2015 will go down as the year when I really started to blog, with 36 blogs. The dominant themes reflect my roots: leadership, strategy and business models. Based on reader responses the three favourite posts were:
- The disruption engine ... which gives the reader a high level overview of a couple of models which seek to explain disruption. I conclude with a few ideas which the reader could use to 'test' their exposure to potential disruption
- Opening Minds - lessons from Cirque du Soleil ... it may have been due to the beautiful video clip, but the blog was about understanding where you sit in terms of the strategy life cycle. At different points in the strategy life cycle the focus of the strategy process changes. The biggest risk is at the high point of the cycle, just before you crest and begin the downward slide. At this point the risk is under-reach rather than over-reach.
- Leadership Lessons from Ross Lyons ... this was a shorter piece in which I challenge leaders to look at under-performance of their teams through the same lens Ross applies. If they are under-performing, that starts and finishes with you. Ouch.
So, that was the 'readers' picks'. Among my close friends/colleagues there were two that they really enjoyed:
- Are you ready for the next big shift ... highlights the limitations of strategy processes to really pick the big shifts. Most practitioners reach for scenarios under conditions of real uncertainty, but this blog highlights the limitations even using scenarios. I finish with one suggested method. But I don't pretend it is easy.
- Excellence - lessons from Sting ... again, comes with a video link, it explores just what it takes to achieve excellence in your domain. And finishes with the observation that 'pursuit of excellence should come with a product warning'.
And so finally, my favourite? Hard to say, but recently I posted a blog on what I called the profound responsibility of leadership. It reflects my passion: my belief that we, as leaders, have the potential to create great organisations. I will finish with a couple of lines from a recent World Business Forum that resonate with my world view:
- Creative leaders emotionalise ... rational thinking leads to conclusions, emotional thinking leads to action
- Our value share in an ecosystem comes from our share of passion ... organisations need passion to overcome ADD (ambition deficit disorder)
And so as I look forward to 2016, I've a number of fresh ideas which I will be blogging about and also talking to my clients about. I think we should collectively declare 2016 our 'break out year'. All the best for the festive season, and the new year. Stay safe, share your joys with your family and loved ones.
