In the CEO Afterlife

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Snails and Big Companies

In the CEO Afterlife

Every day, we see or read about bureaucracy – government is the biggest offender. While the speed of a snail is the most common knock against big company bureaucracy, there are several other similarities between the species. I’ve always held the opinion that big organizations move at a snail’s pace. Snails are slow. Snails can’t hear.

Company 212
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The Best Things in Business are Free

In the CEO Afterlife

Bureaucracy lurks on the periphery, waiting for its opening to subvert the lean, mean, business machine. Whining about the economy, budget constraints, and low-cost competition does nothing to improve a company’s strategic health. But, beware.

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Are Great CEOs Always Great Leaders?

In the CEO Afterlife

Is a “turnaround” artist right for a profitable, steady bureaucracy? Fundamentally, the leadership style or the skillset required of a CEO in one environment may be the kiss of death in another. Can a good “start-up” CEO guide a mature organization? Are shareholders looking for a builder or a banker?

CEO 213
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Learn to Teach. Teach to Learn

In the CEO Afterlife

The folks at Red Bull are the ultimate entrepreneurs; although you may be caught in the bureaucracy of an old economy organization, you cannot escape the fact that great ideas create change. Do that and you can’t help but think differently about your own brand or business. Your idea can change a company.

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Gretzky, Gates, Zuckerberg: Can they see the Unseen? | In the CEO.

In the CEO Afterlife

And although pundits continue to encourage entrepreneurial thinking for stagnating mega-businesses, these bureaucracies can’t break from risk-averse management. The constraint in most of these companies is the fear of failure. Their marketing teams research everything to death. Fundamentally, they are asking their consumers for permission.

CEO 235
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'Doing Right Things' or 'Doing Things Right' | In the CEO Afterlife

In the CEO Afterlife

A new boss charged with transforming a bureaucracy into nimbleness must shift the mindset of an entire organization. And while they scramble to catch up, you’re working out the next move on the strategic game board. That culture emanates from the CEO’s office. Yet, no matter how hard he or she tries, some people never change.

CEO 100
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The 5 Best Bargains in Business

In the CEO Afterlife

Bureaucracy lurks on the periphery, waiting for its opening to subvert the lean, mean, business machine. In the final analysis, bureaucracy is every company’s greatest threat. Businesses who live by these 5 bargains are the ones who enjoy success – both in the journey and the bottom-line destination. But, beware.