Estrategia y Cambio: ¿dónde ha de situarse el CEO? (5)
In the future. Searching how it will be, wondering what shape it will have, which will be the playing ground. Preparing the different roads as alternative routes to get to a horizon which after five years, at least, will continue to be sustainable and consistent with the Vision that exists today. And if necessary, preparing the alternative messages to start adapting the Vision to new markets, new competitors, new ways of doing business, new ways of trading. Preparing the different head models which have to get to that future (including the...
read moreChange: Men who did not love women
They asked them for sweetened coffee with their university titles They looked more at the girls’ lower back than at their eyes They gave them a position way below their capacities They told the girls to make photocopies to save time They had them sit in the smallest offices They were scolded for being pregnant They were denied well deserved promotions The girls were always called by their names as if they had no last names They doubted their abilities They doubted their skills Their possibilities Their proposals Their attitudes Their...
read moreEstrategia y Cambio: del burnout al boreout al knockout
A few days ago, this article appeared in La Vanguardia this article referring to a recently detected new syndrome: the boreout. I believe it is missing a “d”, because in fact it speaks about something like “bored to death”. It is related to the other syndrome, the “burnout”; that is, burnt out by work. The truth is that it is a term I kind of like, because it is a fitting term. There are people utterly bored at work. Bored of not knowing where they are headed to; of not knowing to do; bored of not doing more than going around in...
read moreChange: Because restructuring is a process not a project
Therefore, more than half of the restructures in the world eventually are ‘useless at best and harmful at worst’. That is, they have ephemeral effects and then they fall into the same wells where they first started out. Because ‘to restructure’ is, and I will say it one more time, ”change of structure” It is not to reduce the costs, it is not throwing people in an identical order to disembark from the shipwreck: “the weaker ones, first!”. It is not changing some executive and leave all Information Systems intact; it is not...
read moreEstrategia y Cambio: ¿dónde ha de situarse el CEO? (4)
He should place himself far away from his original occupation. Whichever that may be. Far away from Sales if he comes from the commercial area, far away from Product Development if he comes from the Engineering area; and definitely far away from that which keeps him away from the ‘family picture’ Since very many years I have suffered from the harassment by those people who ask me what my profession is and then they get wide-eyed when I tell them that “I direct companies”. And the questions start: “but, what companies? what do you...
read moreManagement: quién me enseñó
His name is Roy G. Nice. The G. means George and he is British I do not know where he is now because not even all the Social Networks have allowed me to contact him again, but I hope that he is in some warm and sunny place, playing golf. I was 25 years old and he was my first CEO. I started to work as Regional Responsible of a Spanish subsidiary of a British company, that has a long history and accreditation which was just bought by a Swedish multinational company with important skills in the sector. The gentleman about whom I want to talk...
read morePorque Excelencia…¡no viene de Excel!
No, Sir it does not come from Excel! According to the Dictionary of the Royal Academy, Excellence means: “Superior quality or goodness which makes something worth its particular price or appreciation”. No more and no less. And this post compares this comment by Manuel Granada referring to the use/abuse of Excel in companies. And this post compares this comment Manuel Granada eby Manuel Granada referring to the use/abuse of Excel in companies. Manuel said that he had established as a scale for the efficiency of companies a proportional...
read moreEstrategia y Cambio: un bosque de bonsáis
I have been asked this question while people expected an illustrated, learned, profound or maybe even an illuminated answer. I have been asked this question while people expected an answer that would not distribute responsibilities for what occurred until that day, an answer that would provide an alibi. I have been asked that question while they expected to receive comfort and hope in identical doses. The question was: “after these weeks, what have you seen from our Company?” And my answer was sincere, maybe improper in my position but...
read moreEstrategia y Cambio: ¿dónde ha de situarse el CEO? (3)
Listening. Outside his office. With meetings where he does not preside at the table. With an agenda that contains 3 days off per week, at least. Learning the name of his employees (even if there are hundreds, it is not impossible). To be in his office just when no one is around in the company. Walking through the company, the stores, the laboratories or any other place where the center of business is produced, right then when they are closed. That is where the CEO...
read moreEstrategia y Cambio: ¿dónde ha de situarse el CEO? (2)
It was no accident that I chose the image of the god Janus in the first post of this seriesto illustrate the post. I am convinced that that should be the CEO’s attitude (read: Managing Director, Manager, General Manager, etc.) This should be the position: looking at both the shareholders and the company at the same time. By choosing this image I noticed that the god Janus has that image because he marks the beginning and the end of things, all at the same time. That is probably why the Portuguese name for the month of January is -Janeiro-,...
read moreEstrategia y Cambio: Comunicación horizontal
This post does not mention whispered conversations between sweet lovers although the horizontality of the title may suggest it. This post is the response to a very intelligent question from Claudia Coma, a reader of this Blog, due to the Anticredo post. Her question was: What can we do to promote the Change from non-managerial positions? The truth is, that it is an excellent question. It is a really challenging question. And this was my reply, which I would now like to share: “I will try to answer with my first instinct: share the...
read moreEstrategia y Cambio: aptitud, actitud y mis respetos
En lo blogosfera hay muchos colegas que merecen mi admiración y mi respeto; a quienes sigo, de quienes aprendo. Sin embargo, en éste caso, quiero pediros especialmente que veáis éste post de Ergow Hablar de Prevención de Riesgos así, previene además el riesgo de hacer de las empresas sitios invivibles. Y posts como estos, son antídotos impecables. Gracias, Ergow, por el compromiso con tu oficio, por la elegancia, por el cuidado, y adicionalmente, por tu amor por el cine y la música Con todos mis respetos, Gabriela PS.: la película...
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