Pick up any paper. Listen to any news. What’s the common thread that weaves through all news?
VUCA – Volatility, Uncertain, Complexity, Ambiguity
It’s the scary. It’s the unknown. It’s the unknowable.
Today’s new normal is VUCA. That’s why we say: “We now live in VUCA time”
Today’s Typical NY Times Front Page Headlines (August 30, 2017) Continue reading
Some 20 years ago, I was volunteering with a not-for-profit organization to develop new products and services.
Our team had lots of ideas. We were excited to innovate, change, add value, and do better. You could feel the energy. It was electric.
The challenge: The organization was riding high and making lots of money on its core products. They did not want or did not need to look at anything new. Why fix something that was not broken from its point of view. OK. We got it. Continue reading
I live in the northwest of the US. We are now the small business and start up mecca of the US. Why? San Francisco and Silicon Valley are too expensive. So, folks are moving in droves to Portland and Seattle – 1/3 of the license plates in my hood are out of state.
But, there are challenges. The cost of housing and living in the NW is now approaching San Francisco standards of 4 years ago. The challenge is that the surplus of new folks (millennials in their late 20’s and early 30’s) moving into town require livable wage work. So with the influx of folks into the NW, Seattle and Portland are raising the minimum wage to $15/hour. Continue reading
We are all familiar with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA). Now simply known as the Baldrige Award – the Performance Excellence Award.
Well, a new award is coming – The Baldrige Cybersecurity award may be out in a year or so.
Why? Well, information and data is where value is more commonly found. The information may be organizational, personal, or intellectual property. This information is hugely valuable and is commonly digitized. The information has to be protected through cybersecurity. Continue reading
The Challenge
Think of the following: your CEO gets a tweet from President Trump calling out your company for being Un-American for offshoring jobs? No!
“The biggest idea (globalization/offshoring) of the past three decades is in deep trouble,” says the Economist.¹
President Trump advocates critical infrastructure spending to build/upgrade the electric grid, roads, and airports. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) rates the infrastructure D+. Domestic investment will be $1 up to $4 trillion. Most of the infrastructure will be sourced domestically. Continue reading