James M. Kerr
James M. Kerr is a long-time author, management consultant, vision maker and coach to some of today's best leaders. His latest book, Indispensable: Build and Lead A Company Customers Can’t Live Without was published in February 2021.
Getting back to work in the post-pandemic world
07 Apr 2021
As organizations prepare to get back to work in a post-pandemic world, leaders must focus on just how they intend to get on with work for years to come.
Scenario planning: the time is now
06 Apr 2020
As business leaders try to figure out how to stay afloat, it's important not to confuse scenario planning with business continuity planning. The two are not the same.
I think differently and that's OK
17 Mar 2020
Conventional wisdom says that firms need access to experts from their industry to help them develop strategies that will separate them from the competition. But in reality, nothing can be further from the truth!
Improve strategic alignment through better metrics
04 Mar 2020
People pay attention to what they’re measured by. So the best way to get a behavior change is to measure to the new behavior intended to be instituted.
The business five principles of Mars
11 Nov 2019
Quality, responsibility, mutuality, efficiency and freedom are the foundation of a company culture that has endured through generations of candy-loving kids, big and small.
Opening the Johari Window
08 Aug 2019
The Johari Window is a technique that can be used to expose an individual’s blind spots and increase self-discovery. It’s also a useful way to improve team performance and encourage breakthrough thinking.
How humor can help shape strategy
31 May 2019
More and more companies globally are using humor as part of their brand strategies, and Stand-Up Strategist has just released its second annual ranking of the best corporate April Fools campaigns.
Principles before personalities
01 May 2019
During large-scale reorganizations, discussions can often become heated and turn personal. That's why it's important to keep in mind some techniques to ensure that your teams stay focused on the 'why' and the 'what' rather than getting bogged down with the 'who'.
Is communication the problem, or teamwork?
05 Dec 2017
Sometimes we can get fooled into thinking that poor communication is a problem when it’s really a symptom of something much more profound: poor organizational design that undermines the ability of people to work in teams.
Four principles for high integrity
20 May 2016
No one wants to work with people that they can’t trust and respect. Here are four principles that anyone who wants to lead their life with real integrity absolutely must embrace.
Strategic planning in five easy steps
19 Jan 2016
Strategic planning doesn’t need to be complicated. Here’s a simple process you can follow to demystify it and put in place an effective strategic planning structure for your organization.
Can a coin help to rebuild employee engagement?
22 Jun 2015
Now that the business climate seems to be improving, do we need to design and implement sophisticated strategies to regenerate a sense of team in our firms? No, a much simpler approach can be even more effective.
Win big with integrated performance measurement
04 Feb 2015
Why do so many businesses measure staff performance after the fact? Metrics ought to be produced as a direct by-product of doing the work, giving you time to make mid-course adjustments. Get it right and your business results will sky-rocket.
12 differences between winning and losing leadership
07 Jan 2015
Leaders can make or break an organization. Great leaders drive great organizations and great organizations produce great results. Less-than- stellar leaders usually deliver the opposite. So what characterizes winning and losing leadership styles?
How appealing to women has helped The Home Depot
03 Oct 2014
To see what an organization can do when it is deliberate and determined in its commitment to make changes, look no further than the example of The Home Depot, whose women-friendly makeover is already paying dividends.
The prisoner's dilemma
26 Sep 2014
Why do people working within the same organization - even the same unit - often seem to be operating in conflict with one another? Understanding the prisoner's dilemma can give us some clues.
Business blind spots
02 Sep 2014
Many breakthrough ideas get ignored because business leaders are unable to grasp concepts that don't fit their expectations of what will work within their firm or industry. So how can we avoid these business blind spots?
The keys to strategic differentiation
18 Aug 2014
The only way that a business can deliver sustainable achievement over the long haul is through the pursuit of three simple goals that together represent the universal truth of all strategic differentiation. They are to be a company of choice, an employer of choice and an investment of choice.
Culture starts at the top
07 Jul 2014
It’s more than just dodgy ignition switches, GM’s leadership has produced a real lemon. When we start to examine the culture that has led to this sorry state of affairs, it’s clear that the rot starts at the top. But all is not lost - at least, not yet.
Leadership lessons from Hector Berlioz
20 May 2014
19th century French composer Hector Berlioz had a profound influence on the development of the modern orchestra. But apart from music, his life provides us with some valuable lessons on leadership, too.
Cultivating a creative workforce
07 May 2014
We all want to work in a gratifying and stimulating environment – one that brings out the best in us and our colleagues. But how do you cultivate such a work environment? The place to start is by building a creative workforce.
Going flat: the re-imagined organization
09 Apr 2014
Zappos announcement that it transforming itself into a self-governing 'holacracy ' where there are no job titles and no managers is only the latest example of a company rejecting a traditional structure. And as organizations evolve, it won't be the last.
More from James
Flipping the organization
02 Apr 2014
It is time to adopt an upside-down view of how organizations work. That means focusing resources on the front-line staff who deliver to customers, not on executives who primarily manage the spin among the investment community.
Leadership: we're in it together
18 Feb 2014
Outstanding leaders lead by example. They naturally express a sense that 'we're all in it together' because they make deliberate efforts to communicate the sense that everyone shares the same goals and aspirations and that these ambitions can be achieved as one.
The power of project reviews
09 Jul 2012
There are few better ways to engage staff in business transformation than to institute a project review panel process. Done right the benefits will be seen not just at the project level, but on the overall employee engagement front, too.
Are you a dreadful leader?
28 Oct 2011
The chances are you have witnessed the damage a dreadful leader can wreak on an organization. While bad leaders can take many forms, there are five primary types from which all are derived. So can you recognize a dreadful leader in your midst?
Building a championship business
25 Jul 2011
Championship-winning sports teams and championship-caliber businesses have certain fundamental traits in common. So recognizing and understanding these factors can go a long way towards helping an organization to reach perfection.
Fixing the broken education system
29 Mar 2011
The US education system is broken, says James Kerr, and it doesn't look like it will fix itself. In fact, if fundamental reform isn't undertaken soon, it is very likely that American businesses will find themselves grossly short-handed in the coming years.
Staying in the moment
03 Mar 2011
How do the best companies differentiate themselves in the marketplace? One way is by staying focused and not getting distracted. To put it another way, it comes down to exceptional strategic planning and execution by staying in the moment.
Gen Y and the 2020 organization
17 Jan 2011
In less than a decade from now, Gen Y will be firmly entrenched within the management layers of most large corporations. But what this will mean for organizations and what changes will Gen Y bring with them as they begin to steer the ship?
Leadership in troubled times
23 Sep 2010
Most management teams can identify what is needed to help their company evolve. But most are much less accomplished at the sort of active, directive leadership that is required to galvanize teams and make change happen.
A blueprint for business architecture
29 Mar 2010
Only a fool would commission an architect to design a building without first discussing its intended use, esthetics and costs to build and maintain. Similarly, an enterprise should never set out to redefine its business architecture without first gaining similar understanding.
Strategic vision and the balanced scorecard
01 Mar 2010
We all know the importance of context when making choices and determining priorities. But organizations seldom consider setting a context when instituting business measurement and monitoring apparatus.
Strategic visioning
27 Jul 2009
If an organization really wants to attract and retain the best and brightest, a good place to start is by painting a vision. I don't mean some tired mission statement, I mean something with depth, something so compelling that the average working professional wants to be part of it.