Humans are surprisingly adaptive creatures – many of the changes wrought by the pandemic would have been unthinkable in an earlier era. And yet, we’re also remarkably blind to changes happening right under our noses. … Read more »
Transient Advantage
The Lesson of the Direct to Consumer Revolution: Strategy 101 still matters
Every so often a new business model, often enabled by technology, takes the world by storm, attracts a lot of hype, eventually proves unable to live up to the headlines and disappears or becomes a… Read more »
Strategy and the Resource Hostage Problem
The old watchword, “follow the money” will give you great insight into what really matters in any organization. It will also show you where the most significant blockers to transformation are likely to be. If… Read more »
Your business is already in trouble, you just haven’t noticed it yet
It’s always astonishing in hindsight, looking at a business that got itself into deep, dark, trouble, how many warning signs there were. ‘Tis the season, it seems for the retail apocalypse to shutter once-beloved brands… Read more »
Decoding why digital is so disruptive
My colleague, Ryan P. McManus, is at CES this week and is much in demand for his perspective on why digital is so disruptive. He traces the evolution of digital from its 4G impact on… Read more »
This month’s newsletter-All about what’s going on in the #grocery store
It’s ironic – Whole Foods did a great job of teaching all of us that natural and organic are desirable. And for about 30 years, that created a strong, high-margin position for them in the… Read more »
Agony and ecstasy for young lawyers
For some time, I’ve suggested that law schools provide a cautionary tale for the rest of us. With many graduates loaded down with big debt and with few prospects for taking jobs that actually require… Read more »
Staring down a disengagement decision at Yahoo!
Yahoo and its CEO of three years, Marissa Mayer, have been in the news a lot lately. While Yahoo’s checkered history and frequent changes in leadership have not done the company’s reputation any favors, it still… Read more »
Implications of the Unicorn Economy
In my most recent newsletter, I suggested that businesses would do well to anticipate the consequences of a valuation bubble bursting in Silicon Valley with so many private companies valued at more than a billion… Read more »
Looking forward to the mach49 Mothership Blitz on Friday
As someone who has spent much of my life watching organizations fall victim to what I call the ‘transient advantage‘ economy, I’ve always been puzzled that despite its obvious importance, large organizations do a lot more… Read more »
Corporate entrepreneurship’s latest incarnation-the virtual startup
In this insightful blog post, Steve Sokol runs through the pluses and minuses of being part of a startup within a large corporation, what he calls a “virtual startup.” The pluses are many – a… Read more »
Links to International Editions of End of Competitive Advantage
It’s gratifying to see that the ideas in The End of Competitive Advantage are starting to get traction in various parts of the world. Clicking on the links below should take you to the site… Read more »