Business Execution insights for business leaders from Silicon Valley based business consultant and configuration management expert, Dave Gardner.
As we know, it’s not easy making the complex simple. Consider implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The new system is likely to be at least an order of magnitude or two, more complex than the current system making it harder to create efficiencies and have strong adoption. While Read more…
I’ve never been a basketball fan. 40 years ago, I had an MBA professor who was a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors: Roger Smith, a banking executive. He cancelled classes so he could follow this “rare” opportunity in the NBA playoffs and finals. Roger was correct–it has been Read more…
If your company manufacturers capital equipment or systems, I’d like you to pause for a moment and seriously consider how easy it is to: Create a quote Book a clean order Plan the materials for an order Build the order Install the order Support the order Know that the order Read more…
Donald Trump joined the GOP presidential race and immediately has shown he’s a force to be reckoned with. What he didn’t anticipate was that his braggadocio would be his undoing and is undermining his presidential pursuits and the GOP. Some in the GOP may like his “telling it like it Read more…
Greece had a referendum a week ago and voted “no” to accept the terms of a financial bailout from the European Union. The “no” vote stems from nationalistic pride, not common sense. While the Greeks were momentarily happy for “standing up to the EU,” Greece now needs to negotiate a Read more…
My wife and I only recently learned of a restaurant in Los Gatos when a restaurant closed and our usual waitress told us she was going to work there. Last night, we tried it: Billy’s Boston Chowder House in Los Gatos, California. It’s only 3,283 miles from Boston (as they Read more…
The accomplishment of Kim Chambers is extraordinary. Here are some excerpts from a story in SFGate.com: But in the world of extreme marathon swimming, the 30 miles of shark-infested waters between the Farallon Islands and San Francisco is the most difficult stretch to cross. Until today, only four people, all Read more…
I recently spoke with Dan Howard, a long-time friend and owner of DJ’s SCUBA Locker in the greater Chicago area. We met during a dive trip to Honduras back in the 1990’s. Dan’s business is thriving to the point he’s been able to leave the corporate world and focus on Read more…
The criticality of innovation concerns us all. From businesses to personal health, consistent innovation is a must. People diagnosed with certain serious medical maladies today are lucky that they weren’t diagnosed 5, 10, or 20 years ago. Why? Innovation. Constant innovation in medicine promotes better patient outcomes than were possible Read more…
In a Wall Street Journal blog post, What Your CEO Is Reading: Pepsi Embraces Design Thinking, Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi offers: “In the past, user experience wasn’t part of our lexicon. Focusing on crunch, taste, and everything else now pushes up to rethink shape, packaging, form, and function,” she says. Read more…