Category Archives - The View From Here - Nilofer Merchant

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“Outside consultants don’t give in, and don’t give up”.
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The larger picture is about the vision and mission. The “how” of what we do each day to accomplish that (or not) is what I’m commenting on to get the actions/ behaviors / direction to be aligned to the larger vision. So even when I see that things are not working, I am determined to lead that part of the solution to get it back on track.
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Vision Holder Carries Flame

For any of you holding on to a vision, I say disregard anyone who says you cannot make it; fake the confidence, believe in it as if it was already in the rear-view mirror until it is; Never give up; Continue making an effort no matter what, and remember to envision the outcomes as done when you are talking to people on what they will do to carry the flame.
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The WSJ Interview By-Product

it’s okay to be stretched. At this point, you’re on the edge. And, the edge is where you are forced to be creative. It’s where your decisions are sharper and more informed. You make calls because you have to, not because they are convenient. “We can’t do this right now because that is more important.” Being at the limit forces you to think about value and we think that’s a great place to be.
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Involved vs. Committed

There’s a difference between being involved and being committed. To be an athlete you must be committed.
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Walking the Walk.

This story is telling! Jeffrey Swartz, the CEO of the Timberland Co., strode purposefully into a New York office packed with McDonald’s executives. Dressed in a blazer, jeans, and Timberland boots, he was there on this mid-August day to convince…
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Sustainability.

Why don’t businesses talk about sustainability more? I think of it as a core business philosophy for the company I’ve raised. Sustainability and Reinvention to me as part and parcel of a strategy. Yesterday, another “consulting firm” (aka a solo…
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How to do PR like Apple, or be Einstein, or Win Markets

A friend, Joel West, sent an email on Apple PR…an interesting article on Apple’s PR. The article answers: how does Apple do it? Well Graham has you and every other corporation in the world covered by providing seven easy steps…
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Execute revenue growth, or not

I was just reading Double Digit Growth by Michael Treacy. Yes, during work hours. Call it my version of eating bon-bons. I needed a break. And his book is one of many in my recent pile of acquisitions. Recent being…
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The Dreaded F (ired) word

I’m on vacation today and a little reflective about life, and life lessons. I’ve been sitting here on the balcony of a hotel in Mill Valley thinking about the tangible and intangible dimensions of success. Success is relatively non-linear. Probably…
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Things I learned from Carol Bartz

I had a chance to work with Carol Bartz, CEO and now Chairman of Autodesk. She’s a dynamo and one of the best mentors I’ve ever had. I thank Augie for reminding me today on what I learned from Carol….
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2 Parts Enlightenment, 1 Part Truth, and a Smidge of Creation

A colleague (on the client side) is preparing a Microsoft defense strategy, and talked to my team recently about what to do to prepare. We helped him in terms of process steps: the need to build a common data set,…
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What if I just say it louder?

I’m reminded again that getting others to follow you is an art, not a science. When I set about setting the agenda for our kick-off for the year (January) company newsletter, I wanted to do something different than normal. Normal…
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Samurai vs. Senate

Co-dependent teams and / or big companies tend to be like the Roman Senate — taking time to consider, to debate, to weigh, and then to select amongst many choices. When there are more things / ideas / implications to consider, it takes time and is more focused on optimization. Doing it wrong could affect many poorly so better to wait and do it right.
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Carly, 2.0

One common theme of the last 2 weeks of articles is that Carly blames her dismissal on notion of board dysfunction. Dysfunction defined as the moment when people can no longer speak plainly about issues, when people put issues under the table, work the backroom, define issues over power, and stop focusing on the larger common goal. Dysfunctional because personal agendas rule. And I don’t know a person who hasn’t watched the pretexting and Dunn behavior who doesn’t agree with her HP board assessment. But she says, it’s limited to the Board. I don’t know the situation of course. But I do know enough about leadership and organizations to know that every leadership team impacts the company, the people, the choices. Small and large decisions are impacted. If you really believe leadership styles don’t flow down, in good situations AND bad, you haven’t watched many organizations at work.
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Live is to Choose

I believe that to live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there. Those things are driven by some self-awareness, as a fundamental, and then some clarity of vision and intent. Without those, you are simply riding the tide instead of rowing the boat.
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Workforce dynamics

Two people are playing some rather competitive games. It’s causing frustration. Lots of it. And it’s taking their eye off the ball — the marketplace, the competition, the changing customers’ needs. And if there’s one thing I wish I could do before I leave this earth is to end this cycle of wasteful behavior.
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