Remove Career Remove Company Remove Innovation Remove Merchandising
article thumbnail

Breaking the Rules

You're Not the Boss of Me

They stifle creativity and innovation. As they often say in retail stores about handling merchandise, “ If you break it you own it”. If we are to encourage the innovators of our time we must also accept that rules should be subject to rigorous question and challenge. link] LeadershipNews: A Leadership Crisis or a Branding Issue?

article thumbnail

For Better Presentations, Start with a Villain

Harvard Business Review

Many executives start presentations about products or initiatives with a vague theme statement, often expressed with as much pith as a puff of smoke: “We have a new focus on customer satisfaction,” or “Our current strategic goals are execution and innovation.” And doing so will make your company or team the hero.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

When Was the Last Time You Asked, “Why Are We Doing It This Way?”

Harvard Business Review

When CEO Brian Cornell took the reins two years ago, he inherited a company that had been struggling for years, taking far too few risks, and sticking too close to the core. ” was the guiding question that fueled Wollaert’s curiosity when he first joined the Coca-Cola Company designing new factories.

article thumbnail

What Managers Can Learn from March Madness

Harvard Business Review

The root cause of this problem is that in an increasingly demand-driven economy, consumers are redefining companies' competitive sets. The natural assumption is that these three companies' products compete directly against each othe — rafter all, they're all selling electric razors, right? In fact, consumers see it differently.

article thumbnail

Many CEOs Aren’t Breakthrough Innovators (and That’s OK)

Harvard Business Review

Innovation is widely regarded as important to long-term business performance. However, CEOs often don’t have the career background and education that would equip them to personally lead the process of new product development. This work builds on earlier research into CEO qualifications.).

CEO 8
article thumbnail

Linds Redding’s Short Lesson in Perspective

In the CEO Afterlife

Turns out that Linds Redding, an illustrator and designer, spent most of his career crafting advertising in the UK and New Zealand, before opening an animation studio. But even artists have to eat, and the fuel of commerce and industry is innovation and novelty. Economically I probably helped shift some merchandise. Let’s trade.

article thumbnail

How to Succeed in Business by Bundling – and Unbundling

Harvard Business Review

I had worked for several businesses during my career by that time that had become conglomerates, some fairly large, and then had divested themselves of various businesses. I’m on the board of Time Warner, we have just parsed off our third major part — our original company, Time Inc., There are companies entirely focused on touring.

How To 12