What’s Wrong With My Organization

Building organizations that are authentic and effective

Cowboy westerns always had that charming phrase: meanwhile back at the ranch. What’s been going on while we haven’t been looking?

So let’s turn from the larger global trends and ask our consultants: what’s been going on “back at the ranch” with their own clients? Anything interesting you’ve been experimenting with?

So you’re doing diversity, equity and inclusion: is it actually working?

It’s been a long time of reckoning and change for so many businesses around the questions of diversity, equity and inclusion. 2020 brought so many unjust social events that touched individuals and businesses: naming merely George Floyd’s murder understates and leaves out so many others. I guess now’s an interesting moment to look back at how organizations responded with D, E and I and A programs and ask: is it working?

Lead, so that people will follow—a rare skill

East End gangster movies—I’m a huge fan. The way that things work as a team—it resembles no office I’ve ever worked in. Where’s the person taking over a meeting about a topic no one cares about? Or for that matter—gangster movies don’t seem to have any meetings at all, while my weeks are dominated by them. So I guess I’d like to know: does having a leader like one of the psychotic Kray brothers make meetings disappear and leadership run smoothly? Do you need an iron-like grip of an East End gangster to have actual leadership?

Define diversity—and think hard about it

About two years ago, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, there was a wave of organizational engagement to build more equitable and diverse workplaces. As a small business owner I have to say—among my peers, that question seems to have fallen well behind other more existential questions such as fuel prices and climate change. So I’m curious—is this just where I sit? Are other organizations continuing down this path?

Did you fix the right problem?

I recently returned from a lovely holiday. Unfortunately my luggage did not—evidently it needed more time to unwind? Mind, I suppose I’m better off than many—at least I’m at home with most of my things. With this I’ve joined the masses of people separated from their bags. I’ve read that airlines are even renting entire warehouses to store them in. So—do we buy stock in warehouses, as we wonder where our things have gone?

Did you bury the body deep enough? Climate change says maybe not

Living here out West, we’re waiting to see what shows up next as the reservoir outside Las Vegas dries up and ever more crime scene remnants come to the surface. I’m sure that Greenpeace never thought they’d have an environmental case to make about climate change to mob bosses, but it appears they did. Climate change impacts are starting to realize in ways you never expected. What’s next for you, as a small business?

Blamestorming and the labor market

BLAMESTORMING. What a wonderful word—BLAMESTORMING. When we spend our time going round-and-round, trying to determine who to assign the blame to. Never mind a solution, never mind thinking about the questions. You’ve seen a lot of blamestorming going on in the labor and hiring market recently—staff can’t be hired, staff aren’t reliable, no one wants to work, why should you work from home when I have offices. What an awful lot of assigning blame, and not so much as a whiff of analysis. Seems like an awful lot of emotion for what should be technical questions. What have our experts got to say?

R U Relevant? Things move fast around here

Can you even remember where you were at two years ago, before the pandemic started? It’s been cascading slow and fast changes. Now magnify that perspective across keeping a business afloat. And. Most importantly. Relevant—do your customers still need you? Some businesses have navigated this change better than others. And quite a few have lost their bearings. Let’s discuss how some of them have missed the mark and are now struggling.

How do you choose the right consultant for you?

Any time someone buys a basketball or shoelaces from Amazon, we look at the product ratings—because why risk getting a sub-par basketball? So where would you look for reviews if you’re looking for a consultant? Is there such a thing? What should you be looking for if you’re looking for a good consultant? What makes them good? 

Leading and planning in good times and bad

We entered 2022 with the hopes of a brighter, more optimistic year. Looking at the results thus far, there’s not much evidence to support that. Higher energy prices, global conflict and continuing uncertainty. So how do lead your business amid this uncertainty? What should you be considering when trying to find a strategic, and clever path forward?