Category Archives: Leadership

How Would Nathan Bedford Forrest Fare In Silicon Valley?

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Stuart Cross

During the American Civil War there was one Confederate general that the Union general, and future President, Ulysees S Grant truly feared – Lieutenant General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest was an unusual and controversial figure. Raised in poverty and with … Continue reading →

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How To Link Strategy And Execution

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Stuart Cross

In my book, The CEO’s Strategy Handbook, I included interviews with some leading CEO’s about how they lead strategy. One of these interviews was with Dennis Sadlowski, the former CEO of the US Energy and Automation business of Siemens, the … Continue reading →

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How Watching Borgen Can Make You A Better Leader

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Stuart Cross

I am currently watching the first series of the Danish political drama, Borgen. It is an excellently scripted and acted show and my Danish vocabulary now covers two words – “Tak” (Thanks) and “Statsminister” (Prime Minister)! The series focuses on … Continue reading →

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Organizational Energy Is Neither Created Nor Destroyed

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Stuart Cross

Since the nineteenth century physicists have followed the law of conservation of energy: energy is neither created nor destroyed, it merely changes its form or location. For example, fuel for a car can turn from chemical energy into kinetic energy … Continue reading →

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How Do You Create Strategic Pace?

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Stuart Cross

Click on the link here to listen to my special Rapid-Fire Strategy teleconference and learn how to accelerate the development and delivery of a compelling and robust strategy for your business, including how to: Determine a motivating and guiding #1 … Continue reading →

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10 Ways To Immediately Increase Pace Across Your Business

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Stuart Cross

All the executives I work with want to increase the level of pace across their organisation. But pace is not simply about getting people to work harder – although this can be an important step. Here are 10 ways you … Continue reading →

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Three Critical Strategy Lessons

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Stuart Cross

When I wrote my book, The CEO’s Strategy Handbook, I included some interviews I’d undertaken with the CEOs of various companies. One of these interviews was with Stephen Ford, the President and General Manager of Avon Cosmetics, Australia and New … Continue reading →

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The Three Tasks Of Leadership

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Stuart Cross

I’ve been thinking about my best clients and what differentiates their performance from the rest. I’ve come to the conclusion that they are superior in three ways: They set a clear, compelling and profitable direction for their business; They engage … Continue reading →

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The Toughest Step In Strategy

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Stuart Cross

Is the moment you must choose. The toughest step is when you need to choose which customers to focus on and which to ignore, which products and services to offer and which to withdraw and which initiatives to invest in … Continue reading →

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The Problem With Already Having The Answer

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Stuart Cross

Is that it might be the wrong one. Ten or so years ago, when I worked for Boots the Chemists, the new CEO, Steve Russell, had the answer to the pharmacy chain’s loss of share to the grocers. He decided … Continue reading →

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