by Daria Steigman on September 9, 2009
Each week I’m highlighting 3 or 4 posts, surveys, and other news that I have read and/or tweeted about that you may not have seen. As the name implies, I think they deserve a second look.
Here’s your second look for this week:
Tagged as:
Business Week,
Cloud Computing,
Fast Company,
Google Docs,
Innovation
by Daria Steigman on August 27, 2009
Interesting article from Business Week on Accenture’s new partnership with tech startup Bug Labs. The deal allows Accenture to customize technology solutions.
I can’t speak to the tech side, but here are three takeaways from a business perspective:
1. Smart companies proactively anticipate their clients needs. Accenture is doing just that. The article notes: “Before, the $25.3 billion company typically waited for clients to come to its consultants with problems. Now it’s pitching products and services to any and all who might need them.”
2. In tough times, you have to reinvent yourself. In forging this partnership, Accenture is opening the door to new types of business opportunities.
3. You have to be open to change. Accenture’s reputation isn’t exactly that of a disruptor, and yet the organization was open to partnering with someone who is. Contrast Bug Labs’ Web site and blog (and the language they use) to Accenture’s site, and you’ll know we’re talking about very different cultures.
Now it’s your turn. What’s your takeaway?
Tagged as:
Accenture,
Bug Labs,
Business Week,
partnerships
by Daria Steigman on June 25, 2009
Do you have what it takes to be a leader? And is this even the right question to ask?
John Ryan, president of the Center for Creative Leadership and a former superintentent of the U.S. Naval Academy, has a great column in Business Week that posits that leadership has as much to do with environment as it does with innate abilities. He writes:
If you live in a culture where your colleagues believe you can be a leader and help you develop the skills you need, you will enthusiastically embrace the mantle of leadership… [R]egardless of your occupation, you will view yourself as a leader at home, at work, and in your community. But if you live in a culture that assumes leadership is not for everyone, is dependent on whether you have innate leadership skills, and that leadership is defined by your job title rather than your actions, you will have an entirely different view.
With this concept in mind, Ryan then suggests that organizations need to look at how they manage employees and whether their corporate culture permits risktaking.
This is interesting stuff, not least because of its implications for entrepreneurship. If we applied Ryan’s model to the typical entrepreneur, would we find a similar mindset?
Tagged as:
Business Week,
Entrepreneurship,
John Ryan,
Leadership,
U.S. Naval Academy
by Daria Steigman on July 8, 2008
