June 2003 Flash Points

Battlefield Lessons (p. 35)
FC Article

In My Humble Opinion (p. 68)
FC Article

Colonel Jay Parker has a stake in one of the biggest turnaround projects -- the rebuilding of Iraq. After reading his article and absorbing months of TV coverage, are there any new war-to-business/business-to-war tactics that are apparent? Discuss examples where your company seemed to have everything planned out, but was hurt by a forgotten minute detail, like when Garner's team forgot dog food for military canines. Compare leadership training programs across companies, who is doing a good job preparing Renaissance-type leaders who can tackle a full range of problems?
Moving from Garner to Ellis, how does your group feel about the taboo on using war metaphors in business, sports, etc.? Is not using war terms a sincere move or just PC for the sake of PC? Is it OK to use them when the country isn't engaged in combat? What else did the war teach us -- would a major company ever want to 'embed' a reporter during a corporate crisis?
What is the equivalent to 'winning the peace' in your business? What efforts do you make to retain clients with the same gusto that you showed when winning them?

A Steelmaker's Heart of Gold (p. 46)
FC Article

Apply Dofasco's 'triple bottom line' to your business. How would your business/industry benefit from taking a step back from profits and measuring success on other factors as well? Would you use the same three components as Dofasco (financial metrics, societal and environmental impact) or develop others? Compare the unique compensation system at Dofasco to how your company deals with salaries. Would such a scale ever work in a more corporate setting? Look at how your company could take on a bigger societal role, whether it be sponsoring a youth sports team or cleaning up the neighborhood where a local distributor is based out of.

FastTalk (p. 57)
FC Article

Among the group, compare 'toughest assignments' and the lessons you learned from them.
Identify business lessons in: 'too many cooks in the kitchen,' 'tough love,' strategy backfiring like it did with Deutsch and the Saab account, ignorance/hubris, miscommunication.

Is Your Company Up To Speed?
FC Article

Have your group members spend time at the beginning of the meeting writing down concrete answers to these ten questions. Use the responses as a springboard to a discussion on these points. How could you improve on your emotional bond with your customers? Refer to last month's issue with Volkswagen. How much workplace fun is acceptable and when does that cross the line? (Do any of your group members find flying on Southwest to be annoying?) Is it a must for all industries to identify with a set of values like Whole Foods Market does?

Daniel Richards contributed this month's Flash Points.

June 2003 Connexus | Flash Points | Next Steps