Is Your Business an Orchestra or a Jazz Band?I grew up in New Orleans, a city justly renowned for its music history. Watching a band play in Preservation Hall is an education in many…Nov 22, 2021Nov 22, 2021
Trying to Please Everyone Means That You Don’t Please AnyoneIf Abe Lincoln had been a marketing manager today, well, the US would be a whole lot worse off. But if he were, he might say “You can…Aug 9, 2021Aug 9, 2021
The Metrics Catch-22Joseph Heller’s dark satire Catch-22 proposes the term for problems that inherently prevent their own solutions. Creating good metrics can…May 26, 2021May 26, 2021
It’s Going to be Harder Than You Think to Go Back to the WorkplaceI lived in Western Europe for a year after college when I was a Watson Fellow. Adapting to new cultures and mores was difficult, but I was…Apr 30, 2021Apr 30, 2021
Experience Teaches NothingYou’ve seen the situation — a manager makes the same mistakes over and over, an executive reads a book or article and decides to implement…Mar 22, 2021Mar 22, 2021
One Simple Rule To Control A Business: Emergent BehaviorEven a small business is pretty complicated. I have heard some people say that business is so complicated that no one can really…Mar 2, 2021Mar 2, 2021
How is Making Metrics Like an Organ Transplant?Most businesses know the importance of using metrics to manage, but a lot of them struggle with creating metrics that actually fulfill…Feb 22, 2021Feb 22, 2021
Management vs. Project Metrics“Management,” in this case, is supporting the people who report to you in doing their daily jobs. Management metrics are, by their nature…Feb 15, 2021Feb 15, 2021
Statistical Management Control?I was looking for a quick source to give a client an overview of what statistical process control (SPC) is. I found an article on…Aug 27, 2020Aug 27, 2020