Side shows are designed to be seductive. They are often brighter, bolder, and more garrish than the main show. They try to make up for lack of substance with superior showmanship.
Don't fall for them. Find the main show. Find the center ring of what's most important to the organization. Focus your time and attention on that part of the effort or on efforts that support that main thrust.
It's not enough to go for any shiny object. Aim for the brass ring in the center ring.
In judo, you do not try to overpower a stronger opponent. You accept their strength, side-step their thrust, and use their weight and momentum to throw them. My earlier article,…
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Every executive walking into a new role is, for a while, stupid. Not incapable. Not unqualified. Stupid in the specific, unavoidable sense that they do not yet know what they…
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There's a version of executive onboarding that almost never gets written about, probably because it looks so easy from the outside. Whether it’s the CFO succeeding the CEO, or the…
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The fastest way for a new functional or operational leader to fail is to start changing the team before becoming part of it. The better sequence is simpler and harder: converge first,…
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KKR's $5.7 billion agreement to acquire Integer Holdings closed a strategic review that started back in April. The medtech manufacturer's board ran the process. Advisors ran the numbers. Lawyers ran…
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Private equity has been on a buying spree. Bolt-on acquisitions, platform builds, roll-ups across logistics, healthcare, professional services, and beyond. Deal teams have gotten faster and more disciplined about diligence,…
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