Strategy – The Specialist-Generalist

April 12, 2020April 12, 2020 John Worne Specialist-Generalist

Good Strategy/Bad Strategy

Many years ago I learnt the term ‘choiceful’ from an American colleague; he said good strategy was ‘choiceful’ because it eliminated some desirable options. Books and books and more books have been written on strategy, but ‘choicefulness’ is a keeper - just like Porter’s famous insight that: “The essence of strategy is choosing what not … Continue reading Good Strategy/Bad Strategy

April 5, 2017April 5, 2017 John Worne Leadership, Specialist-Generalist, Strategy

HBR: To Guide Your Company’s Future, Look to Its Past

By John Worne History isn't always a reliable guide to the future; plenty of great organisations have wrongly believed their history makes them 'too big to fall'. Still, connecting with the origins: the founding myths and great moments of an organisation, is the surest way to capture the 'hearts and minds' on any forward strategy … Continue reading HBR: To Guide Your Company’s Future, Look to Its Past

November 14, 2011January 28, 2017 John Worne Futures, Specialist-Generalist, Strategy

Mapping the Future? Understand the numbers and follow your values.

When is comes to mapping the future, numbers and values are your best guides. Most modern organisations sit on mountains of unused data. This week I saw a simple piece of analysis, which showed that what we actually do is quite different from what we think we do. The true weight of activity, costs and … Continue reading Mapping the Future? Understand the numbers and follow your values.

The Specialist-Generalist Mindset

Here's what Harvard Business Review has to say on 'Imposter Syndrome', every Specialist-Generalist's constant companion:

"We’ve all had that feeling of being unqualified to do something we’ve been tasked to do. But the fact that everyone occasionally suffers from impostor syndrome (even CEOs and Prime Ministers) doesn’t make it any easier to handle.

Try these three things:

1) Recognise there are positives to being new in your field. When you’re not steeped in the conventional wisdom of a given profession or industry, you can ask questions that haven’t been asked before or approach problems in ways others haven’t thought of.

2) Adopt a learning mindset. Focus more on what you’re learning than on how you’re performing.

3) Know that you’re not alone. If you’re feeling like an impostor, chances are that others feel the same way."