White Paper: How to Model the World’s Most Valuable Company

How did Apple overtake Exxon Mobil to become the world’s most valuable company in September 2011? Apple was formed in 1976; Exxon and Mobil were formed in 1999, both being descendants of the John D. Rockefeller corporation, Standard Oil, which was established in 1870. Was it simply the genius of Steve Jobs? Or its über-cool designs? Important as these factors are, they are far from the whole story. The reality is that Apple has consistently followed a set of fundamental business practices...
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White paper: The Execution Gap: does your organization have one?

Once upon a time, strategy was everything. Today, strategy is still important: but organizations have shifted their focus to execution of plans and the consistent delivery of results. But many organizations are still caught in the strategy trap, and as a result, have a growing Execution Gap: the gap between setting and achieving their goals. But strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful organization: actually getting things done...
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White paper: Is Happiness at Work possible?

Most of us are socialized – at school, by parents, at work, by society at large – to believe that if we work hard, and become successful, we’ll become happy. So this belief motivates many people as they seek the next thing in life: the next raise; the next big deal; the next good grade, etc.  Or in our personal lives: the next 10 pounds; the next better car; the next bigger house, etc. So it’s always success first, happiness follows. The problem is that the model is broken. With each...
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White paper: Is Immunity to Change hardwired?

Change is the ONLY constant. Organizations hoping to succeed over the long term have to remake themselves into better competitors from time to time. The ensuing change efforts have many names: total quality management, re-engineering, rightsizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnarounds, to name a few. In almost every case, the goal has been to cope with a new, more challenging market by changing the way business is conducted. Unfortunately, most major change initiatives—whether...
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Report: The Economics of Wellbeing

Whether you manage a few people, lead a large group, or run an entire organization, you are already in the business of managing employee wellbeing. The research on this topic is quite clear: Your work force’s wellbeing has a direct impact on your organization’s bottom line. Even if you have never thought of your employees’ wellbeing as “your business,” each person’s wellbeing is critical to achieving an organization’s goals and fulfilling its mission. Every day in your...
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