Read any business magazine and you’ll discover a multitude of examples of companies that secured profitable, growing market positions because their visionary leaders challenged the conventional rules of how an industry works. The leaders’ fresh perspectives resulted in winning business model innovations in industry after industry. Netflix ousts Blockbuster. Starbucks creates a rapidly growing revenue [...]

A National Public Radio story this week concerned Ludo Lefebvre, a successful Los Angeles chef who got cold feet after leaving established restaurants to create his own. With two Mobil 5-star ratings on his resume, $2 million in investor support and a weariness from working for bosses, why did Lefebvre change his plans? His gut [...]

Two vastly different news stories, one about Alzheimer’s and the other about dollar stores, together convey an important strategic leadership lesson about the importance of alignment with partners in achieving an organization’s goals. Dollar stores (Dollar General, Family Dollar Stores and Dollar Trees) are growing rapidly at the expense of Walmart. Recently the dollar stores [...]

A potential client in a technology industry called me with an all-too-familiar story about his privately held company: • Established decades ago as a niche technology company • Successfully executed many technology evolutions and disruptions • Earned price premiums for decades due to outstanding service and quality • Survived the 2008 decline – hardest years [...]

In the 1980s I had the privilege of working closely with consultants from McKinsey & Company, strategy partners to many Fortune 1000 firms and global non-profits. McKinsey’s value promise in a nutshell is, “We’ll help you reshape your industry to your advantage.” McKinsey recently released a report on mega-trends that will shape markets. It’s essential [...]

The blogosphere is aflutter with talk on Apple’s recent customer satisfaction issues linked to the new iPhone 4’s antenna design. A quiet whisper turned into thunderous noise once Consumer Reports decided to not recommend the phone because calls are dropped if the antenna is covered while in use (for example, by the user’s hand holding [...]

I spoke with Robert Finfrock this week. His company, Finfrock Enterprises, is featured in the introduction to my book, Beyond Price, for how it escaped the ruthless construction industry competition. Bob transformed what had become a commoditized business into a one-of-a-kind business selling its services at a premium. The financial and enjoyment returns have been [...]

The best products and businesses solve problems otherwise left unaddressed. Customers and owners win as a result. Vidalias onions provide this week’s example of a business model innovation with the potential to solve an important problem. Any mother can speak eloquently about the challenges of getting her child to eat healthy foods, with vegetables the [...]

For decades, corporate social responsibility has been managed by most CEOs as a Pubic Relations activity, financed through philanthropy and Marketing Department budgets, rather than as a core principle guiding decision-making. What a loss to companies, consumers, the environment and communities. Those few companies who were early adopters of sustainability as a business practice versus [...]

I’d never have bet that the US Security and Exchange Commission, the team fooled needlessly by Ponzi-scheme artist Madoff and others, would become the brave kid in the crowd to scream, “The Emperor is naked!” In accusing Dell and its CEO of negligence-based fraud, the reality of Dell’s broken business model becomes clear to all. [...]