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No One Can Think Outside the Box

Harvard Business Review

A cautious or suspicious few ask due-diligence questions. You can get an extra kick out of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportu­nities, and threats) analysis. I’ve used the financial-history exercise in my corporate workshops on strategic thinking and in my classroom. Reverse the labels.

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My First, Failed Foray into Venture Investing

Harvard Business Review

What I learned from this disastrous magazine venture is that we need to do a thorough SWOT analysis not only on the market opportunity, but also on our partners. As we vet investments for our fund, a key aspect of our due diligence is assessing our partners, particularly learning how they react under stress.

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Bullying Is a Confidence Game

Harvard Business Review

Even if we haven't confided in a bully, they have intuitively, if not explicitly conducted a SWOT analysis. Before you bring someone into your inner circle, do your due diligence. Perhaps we've shared our aspirations with the Wizard, as did the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Dorothy. Look behind the curtain.