How can you differentiate your company to put it on the path toward competitive advantage and sustainable business success? That’s the subject I recently talked about with Chip Conley, founder & CEO of Joie De Vivre Hospitality and author of PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo. The old answers and approaches are no longer […]
Read MoreWal-Mart – a Noble Enterprise or the World’s Worst Company?
In the spirit of full disclosure, I neither work for Wal-Mart nor have invested in its stock. However, yesterday morning I attended a presentation at the World Affairs Council of Maine by Richard Coyle, Director of Wal-Mart’s International Corporate Affairs, which gave me reason to reflect on the question posed above.
Read MoreHidden Sources of Competitive Advantage
Underlying all the challenges that business owners and CEOs face is the basic question of how do you turn your company into the industry leader? (Or, if it’s already there, how do you keep it there?) For if you can make your company the best in the business, then you will enjoy sustainable growth and […]
Read MoreNobility on the Streets of New York City
I recently attended an awards dinner at a hotel on Fifth Avenue in New York City for my nephew, Curry Ford. This was a gala affair with men in tuxedos and women dressed to the hilt.
Read MoreA World Premiere – “The Noble Enterprise” seminar at Olin Business School
About a year ago, the Olin Business School of Washington University in St. Louis invited two colleagues (builders of Noble Enterprises themselves) and me to design and lead a seminar on The Noble Enterprise for their executive development program.
Read MoreMaking Room for Humanity in Business
In shaping a new business model, I came smack up against some very ingrained beliefs about the underlying economics of the business firm. Ones that, upon closer scrutiny, just didn’t ring true, and certainly didn’t seem to help executives manage the firm effectively.
Read MoreThe Origin of a Noble Business Model
Here I go, starting a blog – something I’ve never done before, but here goes…. I recently came back from the World Premiere of the Noble Enterprise seminar at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, and it was a very affirming experience. But more about that in a later post.
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