Multiple brands have suffered reputational damage following news of abusive work environments. Fox News, NBC, Unicef, The Weinstein Company. Even NPR is on the list, following accusations against Garrison Keillor and head staff in their main office. Welcome to the #MeToo movement. The strategic question is not, in my mind, “Why did abuse occur?” Rather, it’s “How did abusive behavior happen in organizations that had everything in place we thought should prevent such abuse?” Value statements Policies from the human resources department Compliance training for all employees Compliance systems for reporting bad behavior I for one am not surprised the fortress failed. During my tenure at a Global Fortune 500 company, my project leader accosted me verbally at a dinner. The ex-marine insisted on knowing my politics, railed against political correctness, and discussed owning assault-style weapons. He would use them, he claimed, to…
Lessons for leaders from NBC’s newsroom fiasco
Stars and companies fall from grace. Because of the public hanging, the fall is never pretty. And it’s far easier to explain what happened in hindsight than predict with foresight. Still, looking backward is how we learn our lessons. So here’s my take on NBC’s shocking change in fortune. Breaking your brand promise destroys trust. News anchors must convey the objectivity, rationality, and truthfulness their viewers demand. CBS’s Walter Cronkite is the gold standard. When your chief newsman appears on late night shows and tries to be funny or raises his hand to be Jay Leno’s replacement—as Williams did—you have a potential branding issue to manage proactively. Restlessness places brand promises at risk. Restlessness emerges when the status quo produces a feeling or reality of stagnation. John Stewart is exiting the Daily Show as he felt his viewers did not deserve a host…
The role of Value Propositions in Business Model Strategy
A prospect recently asked, “What is the difference between strategy and value proposition work?” Since “strategy” is used to describe everything from how to stop a 2-year old’s tantrum to how to grow a Fortune 500 business, the question is best posed differently: “What is the role of the value proposition in a company’s strategy work?” A value proposition articulates: a promise of value being delivered to a defined target market, where value is the tangible and intangible benefits less the price the target pays to receive them; why this promise is to be believed; and, the offering that gives rise to the benefits. A value proposition should be defined and regularly reviewed at every level where you also develop a strategy. Remembering to do so will make you a better strategist. At the customer level, great sales reps know how to pitch…
Business model success demands strategic leadership, societal consciousness and civil cultures
I wonder if the editors of the January-February, 2013 issue of Harvard Business Review connected the dots among their articles. As a reader I did. “The 100 Best CEOs in the World” is the cover story for an issue that also includes the article “Strategic Leadership: The Essential Skills.” Too many CEOs and their C-Suite teams invest too much of their time in operational management. They fail in the role only they can perform: designing a winning portfolio of business models and the hard-to-copy company capabilities, processes, culture, and ecosystems that they leverage. Strategic leadership is all about this work. I am not saying that operational work is unimportant. Indeed, it is vital. No customer will pay your business for inefficiency or quality issues, and competitors will likely use them to seize advantage. But the leadership team’s role is to establish the measurements,…