Saturday, July 20, 2019
Strategic Flexibility
Warren Buffet about Noah’s ark - “Predicting rain doesn’t count. Building arks does.” Think about it...action speaks louder than words!
Technological/digital revolution and expanding globalization are creating a new competitive landscape, whereby your survival and sustainability depends on your strategic flexibility or agility. The strategic transformation is imperative to any firm or professional to develop and maintain competitive advantage successfully. Hence, according to Shimizu & Hitt (2004), an organization is required to exercise strategic leadership, develop dynamic core competences, focus and develop human capital, effectively use data, new information, digital technologies, employ valuable strategies (exploiting global markets and partnership strategies) and implementing new organizational structures and culture (horizontal organization, learning and innovative culture, managing firm as bundles of assets). Thus, the new competitive landscape will require people with exceptional talents, new leadership skills or professionals with flexible attitudes for survival and global market transformation.
I previously worked with a large company B in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry. The CEO created a group call ‘Macro-strategy,’ which had the mandate of communicating the firm’s strategy throughout the company on a weekly basis. Thus, it was able to inform the heads of departments of any environmental changes in the industry so that the they in turn could also debrief their direct reports on a weekly basis. They have the ability to circumnavigate effectively in any new competitive landscape, build and maintain competitive advantage in cooperation with any department of the company. For example, it was once discovered that an employee of one of the company’s department had attracted HIV. The Macro-strategy group used its strategic flexibility mechanisms to resolve the issue effectively and efficiently. They worked with the operations department to suspend the employee with pay, got him immediate medical assistance, destroyed all of the six sub-categories of products that the employee had worked on and touched. Offered to reimburse any customer who had purchased products from that specific department within the past four weeks, the same tenure of the employee. Lastly, they issued a public apology to all customers. The result was a success and the customer trust and goodwill of the company was maintained. The Macro-strategy group had the strategic flexibility ability of making certain that the company responds to changes in the environment in a timely and appropriate manner with due regard to the competitive forces in the marketplace.
A former CEO of Gap Inc., used to work for this company B, and was able to bring the same strategic flexibility, policies and practices to the Gap Inc. According to Hatch and Zweig (2001), sustainability is established by aligning strategy closely with the supporting activities. They posited that The Gap is one example of tight alignment between activities and the underlying strategy. The Gap has closely aligned its inventory replenishment systems with its strategy of ensuring that the latest fashions are in the store quickly. Through its point-of-sale systems and highly efficient replenishment process, low-demand products are sold very quickly by aggressively discounting them. This makes way for faster-moving products and newer fashion lines. In this way, the Gap maintains fresh, up-to-date, highly demanded styles in its stores at all times—an essential component of its positioning. In my opinion, strategic flexibility helped Gap Inc. to increase its stock from an average of $16 per share (2005 – 2010) to $45 in 2013 just before the great CEO stepped down.
It is always a learning experience to understand how different organizations work along with different management perspectives. Consider how it resonates with your experience and how the strategy applies to your workplace or your personal life so that the process should result in insightful/learning moments. Try to gain additional insights as to how different strategies and perspectives transpire in different contexts. Finally, try to learn from the conceptual evidence provided in research, organizations or other people’s lives to gain insights on how strategic phenomena resonates with your experience, and engage in insightful meaningful discussion with yourself or your peers to improve your goals and objectives as they relate to your purpose in life.
"A life without trouble and vicissitudes is a life without progress. We can make even our greatest difficulties and failures our steppingstones on the upward climb toward success.." - Paramahansa Yogananda
You may connect with Elliot Wilson @: https://twitter.com/Ell_Wilson https://www.ellwilson.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Great Playbook for All Employees and Jobseekers!
"Bulletproof Your Career...Secure Your Financial Future and Do Fulfilling Work on Your
Own Terms... for LIFE!" -- Patricia Romboletti
I recently read a book entitled "Bulletproof Your Career." It's a great playbook for all employees and jobseekers! As an expert in business strategy and development, I have read many books, articles, concepts and theories including how to manage business, people and yourself. Accordingly, I am impressed with how the author of this book, Patricia Romboletti has been able to use her tremendous experience as a career and executive coach to provide this playbook to help individuals in these times of change to arm themselves, bullet proof their careers and secure their financial future.
