I was contacted by a manufacturing company in a world of hurt. The short version: the client had purchased an ERP system with the hope that business execution would improve. It didn’t. There were no processes in place to be integrated with the new tool. No one used it. The ERP Read more…
Sunday evening, May 4th, I learned Vishal Sikka, CTO and an executive board member of SAP, had resigned for “personal reasons.” News of his departure is shocking to me. Earlier this year, I met him to learn about the transformation he was leading. Vishal is a very impressive individual. About 25,000 employees reported to Read more…
I’m a news fanatic. I need to know what’s going on in my world preferably without “spin.” This past week, I was in a lobby of a San Francisco business playing Al Jazeera America on a large display. I’d never seen this station before. It was refreshing. It reminded of Read more…
The best athletes in the world rely on coaches to make them better and to help them raise the bar to new levels of performance. The athlete and the coach collaborate to produce a far better outcome than the athlete can produce on his/her own. Why should executives be any Read more…
Where are you experiencing frustration and complexity in your business? Where is there a greater need for ease and simplicity? Are there gaps in people, processes and/or systems in tightly and seamlessly connecting your teams with your customers and partners? Is your company sought after by prospects, customers, potential employees, Read more…
I went through a traditional college education earning a B.A. at San Jose State University followed by an M.B.A. at Santa Clara University. Today, students and parents alike are questioning the value and cost of traditional education, particularly given the lackluster job market new college graduates face. This weekend, Dell Read more…
Dell recently invited me to participate in a discussion with customers and executives to learn about areas where Dell needs to improve the customer order experience. This is a continuation of my participation on Dell’s Customer Advisory Panel. Dell is now over 30 years old. While it would be easy Read more…
It’s not easy to find organizations that are true standouts in what they do. When I find them, it feels great. The contrast, of course, is too many companies just seem to be “going through the motions.” Their raison d’etre is indifference. One organization that needs to be a standout Read more…
Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, awkwardly noted that women should “have faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along…that’s good karma.” The “system” Nadella is referring to is broken. Women earn 78% of what men in comparable positions make not just in tech, but Read more…
Crowdsourcing is about obtaining input or ideas by asking for input from a group of people. My favorite example of crowdsourcing is Waze, a GPS tool I rely on for driving and getting up-to-date feedback from other “Wazers” to tell me when traffic slows, when I will encounter delays due Read more…