Breakpoints are sudden changes in markets. Here’s a notable example. In the 1980s, the cost of Medicare was rising rapidly, and, at the same time, the Federal government was worried about resources to fund Medicare. (That was a time when federal deficits mattered, but I digress.) The two opposing trends—each getting stronger as time passed, neither giving way to the other—created a forced sudden change. In this case, the federal government rapidly changed Medicare reimbursement from “cost-plus” reimbursement to prospective payments, a set amount per clinical procedure code. The change was not just rapid but highly disruptive. Hospitals did not have cost-accounting systems yet, so imagine their plight with no insight into where their gross margins were being made or lost. Lengths of stay dropped dramatically, and medical supplies and product providers needed to deliver “better” offerings (translated into better financial results for…
Practice creates strategic agility for the Green Bay Packers
Hail Mary passes in American football are named after a prayer for a reason. The chances of the quarterback connecting to a receiver over a long distance make this kind of pass look like an act of desperation when the clock is close to Game Over. Did prayers miraculously come true for Aaron Rodgers’ last-chance effort to win their Green Bay Packer’s second game against the Detroit Lions? No. The final pass was not entirely an act of desperation requiring heavenly intervention. Rather, practice made the play part of the Green Bay arsenal; and practice made perfect. There is a lesson in that for all of us as organizational leaders. Apparently Rodgers and his teammates regularly practice long passes, and did so at least three times the practice before the Lions game. Green Bay’s preparation for the final attempt to score also included…