This book would help any reader to understand that in the gig economy, transition is not a matter of “if” but a matter of “when.” Even if you have a great career and not in transition, you should have a blueprint to bulletproof your career. How do you that? This book provides simple and practical guidance to help every employee to prepare yourself for any career change intentionally or unintentionally. The book also provides some practical and positive suggestions based on the author’s own solid experience to arm individuals in transition who were shocked or found themselves unexpectedly in difficult transition. If one’s transitional situation becomes unmanageable, this book could also become your playbook to guide you to change your mindset positively and improve your situation.
Finally, this book would help the reader to understand that managing your career is an imperative lifetime skill that is very necessary for all employees to develop consistently. As the economy evolves more and more into digital economy including the adoption of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in industrial productivity, corporate downsizings, reorganizations, and transformations would inevitably continue. Therefore, I would highly recommend this book as it is critical for all individuals to bulletproof their careers, and consistently manage their careers as a lifetime pursuit. I deeply encourage you to get a copy on Amazon.com by clicking on this link: Bulletproof Your Career
Note: This blog is not an Ad or a promotion...just an encouragement to add value to your Life's Strategy!
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Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Solve Problems Creatively - Part 2
“The imagination is man's power over nature.” — Wallace Stevens
No matter what our circumstances might be at any particular point in time of our lives, we have to try to say — okay time out! Then make the time to think things over. It doesn't have to be rigid, but take some time to relax, and do something different. Go for a walk without any electronic devices, especially cellphone — unplug for few minutes and let your mind be free to wonder around or roam the world. You may even choose to roam the whole universe in your mind and nobody can stop you!
By allowing your mind to ROAM-DREAM-PLAY, you begin to forget about your problems temporarily. In this less stressful state, you are free to allow your mind to start germinating new seeds of ideas. Simply learn to grow your creative spirit by nurturing your inner seed of creativity. To be creative, you have to let your inner creative spirit flow freely!
Playful experimentation, and willingness to learn from mistakes, and persistence are some of the keys to unlock creativity. This means you should try to relax, have fun, do some physical exercises, or play a game by playing around with some new ideas. Write down all your thoughts even if at first they seem to be nonsensical. It is reasonably acceptable if you make some mistakes, learn from the mistakes and keep on trying again and again until you make some progress towards some useful solutions. Sometimes, if you feel you are not getting anywhere with new ideas, you just have to relax, let it go, sleep on it, and start afresh the following day.
Therefore, “Creativity = time + resources.” Like all important endeavours in life, to be creative in anything including solving your problems creatively, you need some form of dedication, motivation, taking time off your busy schedule, making yourself available to think things over, and start experimenting with some new ideas. It does requires some daily effort through perseverance until the goal is achieved.
Ruth Richards, a psychology professor at Saybrook University and Harvard Medical School, has discovered many reasons to start thinking creatively. Just writing everyday to express your thoughts has been shown to improve immune system functioning, reduce stress, and make you feel better to some degree. Engaging in creative behaviours makes us more dynamic, conscious, non-defensive, observant, collaborate, and more courageous. Creativity makes you more resilient, more vividly in the moment, and, at the same time, more connected to the world around you. How about that…try it now!
“Creativity provides opportunities for self actualization.” - Ruth Richards
"You have no idea how far you can fly, until you spread your wings" - A Wiseman
If you have any question, need any help in achieving your goal(s), or working strategically to grow your business, then do not hesitate to follow/connect with me @ www.google.com/+EllAWilson, www.linkedin.com/in/ellawilson, or www.twitter.com/#!/Ell_Wilson
No matter what our circumstances might be at any particular point in time of our lives, we have to try to say — okay time out! Then make the time to think things over. It doesn't have to be rigid, but take some time to relax, and do something different. Go for a walk without any electronic devices, especially cellphone — unplug for few minutes and let your mind be free to wonder around or roam the world. You may even choose to roam the whole universe in your mind and nobody can stop you!
By allowing your mind to ROAM-DREAM-PLAY, you begin to forget about your problems temporarily. In this less stressful state, you are free to allow your mind to start germinating new seeds of ideas. Simply learn to grow your creative spirit by nurturing your inner seed of creativity. To be creative, you have to let your inner creative spirit flow freely!
