The C- Suite is not for the faint-of-heart. Things change quickly at the top of the house. At the beginning of 2014 the Chief Marketing Officer [CMO] was touted as the new wunderkind. Significant resources were being shuffled from other parts of the enterprise to fuel the Big Data enabled March to Glory. By the end of 2015 the same analysts who had hoisted the CMO up on a pedestal were now at the forefront of a mob clamoring to have them carted them off to the career guillotine.... Read more

There is a lot going on in this great big world of ours. American politics has entered a new phase. Jon Meacham, author and political commentator is convinced, “the lesson of 2016 is that none of the old rules apply.” [http://goo.gl/Cu8TUo]. In Europe countries are deciding whether they want [or are wanted] in or out [http://goo.gl/TAznzS]. Throughout it all leaders need to recognize that independent of independent variables [e.g., stuff we have little or no control over] innovation transcends all happenstance. There will always be pockets of extraordinary achievement. Innovation happens everywhere – in every vertical market, geography, and discipline. What can you do as a leader do to make sure the light of innovation stays lit in this gusty world of hyper-change?... Read more

One of the little-discussed implications of living in a digital world is that everyone becomes a digital decision maker. In a simpler world, we a] didn’t use that much technology in our personal lives [i.e., we didn’t have that many digital decisions to make] and b] the technology we used at work was provided for us [i.e., the digital decisions that needed to be made had been made for us]. Today, we all have technology decisions to make. By 2017 over 50% of the $3 plus trillion dollars spent each year on information technology will be driven by decision makers outside of IT. The question becomes – are the newly empowered digital decision makers ready, willing and able to make good digital decisions?... Read more

“What’s Next?” is THE question in the technology, durable goods, food and fashion industries. “Who’s Next?” lies at the pulsing heart of the music, entertainment, political, and sports world. Mastering Next is integral to success in every vertical market. A question smart executives need to ask themselves is where are the best and most actionable discussions regarding Next happening?... Read more