Disney recently announced its adoption of “demand based” pricing at its parks in the U.S.[i] This is a first for Disney where consumers have paid a fixed price since Disneyland first opened in 1955. Is variable pricing here to stay?   Uber has been shaking things...

It felt like déjà vu all over again.  Last month, I was sitting with a group of aerospace executives who were trying to figure out how they would manage their massive backlog. It reminded me of a time that I was in North Dakota, hearing about how hot the energy sector...

While last week’s market plunge was a shock to the system, it was only mildly surprising. The global economy seems to be hanging on by a string. The energy sector is depressed. China suffers from over-investment, the devaluing of its currency, corruption and a...

I recently found myself in a conversation indicative of the generational divide. I was shopping for bands for my new Apple Watch in the Apple Store and the young man helping me was talking about his generation’s fascination with devices. He said, “Sometimes my iPhone...

The Recovery-Less Recovery The Feds recent language about its unwillingness to raise interest rates is a sign of discomfort on the part of many of the world’s leading economists. The recent melt down in Greece only illustrates ongoing weakness in Europe. Closer to...

Making Your Own Breaks Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, was never much of a conformist. While athletically inclined, he did not participate in sports at a young age. While he lived in an affluent area, his family was on welfare, and he took odd jobs to make ends meet. In...

Managing from the Inside Out It is pretty easy for companies to be consumed by what is happening in the outside world. As professional strategic planning facilitators, we preach the need for constant evaluation of external forces. Yet the value delivered by a company...

Performance Management: Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater! In a controversial new article in the Harvard Business Review, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall recount their experiences in reshaping Deloitte’s performance management system. The article calls...

The Future Ain't What it Used to Be... In my speeches around North America, I talk a lot about the transformational nature of business. Such conversations can make people very uncomfortable. The notion that a small or mid-market company could do something radical...