The Practical Leader

MARCH 13, 2024

As I wrote about the accountability mess , a good person in a bad system or process sets that them up for failure — and blame. About 85% of the time the fault is caused by the system, processes, structure, or practices of the organization. These core systems either boost or block performance.

System 52

System Organization Levitt Root Cause Analysis 52

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 16, 2013

HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Strategic Marketing HBR Editors and various contributors Harvard Busxiness Review Press (2013) How the right strategy can help create or increase demand for whatever is offered This is one in a series of volumes that anthologizes what the editors of the Harvard Business Review consider to be the “must reads” […].

Levitt 93

Levitt Marketing Christensen Review 93

The Practical Leader

MARCH 25, 2020

When Nobel Laureate, Michael Levitt, first analyzed Chinese infection rates, he tracked an increase of 30% per day in Hubei province. This will “flatten the curve ” and reduce the chances of overburdening our healthcare systems. At that rate, the entire world would be infected in 90 days.

Crisis 91

Crisis Levitt Peer Review Sharpe 91

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 13, 2014

In 1960, marketing legend Ted Levitt provided perhaps his seminal contribution to the Harvard Business Review : “ Marketing Myopia.” To avoid that, Levitt exhorted leaders to ask themselves the seemingly obvious question – “What business are you really in?”

Levitt 12

Levitt Christensen Competitive Advantage Welch 12

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2016

In 1960, Harvard professor Theodore Levitt published a landmark paper in Harvard Business Review that urged executives to adapt by asking themselves, “What business are we really in?” Union Pacific, the leading railroad company has a market capitalization of over $80 billion, about 60% more than Ford or GM.

Company 8

Company Levitt Succession Agility 8

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 14, 2017

And ease of access means ease of market entry: Emerging data providers can get on their feet quickly and create new sources of competition. But as more data and more data providers flood the market, a competitive position based solely on data becomes impossible to defend. These firms regard data as the source of business value.

Health Care 9

Health Care Levitt Competitive Advantage Pharmaceuticals 9

Harvard Business Review

MAY 19, 2015

Edison’s breakthrough was guided by a fundamental insight: any given product is only as powerful as the system in which it is deployed. Solar panels without integrated storage are not much more valuable than lightbulbs without an electric grid; Tesla Energy, then, is an aggressive move toward creating the energy system of the future.

Strategy 8

Strategy Levitt Energy System 8