“You will act like the sort of person you conceive yourself to be.” — Maxwell Maltz “The external world is an echo of your internal world.” — Tom Asacker Organizations, like individuals, are guided by self-image. They act not based on external reality, but on what they believe themselves to be. If a company sees itself as an industrial manufacturer, it […]

“If you give a ton of gold to an ant, it will only crush the ant.” — Sadhguru The fastest route to innovation is not through resourcing. You can’t throw money, people, and infrastructure at a problem and expect it to disappear. Yet, that’s exactly what many organisations do. Like a child handed every toy at once,

“In most companies there would be months, perhaps years, of savage debate… The spectre of cannibalisation would roam the hallways, striking fear into fainthearted executives.” — Gary Hamel [TL;DR Some companies struggle to kill off profitable but customer-hostile revenue streams, fearing short-term losses. But clinging to a fading model often proves more costly than the pivot itself. From

“If we only defend, we lose the war.” — Kambei Shimada, Seven Samurai (1954) I was incredibly lucky to play for two of the best attacking rugby teams in the world — Toulouse and Leinster. Toulouse, in particular, had a deep-rooted culture of attacking rugby, a philosophy that didn’t rely on grinding out wins through defense alone. Instead, the club

Mark Twain is credited with the quote, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” I find this quote incredibly relevant as we dive deep into the work of thought leaders who have studied the fate of companies and industries for decades. It is a privilege to explore the research of Michael Tushman, Charles O’Reilly,

This week’s Thursday Thought is dedicated to Ian Morrison, rest in peace Ian! The Phoenix is one of the most enduring symbols of renewal, resilience, and reinvention. According to ancient myth, this magnificent bird, after living for centuries, builds its own funeral pyre and willing walks into the flames, burns itself up and from the ashes

“If you want to know if the elephant at the zoo has a stomachache, don’t ask the veterinarian, ask the cage cleaner.” — Robert Sapolsky The best insights often come from the least expected places. The people who clean up the mess, fix the day-to-day problems, or interact directly with customers are usually the first to notice when

“Organisations invariably tend to reward some employees for A while hoping for B, frequently do not detect the contradiction, and then are bewildered when their behaviour and performance are not aligned with their goals.”- Steve Kerr “Traditional ‘carrot and stick’ incentives can achieve exactly the opposite of their intended aims.” — Dan Pink Guinness For Strength. Picture Post, 1954 If

TL;DR:This Thursday Thought explores the power of selective hearing in overcoming obstacles and achieving success. I was reminded of it during the latest episode of The Innovation Show when I was interviewed by Scott Wolfson and Kes Sampanthar. I was convinced to write it after I read the fable to my 11-year old son last

“Do Not Mortgage Your Future for Small Gains Now” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb “Business leaders are being motivated and rewarded to heat their houses by burning their furniture.” — Mark W. Johnson Watch or listen to this article here: https://medium.com/media/dc2cea697e9c5815da89eab087ef01de/href In our pursuit of immediate comfort or short-term gains, we often sacrifice the foundations of future success. This principle is captured in