Playful experimentation, and willingness to learn from mistakes, and persistence are some of the keys to unlock creativity. This means you should try to relax, have fun, do some physical exercises, or play a game by playing around with some new ideas. Write down all your thoughts even if at first they seem to be nonsensical. It is reasonably acceptable if you make some mistakes, learn from the mistakes and keep on trying again and again until you make some progress towards some useful solutions. Sometimes, if you feel you are not getting anywhere with new ideas, you just have to relax, let it go, sleep on it, and start afresh the following day.
Therefore, “Creativity = time + resources.” Like all important endeavours in life, to be creative in anything including solving your problems creatively, you need some form of dedication, motivation, taking time off your busy schedule, making yourself available to think things over, and start experimenting with some new ideas. It does requires some daily effort through perseverance until the goal is achieved.
Ruth Richards, a psychology professor at Saybrook University and Harvard Medical School, has discovered many reasons to start thinking creatively. Just writing everyday to express your thoughts has been shown to improve immune system functioning, reduce stress, and make you feel better to some degree. Engaging in creative behaviours makes us more dynamic, conscious, non-defensive, observant, collaborate, and more courageous. Creativity makes you more resilient, more vividly in the moment, and, at the same time, more connected to the world around you. How about that…try it now!
“Creativity provides opportunities for self actualization.” - Ruth Richards
"You have no idea how far you can fly, until you spread your wings" - A Wiseman
If you have any question, need any help in achieving your goal(s), or working strategically to grow your business, then do not hesitate to follow/connect with me @ www.google.com/+EllAWilson, www.linkedin.com/in/ellawilson, or www.twitter.com/#!/Ell_Wilson
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Solve Problems Creatively - Part 1
“Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, he can achieve.” — Napoleon Hill
“Imagination is the eye of the soul.” — Joseph Joubert
According to the popular demand of society, a problem is mostly defined as follows:
1. A matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome: E.g., you may have financial problems, or some actors are concerned about the problem of ageism in Hollywood.
2. A thing that is difficult to achieve or accomplish: E.g., motivating your staff to increase profit by 1000% can be a problem.
3. As a modifier — denoting or relating to people whose behaviour causes difficulties to themselves and others: E.g., practitioners help families develop strategies for managing problem behaviour in teens or let’s say a problem family.
“Imagination is the eye of the soul.” — Joseph Joubert
According to the popular demand of society, a problem is mostly defined as follows:
1. A matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome: E.g., you may have financial problems, or some actors are concerned about the problem of ageism in Hollywood.
2. A thing that is difficult to achieve or accomplish: E.g., motivating your staff to increase profit by 1000% can be a problem.
3. As a modifier — denoting or relating to people whose behaviour causes difficulties to themselves and others: E.g., practitioners help families develop strategies for managing problem behaviour in teens or let’s say a problem family.
As you can tell each situation requires that we find a way to get to the bottom of it all or find the cause of the problem. Once we understand the cause then we can begin to find the best way to solve the problem, or eradicate the roadblock. Most experts insist that creative thinking requires people to challenge their preconceptions and assumptions about the way the world works. This might help if people understand how they got to the point of those preconceptions and assumptions in the first place.
To create a (new) solution to solve a problem, you may have to improvise or innovate. But a practical question is — how can you innovate if your thinking is anchored in past experiences? Well, occasionally some past experience may sometimes add value to the process of problem-solving. However, we do not need to be completely anchored in past experiences. Like Einstein said “You can’t solve a problem with the same frame of mind that created it in the first place.” Therefore, new ideas and solutions require new ways of thinking.
It is highly advisable to put your new ways of thinking to the test. In other words it is reasonable to think through the new several ways of doing things in order to arrive at the best possible solution. This way you have the opportunity to question all your assumptions and biases from previous experiences that might have any impact on your solution. Sometimes it may be appropriate to rely on your intuition after a thorough examination of your decision making process has taken place. Warren Buffett, one of the best investors and richest man of our century, said that whenever he's making any important decision, he would first do his homework thoroughly, considering all the options that are available at his disposal before relying on his intuition for final confirmation of the decision to be made. Some people prefer to say — “sleep on it” and that also works sometimes!
Creativity is often associated with imagination, ingenuity, inventiveness, originality, and resourcefulness.
