a paratrooper in the special operations, and as Captain of the 2/2 Armored Cavalry Regiment for the U.S. Army. He oversaw border security during the collapse of the Berlin Wall in the late 1980s. In the second Gulf War he was an integral part of the victory in the battle of 73 Easting – regarded as one of the top ten most significant tank battles in history. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star for Valor, the Combat Cavalry Badge, and Presidential Citation; and received medals for the Kuwaiti Liberation,…

At one time or another we’ve all had a bad boss – whether it’s through bullying and intimidation, unfair feedback or unrealistic workloads. Their behaviour sets the tone for what’s acceptable at work and can cause major issues for productivity, staff turnover and wellbeing, especially in turbulent times we’re experiencing. In a tough or toxic […]

Executives around the world are scrambling to cope with a tsunami of crises: a global pandemic, shattered economies, trillions in debt, and more. Yet there’s a specific group of people who can single handedly make—or break—your organization’s response to it all: the board. Best-in-class boards create the agility to adapt to rapid growth, looming recessions, and unexpected shocks. But broken boards, or those that are simply inefficient, create environments where failures and scandals easily take hold (think: Boeing, Volkswagen, and FIFA). Today, this risk of disaster is tenfold. Professor Cossin is the founder and director of the IMD Global Board…

The coronavirus pandemic came from out of the blue and infected hundreds of thousands around the globe, causing more than 1.3 million deaths to date. It also shuttered businesses, affecting 3.3 billion jobs. COVID ambushed the lives of people globally. Whether affected by the pandemic or some other unforeseen and monumental setback, we have to find a way to move beyond anger, guilt, emptiness or pain. We must adopt a mindset that it’s not only possible to overcome adversity, but it’s imperative. Adopting an overcome mindset will compel us to learn acceptance, choose action over inaction and triumph over adversity.

Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on people stuff in leadership. She helps leaders and teams overcome silos and turf wars to work better together. She has worked with individual teams internationally and in Australia since 1987. From the wild rivers of northern Ontario to the remote regions of Australia, Zoë has spent the last thirty years showing teams struggling with office politics and silos how to work better together. Zoë is the author of four books: Composure - How centered leaders make the biggest impact, Moments - Leadership when it matters most and Loyalty - Stop unwanted…