Thoughts
Ideas that transform people, businesses, and industries
Deeply rooted in our organizational ethos is the celebration of authentic and unapologetic “thought.” We believe each member of our team brings with them a unique view of themselves, our clients, and of the world we live in. We make a point to not only articulate our individual experiences, senses, emotions, and actions internally, but to share them with you here.
Natural Light
No, this blog isn’t about opening up the blinds so you can let some natural light in. Rather it’s about that much beloved beer chugged by college guys everywhere (or anyone a little low on funding) among whom it is affectionately known as “Natty Light.” A good...
To Integrate or Not to Integrate, that is the question
I wanted to take a quick moment to discuss something I found interesting as I was reading about trends in M&A transactions, and how companies are not so great at integrating dissimilar businesses and / or operating models. Well, to that regard, some companies do...
The outsourced flexibility illusion
The single most common reason we hear for outsourcing particular roles in corporate IT organizations is staffing flexibility. In other words, someday, when we have to remove some people, we’d rather remove the contractors than our own staff. Usually, the IT department...
Caught in the Target fiasco
I recently got caught up in the Target data breach fiasco and was issued a new credit card. And, of course, then had to go through all the various companies that have my card on file and update them. There was a remarkable difference in the process at the various...
You Deserve the Best! No you don’t.
I was eating in a restaurant a couple weeks ago and noticed that everywhere I looked I saw the message, “You deserve the freshest!” Why do I deserve the freshest? Is there something this poster knows about me that I don’t? A little while later in another store all...
Going Lean
Time and time again I have seen companies attempt to institute lean methodologies based on how it has been done at another company. I walked into a workshop in 2009, at a multinational product company, where I saw that they were trying to re-engineer all of their...
Complexity + Hilarity = Strategery
Howdy! Before I introduce the blog, I’ll introduce myself. I recently joined the Thought Ensemble team, and I bring a unique perspective on business having spent time in consulting and industry, and then back again to consulting. Through that experience, one of...
What does your Super Bowl ring look like?
February 2nd, 2014… In East Rutherford, NY, home to the NY Giants, the NFL Super Bowl XLVIII took place. The season’s number one defense took the field against the league’s number one offense. By now, we all know how it ended. So why am I writing about the Super Bowl?...
Game Over: Collaboration Software Will Dominate Email
I'm not usually one to make big predictions, but I am feeling opinionated today. I recently had the pleasure of working with a client that is effectively using social collaboration on their projects. They happen to use Jive, although I believe other tools could be...
The Power of Influence
I was in a meeting today and the following thought is one that resurrected itself in my mind: Although you cannot control another individual, you can influence people and have them perform in ways that benefit you. The bottom line is that if you TELL others what to...
LinkedIn is my Facebook
Throughout the years many people have said to me that when it comes to networking, “It’s who you know.” Well, my response to this is that just because you think you know someone, that’s not really a good indication of whether that individual remembers that you exist....
The 57 Watt Light Bulb
I was in Home Depot the other day looking for light bulbs. We are slowly switching our house to LED bulbs (they are very expensive, but more on that in a future blog…) and as I was perusing the selection I came across a 57 watt incandescent light bulb. Maybe I...
Venture Capital Event in Dallas
I attended an MIT Venture Capital (VC) panel event which was held at Softlayer Technologies, Inc. this past week. Softlayer Technologies, by the way, is an IAS (infrastructure as a service) company that was purchased by IBM for "an undisclosed amount". Well,...
New Year’s Resolutions… 2014!
Blogging is kind of like exercising. When you stop doing it, it is really hard to get back to it. It appears I blogged even less than I exercised last year. And here we are at another new year, fresh from the holidays, fantasizing about what's going to be...
2014 Resolutions 2.0
Happy New Year! Yes, it is that time again. Have you chosen your resolutions for 2014? Did you take a moment to reflect on 2013 and think, “Wow, I only worked out for a month” or maybe you gave yourself a pat on the back for keeping one of them until May? I dislike...
New Year’s Goals
Another year came and went. Personally and professionally, I have a lot to be thankful for in 2013. Personally, our families and friends are healthy. My wife and I were also blessed to celebrate with some of our closest friends as they took the marriage plunge. We...
The pre-ramble
Before I introduce you to strategic ramblings, I'd first like to thank you for visiting! I do hope that you enjoy reading the posts as much as I enjoy writing them, and I am certain that over time they will translate to more than just ramblings... So, how would...
Increased consumption = increased sales…. obviously
My brother-in-law called me the other day to tell me about a business principle called the "McIlhenny Principle". The story behind the principle is that someone in the Tabasco company made a deal/bet with one of the executives that if they could increase sales of...
Reading a book
Recently, I unfortunately left my iPad at a friend's house. And, while waiting for it to be shipped back to me, I decided to (gasp) read an old fashioned book . . . the kind made out of a dead tree. At first, it was nice. Like coming home after a long trip or...
Our Fitbit Challenge
A couple weeks ago, we decided to take on a 30 day "Fitbit" challenge at Thought Ensemble. We thought it would be a fun way to stay connected and encourage everyone to stay active during our crazy season. I have to say, I've been very surprised by the change it has...
Is Text the new Email?
I've noticed some trends with texting recently and I'm not sure if I like it (that is your warning that this blog is going to be a bit of a rant). I don't know about you, but lately I've seen more and more business and personal conversations move from email to text...