Business Archives

BHAG: Examples, Steps, and Tips for Success

What are some BHAG examples? How have visionary leaders succeeded by committing to these goals? Researchers Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras found that visionary companies set and achieve Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). They share three steps to creating your own BHAGs and four ways to make sure they succeed. They also provide several BHAG examples for instruction and inspiration. Keep reading to see several BHAG examples and to learn how to implement your own.

Corporate Growth Strategy: Stay True to Your Core

How can your company grow while remaining true to itself? What’s a corporate growth strategy that allows your company to progress without changing its values and purpose? Visionary companies grow while staying true to what they’re all about. They have a corporate growth strategy that preserves the core while stimulating progress. You, too, can achieve this when you believe in the power of “and”—and when you understand the difference between your core company philosophy and your non-core company practices. Keep reading to learn more about this corporate growth strategy.

The Key to Success? Your Company Philosophy

Does your business have a company philosophy? What difference does it make? Visionary companies are guided by their company philosophy. More than mere words, this blend of their core values and their purpose keeps them focused as it drives them forward. If you want to build a business that lasts, your business needs a core philosophy. Read more to learn the importance of a company philosophy and how to establish one for your business.

Adopt a Visionary Leadership Style: Be a Clock Builder

How does a visionary leadership style lay the path for enduring success? What does it mean to be a clock builder? Contrary to public opinion, visionary companies don’t need a high-profile, charismatic leader to achieve enduring greatness. They simply need someone with a visionary leadership style who focuses on clock building rather than time-telling. Read more to learn about the qualities of a visionary leadership style.

Product-Focus: The 3 Ways It Stymies Success

What’s wrong with product-focus in business? If the product isn’t the point, what is? One of the myths about visionary companies is that they require one great idea—a specific product or service—to get started. In reality, visionary companies don’t take the product-focus approach. Instead, they concentrate on building a great company. Continue reading to learn why product-focus generally doesn’t lead to greatness.

Adaptive Leadership Style: Always on Guard

What is an adaptive leadership style? What does “leading adaptively” entail in practice? An adaptive leadership style is a leadership approach oriented towards tackling adaptive problems—challenges that are brought about by unexpected circumstances, that have no known solutions, and that require a fundamental change to solve. Leaders who adopt an adaptive leadership style constantly assess the landscape within which they operate and the adaptive capacity of their organization to make sure they have what it takes to adapt effectively. In this article, we’ll take a look at the three main qualities of adaptive problems, the traits of adaptive leaders, and

A Visionary Company: What It Is and What It Isn’t

The 3 Common Characteristics of a Good Business

What qualifies as a visionary company? What are the truths and myths about companies that endure? In Built to Last, bestselling author Jim Collins and Stanford professor Jerry I. Porras embarked on a six-year research project to 1) identify the characteristics that distinguished the very best companies, and 2) use these insights to create a framework for those who want to build a visionary company of their own. To this end, the authors identified and analyzed 18 visionary companies that performed exceptionally well over a long period of time. Read more to learn about the qualities of a visionary company.

The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Book Overview

What is The Practice of Adaptive Leadership about? What are the key takeaways? In their book The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, leadership experts Ronald A. Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky teach you how to lead your organization through the difficult, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous process of adaptation. You’ll learn how to diagnose adaptive challenges, create effective interventions, and push your organization—and yourself—further than you ever thought possible. Below is a brief overview of the key points.

Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter: Book Overview

What is John Kotter’s Our Iceberg Is Melting about? How does his story about penguins teach readers about, change, teamwork, and leadership? In John Kotter’s book Our Iceberg Is Melting, he tells a fable about penguins who are faced with the reality that the iceberg they live on is melting and they must find a new home or perish. The story outlines the steps it takes and the difficulties companies face when they must adapt or die. Below is a brief overview of Kotter’s fable Our Iceberg Is Melting.

What Is Adaptive Leadership: Definition & Qualities

What is adaptive leadership? What does “leading adaptively” entail in practice? “Adaptive leadership” is marshaling people to tackle problems with unknown solutions and thrive while doing so. These problems with unknown solutions are called “adaptive challenges.” The only way to solve them is for the people in organizations to learn and change. In this article, we’ll take a look at the qualities of adaptive leadership, the key activities inherent in addressing them, and some tips on how to lead adaptively.