Tag: Leadership
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Inertia of Motion: When Organisations Can’t Stop Moving
There is another form of organisational inertia that appears in businesses with strong momentum. The organisation has a clear direction, established priorities and a history of successful execution. Investment has been made, capabilities have been developed and people understand what they are trying to achieve. The organisation is moving, often with considerable energy. Over time,…
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Inertia of Rest: When Organisations Stop Moving
There is a form of organisational inertia that can be difficult to see. The organisation is performing. Customers are being served, financial targets are being monitored, people understand their responsibilities and the operating model is familiar. There is activity across the business and the organisation appears to be functioning exactly as it should. Yet over…
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Board Thinking
Boards create value through judgement, and judgement begins with understanding. Good boards are not defined by having the right answers. They are defined by asking the questions that improve organisational understanding and judgement. Intro Board discussions are often centred on strategy, performance, risk and governance. These are all important, but they are outcomes of something…
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The Information Hidden Within the Numbers
Most organisations rely heavily on performance measures to understand how the business is performing. Revenue, profitability, cash flow and productivity provide an important view of organisational health. They help leaders understand current performance, assess progress and support decision-making. They provide visibility of outcomes and establish a common language for discussing organisational performance. The challenge is…
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Why Portfolio Businesses Require Different Leadership Models
Portfolio businesses create a very different leadership challenge to single operating companies. Growth through acquisition increases far more than revenue or capability. Complexity expands across multiple businesses, each with different operating rhythms, leadership maturity, commercial pressures, systems, and cultures. What works effectively in one business can create friction in another. Leading a portfolio is not…
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Where EBITDA Leaks: The Hidden Cost of Operational Friction
EBITDA rarely disappears all at once Margin erodes gradually, shaped by how work moves across the system over time. Revenue can remain stable, activity can remain high, and teams can remain fully engaged, yet financial performance still falls short of expectation. The signals are subtle. Delivery continues, customers are served, and the organisation appears to…
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When Capable Teams Slow Down
Capability is rarely the constraint Most organisations that slow down are not short of talent. They are staffed by capable, motivated people who understand their domains and care about outcomes. When performance starts to plateau, the instinctive explanation is often execution: skills gaps, accountability issues, or capacity limits. In practice, capability is usually present. What…
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Authority Is the Last System Most Organisations Redesign
Scale rarely fails loudly Most organisations do not experience scale as a sudden failure. They experience it as drag. Decisions take longer to resolve, meetings multiply without creating closure and leadership time becomes consumed by issues that feel operational rather than strategic. Targets are still met, activity remains high, and nothing appears obviously broken. Yet…