The Butterfly Effect

When you think about change, do you ever think about the concept of uncertainty?  Last week, Prof. Richard Bradley delivered a lecture at the London School of Economics on the topic of ‘managing uncertainty’ – what it is and how to deal with it.  A big ask, considering the lecture was only 60 minutes long.

Uncertainty: a state of mind caused [...]

Quebec: Lost for words

LONDON — Like being on holiday when your house is broken into, watching politics unfold in my home town of Montreal and across the province of Quebec is unhealthy.  You imagine things that aren’t true.  You worry about what might have happened, and hold out hope in vain for things that might not.

Then the reality is both better and worse [...]

London at the Olympics is open for business

LONDON — Saturday it was my friend Terry from Toronto.  Sunday it was Jack from Amsterdam.

Sometime this week a man called Clem is coming by the office. We almost recruited him, but he joined the Army instead. We know why he’s in town.

Then there’s Trevor, coming by this week, who I haven’t seen in years…

We know that there are games [...]

Raising money

We have found it's good to do what they say

CHELSEA — Where has all the money gone?  That’s a question I discussed with senior change leaders at two great international businesses this week.

When they bemoaned their business’ inability to spend, or it’s continued focus on cutting core costs, I pointed out the money their companies are sitting on.

Great big [...]

The fine line between business vanity and genius…

FULHAM — The title should read: “The fine line between business vanity and genius: that’s change management.” But it was too long.

I have just read about the Galacticos Island this morning.  A billion-dollar plan to build a Real Madrid theme-park island in the UAE.  It was being derided as a wild and silly idea.  [...]

2012: A year of change

MARYLEBONE — This year is a big year of change. In technology, in the world economy, the world of sport, even in the way all our countries are run.  There are elections in America, France, India…

What is more significant in a country than a change of government?

And that’s what is promised in India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Serbia,  Kuwait, El Salvador, The [...]

Heart and Seoul: Why I want to work in Korea

LONDON — It’s been hard not to think about Korea this week.  But I have different things on my mind.  Not the loss of a dictator.  Not the worry that still has South Korean’s practicing evacuations like WWII Britain and Cold War America.

I am thinking about Korea’s fertile business culture and the country’s uncanny ability to reinvent itself, rebuild and [...]

Change management and Britain’s big banks

CHELSEA — The problem with change is that you cannot always foresee what might happen next.  So you create an anticipated direction of travel and risks, issues, dependencies etc. along the way.

That’s how it’s done.  In a nutshell.

The problem with Britain’s big banks though is not that they don’t know what might happen next.  They do, but they’re determined to [...]

Sunshine and crowds belie the dire economic news

EATON CENTRE, TORONTO — It’s easy to be positive when you’re on holiday. But the 30C temperatures and happy crowds on Canadian streets don’t belong to recessionary times.
The economy in this country seems to have defied the greatest evils of the last three years — banks have never been allowed to wager with others money. But still it [...]

The Middle East, India and Asia: New issues we’d love to work on again

HYDE PARK CORNER — I love Doha.  I was thinking about that as I wrote a friend at QTel in Qatar.  It’s a lovely place and I know some lovely people there.  This week we have seen lots of poorly disguised derisive comments made about Qatar and it’s [...]