Everyone can be creative. You can truly practice daily to have an active, exploratory mind like that possessed by artists, writers, and inventors. Just relax and let your imagination run wild without any resistance. This could lead to a creative approach to problem-solving. Zig Ziglar said that imagination is the greatest nation on earth, and I totally agree! Out of the imaginative mind, airplanes, X-Ray devices, radio, smartphones and other necessities were born. Having an active and creative imagination, which often means that a person visualizes things quite differently than the way they appear in the real world can break any barriers. The practical side of imaginative is inventive; the inventive person figures out how to make things work. But where an inventive mind tends to come up with successful solutions to problems, a resourceful mind deals successfully with externally imposed problems or limitations. Someone who is ingenious is both inventive and resourceful, with a dose of cleverness thrown in (e.g., the ingenious idea of using recycled plastic to create a warm, fleece-like fabric). Wow!
“The imagination is man's power over nature.” — Wallace Stevens
If you have any question, need any help in achieving your goal(s), or working strategically to grow your business, then do not hesitate to follow/connect with me @ www.google.com/+EllAWilson, www.linkedin.com/in/ellawilson, or www.twitter.com/#!/Ell_Wilson
It is highly advisable to put your new ways of thinking to the test. In other words it is reasonable to think through the new several ways of doing things in order to arrive at the best possible solution. This way you have the opportunity to question all your assumptions and biases from previous experiences that might have any impact on your solution. Sometimes it may be appropriate to rely on your intuition after a thorough examination of your decision making process has taken place. Warren Buffett, one of the best investors and richest man of our century, said that whenever he's making any important decision, he would first do his homework thoroughly, considering all the options that are available at his disposal before relying on his intuition for final confirmation of the decision to be made. Some people prefer to say — “sleep on it” and that also works sometimes!
Creativity is often associated with imagination, ingenuity, inventiveness, originality, and resourcefulness.
Everyone can be creative. You can truly practice daily to have an active, exploratory mind like that possessed by artists, writers, and inventors. Just relax and let your imagination run wild without any resistance. This could lead to a creative approach to problem-solving. Zig Ziglar said that imagination is the greatest nation on earth, and I totally agree! Out of the imaginative mind, airplanes, X-Ray devices, radio, smartphones and other necessities were born. Having an active and creative imagination, which often means that a person visualizes things quite differently than the way they appear in the real world can break any barriers. The practical side of imaginative is inventive; the inventive person figures out how to make things work. But where an inventive mind tends to come up with successful solutions to problems, a resourceful mind deals successfully with externally imposed problems or limitations. Someone who is ingenious is both inventive and resourceful, with a dose of cleverness thrown in (e.g., the ingenious idea of using recycled plastic to create a warm, fleece-like fabric). Wow!
“The imagination is man's power over nature.” — Wallace Stevens
If you have any question, need any help in achieving your goal(s), or working strategically to grow your business, then do not hesitate to follow/connect with me @ www.google.com/+EllAWilson, www.linkedin.com/in/ellawilson, or www.twitter.com/#!/Ell_Wilson
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
This Year, Be Determined to Achieve Your Goal(s)!
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Nelson Mandela
“When you set goals, something inside of you starts saying, ‘Let’s go, let's go,’ and ceilings start to move up." - Zig Ziglar
This year, be determined to achieve your goal. If you don't have a purpose, at least be determined to overcome anything standing in your way of progress, success, peace, or happiness. “It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, ‘Always do what you are afraid to do.’ says Ralph Waldo Emerson. For example, if you are afraid of breaking a bad habit, be determined to break that bad habit by any means necessary. You could read books, ask friends and family for help or advice, make a step-by-step schedule, and follow it daily, or seek professional help.
Create a plan and break down your goal(s) into daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. If you set up a daily program for yourself and carry it through, you will find how happier you will be. Failure to keep to your schedule of daily improvement could paralyze your will to succeed and achieve your goal as planned. Do not let anything stand in your way of accomplishing what you want to accomplish - your daily goal. Nothing detrimental that happens can affect you unless you approve and accept it. Let nothing weaken your conviction that you can achieve whatever you want to accomplish. No one can obstruct you other than yourself. Therefore, do not accept any temporary or daily failure as defeat.
Think and act, think and act. Thinking through things thoroughly and making a sound judgment will also help you on the pathway to success. There is always a way to be found if you think hard enough. Do not give up on weakening your power of thought after a while. To succeed, you must persevere until your studies reveal how to achieve your goal. Castaway all doubts, negative thoughts, and fears. If you make up your mind with the utmost determination to win, you can achieve anything.
