• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Valize
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
Rita McGrath Group

Rita McGrath

Author. Speaker. Consultant.

  • Home
  • Learn About Rita
  • Work with Rita
  • Rita’s Work
    • Books
    • Articles
    • Press
    • Podcast
    • Videos
  • Thought Sparks
  • Events

Growth

January 24, 2023

A heartwarming customer service story

The state of customer service across most of the economy is dreadful. A recent delightful experience at Patagonia proves that it doesn’t have to be that way. The sad world of customer service As I… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Customer insight, Discovery Driven Planning, Growth, Seeing Around Corners, Thought Sparks

January 10, 2023

If your organization operates as a multi-layer bureaucracy, it’s headed for extinction

Image credit:  https://elearningindustry.com/reasons-why-talent-development-is-important Happy New Year!  Ram Charan and I co-authored an article just out in this month’s Harvard Business Review about how technology is creating the conditions for what we call the “permissionless” corporation…. Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Discovery Driven Planning, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Profitable Organic Growth

October 25, 2022

Simultaneous discovery – or the sincerest form of flattery? Board Committee research

Two topics here – how to get Boards focused on science and technology for the long term, and how good ideas can get … um … discovered? Image Source The difference a special Board committee… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Discovery Driven Planning, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Leadership, Seeing Around Corners

October 18, 2022

The skills we aren’t taught, and how you can expand your leadership through leveraging them

Our leadership models are changing – from command and control to questioning and discovery. You can learn to develop these skills and improve your capability as a leader.  How do you sustain your competitive advantage… Read more »

Filed Under: Discovery Driven Planning, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Insights and ideas, Thought Sparks

October 11, 2022

When The Mothership Doesn’t Want It

You would think that after funding and supporting people to develop innovative new ideas, that the parent corporation would want to take advantage of launching them.  Nope. Markets are full of concepts that didn’t fit… Read more »

Filed Under: Growth, Innovation, Leadership, Seeing Around Corners, Thought Sparks

October 4, 2022

Taking a discovery driven approach to internal projects

The first step of discovery driven planning lies in specifying what success looks like. For for-profit projects, this usually takes the form of a level of growth or enhanced profitability.  But there are many kinds… Read more »

Filed Under: Discovery Driven Planning, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Opportunities, Seeing Around Corners, Thought Sparks

September 23, 2022

When Business Cases Teach the Wrong Lessons

Jeffrey Pfeffer, in his great book “The 7 Rules of Power” declares that “success excuses (almost) everything.”  Success also determines which stories about the origins of that success get told and which headlines are buried. … Read more »

Filed Under: Business Start Ups / Entrepreneurship, Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Discovery Driven Planning, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Innovation Flops, Strategy Execution

September 6, 2022

Think everybody has a positive view of creativity? Think again!

Of course, we believe that creativity is a universally great thing – thinking otherwise is like dismissing hope or truth! In his conversational, approachable book, New York Times Pulitzer Prize winning author Matt Richtel takes… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Careers, Complexity, Friday Fireside Chat, Growth, Individuals, Leadership, Thought Sparks

August 16, 2022

Three Kinds of Competition to Have on Your Radar

In traditional strategic thinking, beating the competition, by finding an attractive position in an attractive industry, is the name of the game. An updated perspective suggests you need to be paying attention to at least… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Case Studies and Applications, Discovery Driven Planning, Friday Fireside Chat, Growth, Seeing Around Corners, Thought Sparks

August 2, 2022

How LEGO used Agile Principles to Accelerate Innovation

Source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCXMx7RcZ5I   Agile methods – in which work is done in parallel by cross-functionally staffed teams – has been the subject of a lot of hype. How refreshing, then, to discover examples of firms… Read more »

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Leadership, Opportunities, Seeing Around Corners

July 26, 2022

Flywheels vs. Relationships – Why your business architecture matters to your initial marketing plan

In developing an initial marketing plan, it is crucial not to be confused about what kind of business architecture you are building in order to establish your initial metrics for success. Geoffrey Moore has a great… Read more »

Filed Under: Articles, Business Strategy, Growth, Innovation, Insights and ideas, Leadership, Opportunities, Seeing Around Corners

July 12, 2022

7 Ways to Take Smart Career Risks: Lessons from Sharon Price John, CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop

Fear is one of the great barriers to career advancement. Sharon Price John’s fabulous career is full of lessons on how to get past those fears and get out of your own way. Being afraid… Read more »

Filed Under: Business School, Careers, Customer insight, Friday Fireside Chat, Growth, Growth Options / Real Options, Innovation, Leadership, Seeing Around Corners, Thought Sparks, Women's leadership

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Topics

Previous Sparks

  • 2020s
    • 2025
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2024
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2023
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2022
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2021
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2020
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
  • 2010s
    • 2019
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2018
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • July
      • June
      • April
      • March
    • 2017
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • March
      • January
    • 2016
      • December
      • October
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2015
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • June
      • April
      • March
      • February
    • 2014
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2013
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
    • 2012
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2011
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2010
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
  • 2000s
    • 2009
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2008
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2007
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2006
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • June
      • May
      • April
      • March
      • February
      • January
    • 2005
      • December
      • November
      • October
      • September
      • August
      • July
      • April
      • March

Footer

Connect with Rita

Rita McGrath Group
P.O. Box 7286
Princeton, NJ 08543

  • © Copyright 2004-2025 Rita McGrath Group. All Rights Reserved.
  • • Privacy Policy
  • Created with ✨ by Moxie Design Studios
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Scroll Up