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The Blind Spot of Expertise
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: Experience helps us recognize patterns, make informed decisions and interpret complex situations, but it can also lead us to rely on familiar explanations without recognizing what makes a situation different. The value of expertise lies not only in what we know, but in our willingness to question…
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The Mispricing of Worth: Consumer Behavior and Value Substitution
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: An old dresser attracted no apparent interest when offered for free, yet reportedly disappeared within an hour of being given a $50 price tag, raising questions about how price influences our perceptions of worth. Price may influence perceptions of quality and value, but the amount charged doesn’t…
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The Illusion of Effort: When Persistence Blinds Progress
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: Persistence can create the appearance of progress when repeated effort becomes more important than understanding whether we’re achieving the intended results. Remaining committed to an objective requires more than perseverance; it also requires the willingness to assess what we’re learning, question our approach and make changes when…
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When a Mistake Becomes a Position
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: A mistake may begin as one decision, but the effort to defend it can gradually create problems far greater than the original error. Recognizing when a decision needs to be reconsidered is an important part of leadership, accountability and strategic alignment. In organizations, mistakes often begin with…
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What If You’re Getting Better at the Wrong Thing?
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: An organization can meet its targets, improve efficiency and execute its strategy successfully while becoming increasingly disconnected from the environment in which it operates. Strong performance may provide reassurance precisely when the organization needs to question whether its strategic direction remains relevant. Today, I participated in the…
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What Happens When the Answer Comes Before the Understanding?
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: We can become so convinced that we have the answer that we stop examining whether we’re asking the right question. A recent exchange about politics and relationships reminded me how easily we substitute familiar principles and solutions for the understanding needed to determine whether they actually apply.…
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You Don’t Have to Prove You’re Making Progress
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: You can be making meaningful progress without having anything impressive to show for it. The challenge is recognizing when the need to demonstrate success begins influencing the decisions we make about achieving it. You can make progress without announcing it. You can experience success without displaying it.…
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Is Stoicism Really Teaching Business Anything New?
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: Stoicism may be more than 2,000 years old, but many of its lessons about judgment, ambition, responsibility, and adversity are principles we already recognize in business. Perhaps the real challenge isn’t discovering what ancient philosophy can teach us, but understanding why we struggle to apply what we…
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The Real Reason RFPs Are Dangerous and Why They’re Bad Practice
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: RFPs become dangerous when organizations assume that what they are requesting is what they actually need, turning untested assumptions into formal requirements. The result can be a perfectly executed procurement process that delivers exactly what was specified without resolving the problem that prompted it. There is something…
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No One Gets to Enjoy Their Own Legacy
Today’s Strategic Alignment Journal post in two sentences: No one gets to enjoy or control the final meaning of their own legacy because that meaning will be determined by people who interpret our choices after we are gone. Rather than performing for an imagined future audience, leaders might pay closer attention to what their decisions…
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