One cannot talk about self-improvement in any shape or form without mentioning habits. Bad habits are the worst enemies you can have. They make you do things you do not want to do, only to suffer the consequences. You must drop bad habits and leave them behind you as you move forward. Good habits are your friends as they work in your favour. Every day should be a transition from old habits to better habits. In your resolve, be determined to keep only those good habits for your highest good. The best way to get rid of your undesirable tendencies is to think and act in new creative ways to replace the old appalling, despicable, terrible, and dreadful ways. And stay away from those things that stimulate bad habits.
Another strategy you can apply when working on your goals is to include others in your achievements and happiness. Whenever you think of yourself, also think of others. If you do your utmost to make others happy, you will find that your happiness increases. Be always with people who inspire you. Surround yourself with people who lift you up. Do not let your resolutions and positive thinking be poisoned by bad company. Even if you cannot find a good company to inspire you, you can find it by reading good inspiring books. Focus on your new goals because your new life would be pleasant, enjoyable, pleasurable, satisfying, delightful, charming, and fantastic! Enter the portals of your new life with new hope, and you must succeed in conquering those daily challenges and be victorious no matter what. Achieve your goals one step at a time by accomplishing your daily goals persistently, be a winner!
If you have any comments or a specific topic that you would like to discuss or know more about, please let me know by adding your comments below, and I'll do my best to research and share more light on the subject on my next blog at Elliot Wilson's Blog.
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"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking." - Steve Jobs
If you have any question, need any help in achieving your goal(s), or working strategically to grow your business, then do not hesitate to follow/connect with me @ http://www.linkedin.com/in/elliotwilson6/ or
https://twitter.com/Ell_Wilson or https://www.facebook.com/ellwilson1/ or https://eewgrowthstrategy.com
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Keep It Simple…
When we are motivated by goals that have deep meaning, by dreams that need completion, by pure love that needs expressing, then we truly live life. - Greg Anderson
Sometimes, life could be complicated especially due to many circumstances beyond our control. Therefore, it is imperative that we do our best to keep things simple. One of the easiest ways is to always remember to use the good old ‘KISS’ (Keep It Simple Sweetheart) aphorism.
Handsome John (or Pretty Jane) weighs 300 lb., but decides he wants to lose 100 lb. within a year. If he tries to push himself beyond his limit, and then feels tired and couldn't move forward with it, he might be discouraged and give up altogether.
However, if he decides to lose only 40 lb. within a year, and then keeps it simple and reasonable by losing only 10 lb. every three months, it would be easier and realistic to accomplish that goal. So he sits down and develops a simple plan. The plan involves a simple step-by-step details of how he would accomplish his goal on a daily basis. Details such as ‘he will: go to sleep (after saying his prayers to the higher power) at 10 PM for 8 hours; get up at 6 AM to work out for 1 hr; shower and have a healthy breakfast; go to work thinking positive throughout the day; have a healthy sandwich and water (no sugar drinks) for lunch; have a fruit salad or mixed vegetables for dinner; read good positive self improvement book to end the day.’
Supposing John is able to achieve his goal within 9 months as a result of self-discipline and perseverance, he will be happy, excited and motivated to lose another 40 pounds within 10 months. As you can surmise, it would take a little longer than 1 year to lose 100 pounds, but step-by-step, John would definitely accomplish his mission.
Similarly, if your goal or project looks like climbing a very high mountain. Simply divide the project into four parts or stages. Develop a simple plan to accomplish the first stage, then the second, the third, and finally the fourth. The plan doesn't have to be perfect. But it is imperative that you have a plan. Just having an actionable plan to work on a daily basis removes any stress or doubt from the mind. Later on, if you think of a better plan during the implementation process, then go ahead and improve it, or change the plan completely to achieve to a better result if that seems to be the case.
Simply accomplishing the goal in small simple steps (mini-goals) gives you the confidence to move on to a better, bigger and more exciting challenges that will make your life worth living. So go ahead and start working on that big goal of yours today!
Dreaming is wonderful, goal setting is crucial, but action is supreme. To make something great happen you must get busy and make it happen. Take that action step today that will put you on your path to achievement. - Greg Warner
”Whatever you want (positively) in life is already waiting for you, just go and get it.” - Elliot A. Wilson
If you have any question, need any help in achieving your goal(s), or working strategically to grow your business, then do not hesitate to follow/connect with me @ www.google.com/+EllAWilson, www.linkedin.com/in/ellawilson, or www.twitter.com/#!/Ell_Wilson
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