Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle Podcast

The world is changing fast, and “winning” in business may already be a fool's errand. You are a company leader who has risen through the ranks. You enjoy the competitive side of running an organization. Why? There are obvious winners and losers defined by a P&L scorecard. Plus, you have tactics and strategies to choose from. And finally, you can see a clear correlation between your efforts and...

You have heard of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive or its acronym, CSRD. You know that it has something to do with the EU which means that you haven’t paid it much attention. It’s far away. However, this could be a mistake. This new standard for disclosure reaches into some unlikely places for all companies who do business with the continent. In this article, we’ll look at the impa...

Your business offers a product or service. Regardless of how well your offer sells, you wonder whether or not you are leaving money on the table. In other words, are you charging the best price possible? This question is often left to opinions, chance, or comparisons with competitors. These choices unfortunately indicate the lack of a defined philosophy. Alex Hormozi’s book, $100m Offers, provides...

Your company has once again begun to look to the future. It’s shaken off the post-COVID blues and must now position itself in its industry with a fresh strategy. But all of your executives are not convinced that hard choices must be made. How can you persuade them? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy...

As a leader, you need to provide your organisation with a clear path for the future. But you also hate changing direction in mid-stream. Some say you shouldn’t bother to make any long-term plans in the first place, but is that the best solution? It pains you to think of spending a lot of time and money to create extended plans which require updates when there is a disruption. Why? You know staff c...

Your company is dealing with a significant challenge. Due to the complexity of the issue, it's hard to determine the right path forward. This is an intellectual puzzle that needs the attention of analytic minds. But is finding the optimal answer your only concern? After all, the management team has had implementation problems in the past. As such, you sense that the "soft side" warrants some consi...

“Francis”, clients sometimes ask, “Why do you recommend a two-day strategy retreat?” Usually, they want to get the most from their workshop, but also don’t wish to waste a moment. After all, top executive time is quite expensive. Assuming that your company has agreed to such a workshop, what’s the difference between one, two, or more days? Catch up on all past columns at https://blog.fwconsulting....

You don’t normally think for long about the lasting impact your actions have on unknown business colleagues. This is particularly true if they haven’t even been born. But is there a reason to consider far-future generations of leadership in your company? See past columns at https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

You finally have time to look back at outputs from prior strategic planning retreats. A quick glance reveals an approach they used which includes “pillars”. If so, be aware: there are some drawbacks to this technique that could lead to a weak plan. Check out past columns at https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...

You agree with the general concept of having new products and services to offer your customers. After all, a company that relies on stale stuff is likely to fail. But how do you put together an effective R&D plan when budgets are limited?   For past columns see https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episod...

Have some people in your company become reaction-machines? In other words, do they run around all day responding to the latest crisis? Deep down, you know they are inefficient, but what can you do to shift to a culture in which the future is created rather than feared? For past columns, see blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...

We all know what it’s like to be inspired by a vision of the future. It feels good, as if we are responding to a higher purpose. But why do corporate visions fall often flat? For other articles see https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

You have a serious concern for your personal productivity. It’s annoying to realise moments where you could have done things more efficiently. Why? You are someone who hates to see time being wasted. But when you reach out for help, all you receive is “foreign” advice, far removed from your experience. To read prior columns, see blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to disc...

We all know what it’s like to be inspired by a vision of the future. It feels good, as if we are responding to a higher purpose. But why do corporate visions fall often flat? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstrategy.substack.com/subscribe

You are about to begin a fresh round of strategic planning. The team is eager, but before the retreat starts, you have a tricky decision. What length of time should your organization create a plan for? Visit our archives for past columns - https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longtermstra...

You have heard the saying that “Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast”. It has a ring of truth to it, but you don’t want to believe that strategic planning is futile - a victim of large, negative forces which cannot be overcome. But if it’s neither entirely right nor wrong, can we still use it? To access my archive of past columns, see https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd...

Your company is thinking about creating a new role: strategy specialist. This person should support the entire strategy creation cycle and help produce a strategic plan with impact. But what exactly should be that person’s responsibilities? What uncommon value should they add? For other past articles, see https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with ot...

You want to engage your staff around a bright, hopeful future. At some point in the past, a two-paragraph vision statement did the trick. But lately, it’s gone stagnant. What should you do to restore the inspiration it once provided? Should you change the words, or try something different? To read prior columns visit https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss...

In your company’s strategic planning activities, you hope to make more than incremental improvements. Instead, your team dreams of brilliant decisions and breakthrough results. But are these a matter of luck? While fortune plays a role, Digicel’s introduction to the mobile telephony market is an example of a new competency: “category design.” Christopher Lochhead would be proud of Digicel. He belo...

Your company is aware of people analytics. It wants to use these techniques to increase productivity. But it’s not clear who should champion this transformation: HR or another unit? In companies across the world, COVID has accelerated the call for data-driven innovation. Consequently, managers in your organization are concerned. Productivity has fallen due to work-from-home arrangements, but are t...

You know your company should be crafting long-term, post-COVID plans. Why? The pandemic has created once-in-a-lifetime opportunities waiting to be exploited. But you have been so busy just keeping the organization alive that you either have half-a-plan, or none at all. Should you make the investment in strategic planning now even though the times remain turbulent? To read my columns, visit https:/...

Your company is considering its next strategic planning retreat. But the last real one, held just before COVID, didn’t anticipate a pandemic. So, the plan had to be shelved. Now, attendees are reluctant to schedule a new session. Do you give up on the idea? Check out my past column on strategy and productivity at https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this...

You’re a corporate leader who wants to inspire your organization. But you aren’t naturally charismatic, nor are you famous. Is there a way to energize and motivate stakeholders who must play a part in the transformation you envision? A startling number of CEOs forget what it was like to be inspired in a manner that leads to hard work. They think of themselves as unicorns, born to lead. It’s a myst...

You are forced to deal with email every single day, most of it arriving at odd moments. At the same time, you need to be effective, but it seems that there’s invariably a slew of messages getting in the way. You want the problem to go away so that you can just focus on doing your job. This is a common sentiment, but is this frame of mind a help or hindrance? To see other articles and columns, see ...

Each day you go into the office, you want to be inspired by your work. Elevated by what your organization can accomplish. But if that’s not your daily experience, does the quality of strategic leadership have something to do with it? Check out my prior columns at https://blog.fwconsulting.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis...