Management

Leadership & Management

Advisory Boards: Important But Not Urgent… Until It Is

Andrew Penny, October 21 2025

A while ago, I was catching up with the CEO of a mid-sized business. His business was growing steadily but wrestling with some underlying challenges. As we talked through a few of the issues, I asked whether he had ever considered forming an advisory board. His response was familiar:  “Absolutely, it’s something I know I need to do. Just not...

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Leadership & Management

A Tall, and Taller, Story

Graham Birkenhead, September 2 2025

For as long as I’ve owned a house, I’ve had a ladder. They’re one of those things you don’t really think about - until you need one. Mine was the sort that could be used as a step-ladder or converted to a longer ladder, and in my little suburban house, it did everything I

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Leadership & Management

Yes, There is an 'I' in Team

Graham Birkenhead, June 24 2025

“There’s no I in team”  is one of those phrases that gets trotted out whenever someone needs to be reminded that it’s not all about them. It’s catchy. It sounds wise. It gets printed on posters, stitched into corporate training slides, and dropped into motivational speeches. I cringe every time I hear it ..... it seems to gloss over the vital...

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Leadership & Management

The Fine Art of Not Saying Nothing

Graham Birkenhead, February 18 2025

Feedback is a crucial element in engineering and science, ensuring that systems function optimally within known boundaries. Thermostats regulate temperature by adjusting heating output. Vehicle cruise control maintains speed but adapts to other traffic. Biological feedback loops—such as homeostasis and insulin regulation—help the body stay in...

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Leadership & Management

Trust under Pressure

Graham, January 28 2025

It's that time of year for the release of the latest version of one of the most insightful annual studies; a study that really helps make sense of what we see happening around the world, and which should be part of any company's PESTLE consideration. Each year, the Edelman Trust Barometer surveys thousands of people across the globe (this year,...

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Leadership & Management

Forewarned is Forearmed

Graham, December 3 2024

The most common model for managing risk is what's known as the Ostrich Approach.  This appears to work reasonably well in many situations, and is based on 3 concepts fortuitously working together:

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Leadership & Management

Objective Perspectives

Andrew Penny, August 6 2024

But here’s the thing. There’s something about seeing a city from the open cockpit of an ancient biplane that gives you a completely different perspective; seeing how extensive the urban forest is, noting the two dog-legs in the Ottawa River (I knew it curved – but dog-legs?) and seeing a number of suspicious large structures... These are only...

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Leadership & Management

My Monthly Game Plan

Andrew Penny, May 7 2024

My Monthly Game Plan includes key types of activity that I need to address each month to keep the business moving forward. Some examples of Monthly Game Plan activities could be: At 10AM on the first Monday of each month I put an hour aside for 'Monthly Game Plan-ning'. During this time I review all the important types of activity, and quantity...

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Leadership & Management

Thriving in a time of Complexity

Graham Birkenhead, March 19 2024

In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, complexity seems to be a persistent constant. As business owners and CEOs, the challenge is not just to navigate this complexity but to thrive within it. We humans have been running businesses for a long time (several thousand years), so you'd think we would have a good handle on how to do that....

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Leadership & Management

Kick Start 2024: Wisdom from the St. James Computer Dating Society

Andrew Penny, January 9 2024

Way back in the swinging '60s, Jane Ball pioneered the first digital dating enterprise in London, England. Her secret sauce? Unconventionally successful. Instead of probing about desires, she asked what people decidedly ‘did not want’. It turns out that individuals had a foggy view of their wants, but a crystal-clear vision of what they did not...

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