Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle Podcast

Where should good ideas for new products and services come from? Does the customer know best or not? Answer these questions correctly and your company could launch a series of winning offerings. 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

As an up-and-coming leader in your company, do you need an administrative assistant? If you are adamant that you don’t, consider that it’s only a matter of time before your mind changes. The question is, do you know why this will take place? 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

What can you do in short periods which demand that you get a lot done, sometimes with overlapping deadlines? They are especially bothersome if your calendar is full and you feel as if you are already giving 100%. In those moments, you can’t defy time: you must ramp up your productivity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,...

What can you do in short periods which demand that you get a lot done, sometimes with overlapping deadlines? They are especially bothersome if your calendar is full and you feel as if you are already giving 100%. In those moments, you can’t defy time: you must ramp up your productivity. As a Jamaican manager, January and September are probably a couple of your busiest months. Why? Both represent t...

How do you design an inspiring day’s work? Is it a matter of luck, or chance? Or can it be engineered and turned on like a switch? 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

Too many executives are unaware of game-changing ways their markets are shifting. Their post-COVID audience of prospects and customers now expects more than message blasts. Instead, they require your company to become better attuned to their unmet needs. Fail to do this and they switch to competitors. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to b...

In times past it was fashionable for corporate leaders to craft vision statements with commitments to be “number one” and “world class”. Lately, these have become less popular, with good reason. They are a sign of lackluster thinking which signals a lack of detailed planning. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit longt...

What’s happening in the workplace to young employees? They seem to operate by a different set of values, showing little interest in company events. Yet, they willingly give time and energy to off-the-job pursuits. How can executives create an environment in which they direct some of that discretionary effort towards their work? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other sub...

How do you craft a strategic plan for a group of companies? Why do so many efforts end up with nothing more than “last-year’s-plan-plus-5%?” Discard this path of least resistance if you hope to capitalize on COVID opportunities. 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

Employee Productivity - Are you searching for psychological solutions to practical problems? As an executive, have you fallen into the trap of looking for psycho-emotional solutions to issues of employee productivity? If so, you may need a fresh lens. “I just don’t understand these people!” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episod...

Is your company preparing to conduct it’s customary annual retreat? You may want to scrap it and instead create a breakthrough event. In the best of times, companies fall into a strategic planning rut. They follow the same routine each year, lulled into complacency by their accomplishments. The company’s leaders go through the motions, staying well within their comfort zones. Maybe this approach h...

If you’re the leader of an organization, what should you do when you develop an exciting, fresh strategic direction for your company? Before you rush in, take caution - you could do more bad than good if you don’t proceed carefully. 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

Much of the MBA-level teaching around strategy focuses on beating the competition. Has that line of thinking been rendered obsolete by the pandemic, to be replaced by a fresh focus elsewhere? Harvard’s Michael E. Porter is well-known for his thought leadership on competitive strategy - finding ways to beat your company’s rivals. Lately, however, his theories deserve a rethink, especially now that...

If your company is using an outside strategy consulting firm like McKinsey, what is the best step to take after they leave? If their expensive advice is so useful, why might you still require another planning meeting? 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

Is there a way to turn down requests from other people and thereby increase your productivity? In the changing world we live in, you may have to say more No’s. 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