Is another government review an answer to our slide down the complexity rankings?
In a world where technological generations now live and die within months, can another government review truly capture the lightning-fast pace of innovation? Two years after ChatGPT's launch transformed our understanding of artificial intelligence, we're facing a...
Four traits of successful leaders.
The characteristics of leadership we expect from the local nonprofit or sporting club, to the largest businesses in the country, to the Prime Minister, are pretty much the same. Trust. We need to trust them. Trust is earned by the behaviour we observe, never just...
Four strategies to cut through the digital noise and be noticed?
It’s never been easier to reach potential customers, yet the reality is that most outreach efforts are being ignored. Digital tools have flooded inboxes with a tsunami of generic, unsolicited messages. Once, nearly everything got opened — now, email open rates...
How to deliver bad news, and be loved for it
From time-to-time leaders and managers must deliver bad news. Delivering bad news is one of the most stress inducing actions any manager and leader must undertake from time to time. My technique over the years has been what I call ‘delivering a Sh*t sandwich'....
A marketers explanation of ‘Burn rate’.
Too few people running manufacturing SME's understand in sufficient detail the value of understanding and managing their product portfolio with one eye (at least) on their break-even point and burn rate. To my mind these are critical measures that should...
Don’t fiddle with the rules, create a new game.
A phenomenon in my local area, Sydney's inner west. Suddenly, there are electric cars everywhere from manufacturers I had not heard of a couple of years ago. That is in addition to the venerable brands, Volvo, MG, Lotus, and others now owned by Chinese...
Is the ACCC’s Chemist Warehouse Decision a Monopoly in the Making or Market Evolution?
Should the ACCC have approved the $8.8 billion reverse takeover of Sigma pharmaceuticals by Chemist Warehouse? Chemist Warehouse is by far the largest competitor in the $17 Billion retail pharmacy market. Sigma pharmaceuticals is a wholesaler serving all...
How not to rebuild a venerated brand.
Brands are not built by superficial ‘Brand-building' marketing activity. Ever. They are built by doing hundreds of small things that matter to customers and those who aspire to be customers, well, time after time, after time. In this way, customers learn...
Are you considering the increasing value of intangibles?
When thinking about selling your business ensure you spend time and effort identifying the intangible components that could contribute up to 90% of the value of the sale Almost 6 years ago I wrote a post that identified intangible value at 87% of the...
Australia slips another 9 places down the complexity rankings.
The latest economic complexity rankings put out by Harvard were recently released. Australia dropped from 93 in the world to 102. One place ahead of Yemen, one behind that manufacturing innovator, Senegal. I had missed the report until an article in the...