Leadership

First Principles Based Leadership: The Hidden Risks of Data-Driven Decisions

In the past few years, we have seen a huge proliferation of data. With this amount of data being available, the expectation of data driven decision making has peaked as well. However, in my experience, just using data to make decisions is a trap and can lead to some bad decisions. Availability bias The first trap is to think that he data that we have is all the data there is. Most of the times, the data we have is the one’s that is easy to collect, store and make sense of. It is not necessarily the most important or […]

Leadership

Why Deming’s Management Philosophy is More Relevant Today

Premise Edwards Deming has been one of the most influential figures when it comes to management thinking. He is known as the father of the quality movement and was hugely influential in post-WWII Japan, credited with revolutionising Japan’s industry and making it one of the most dominant economies in the world. There is a lot that has been written about him, his management philosophy and the impact he had while he was still operating. However, there is nothing better than hearing from the man himself talk about his philosophy. So, when I stumbled onto an hour long interview where he was […]

Leadership

Mistakes to AVOID in Large Scale Transformation

In today’s rapidly changing world, organisations are constantly looking for ways to transform themselves to remain competitive. Large-scale transformation can be a daunting task, but it is essential for success in the long run. In this video, I discusses four common myths and six common mistakes that people make when leading transformation. I also share advice on how to avoid these mistakes and successfully lead transformations. You can watch the full video here. Myths about Transformation Myth 1: Once and done In reality, transformation is an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and attention. It is important to set up […]

Leadership

Stop Trying to be Cool

We spend a lot of energy in trying to be cool.. A cool manager, a cool dude, a cool dad or mom or boss. James McCrae has hit a nerve in me with this quote. Instead of trying to be cool (which we maybe or may not), we are better off being nerdy about the things that we love. We are better of being obsessed about the things that we find are interesting and passionate about. This shows our enthusiasm about the thing we love. This shows our true self. We turn up as authentic. And he is absolutely right […]

Leadership

How to Lead Teams to Drive Innovation, Efficiency, Growth or Transformation

Premise I watched this short video in which HBS professor Linda Hill shares her experience from engaging a Life Sciences company and how they went about building teams and leading for innovation. You can watch the full video here. I have written many times about this topic (here, here, here, here, here, here and on innovation here). As leaders, we need to adapt and change depending on what we are trying to achieve and what our objectives are. Leading for Innovation If we want to drive innovation, we need to foster a culture that enables, engages and encourages the team […]