Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Reason Organisational Change Fails

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Stuart Cross

Is that the pain outweighs the gain. Change efforts fail because they do not deliver results quickly enough. Managers and executives become focused on the means, not the ends. Pain is inevitable in change, so you must engineer your work … Continue reading →

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What’s Your Nuclear Deterrent?

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Stuart Cross

The UK effectively stopped being a superpower once the US entered WW2. Since then its empire has disappeared and its power and influence on the international stage has steadily reduced. Most US eyes look east, not west, when seeking strategic … Continue reading →

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Customer Hindrance (Part 2)

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Stuart Cross

Following my previous examples of customer hindrance (the opposite of customer service) at play, here are a couple more from the last few days. Alliance & Leicester Bank I queued for over 20 minutes to pay some cheques into my … Continue reading →

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The Unbalanced Balanced Scorecard

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Stuart Cross

My big problem with the Balanced Scorecard approach to strategy and performance management is that is, well, too balanced. It makes everything of equal importance. In most Balanced Scorecard projects and reports I’ve seen, there is a general assumption that … Continue reading →

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The CEO’s Role In Strategy Development

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Stuart Cross

The CEO (or business unit leader, or departmental leader) should not be carrying the full burden in strategy development. Instead, focus your efforts on these 11 roles: Set the goals and ambition. It is your job to say how high … Continue reading →

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Why CEOs Shouldn’t Be Football Fans

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Stuart Cross

A friend of mine, who is a recovering alcoholic, once told me that the key thing he’d learned during his recovery was that it is futile to pin your hopes for happiness and future success on things you can’t control. … Continue reading →

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When You’re (Not So) Young

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Stuart Cross

It’s so hard to understand, Why the world is your oyster, But you’re future’s a clam! Thirty years ago Paul Weller was singing these lyrics with The Jam on their great song, When You’re Young. Earlier this week Paul just … Continue reading →

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