Healthy Conflict; Boss BS; Death Spiral (avoidance); Blockchain Primer; Econ Recon

  • October 10, 2017
  • Posted by: Stephen Johnson
  • Category: Vistage
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“We must all suffer from one of two pains:
the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
The difference is that discipline weighs ounces; regret weighs tons.”

Jim Rohn

Healthy (and Unhealthy) Conflict

Patrick Lencion’s seminal work The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and his follow-up book The Advantage highlight the damage that unhealthy conflict (either artificial harmony at one end of the spectrum of conflict to mean-spirited personal attacks on the other) does to an organization.

Regretably, we are seeing more and more unhealthy conflict on the mean spirited end of the spectrum in politics, business, and personal interactions. In this Op-Ed piece in the New York Times, The Dying Art of Disagreement, international correspondent Bret Stevens discusses the increasing lack of meaningful discourse in the current world. A good read for everyone.

How is healthy or unhealthy conflict showing up in your business?

Boss BS

Few of us need someone to explain to us what the acronym “BS” means. We all know it when we see or hear it.

Check out these 21 things bosses say that are total “BS”….and some suggestions for a different approach. How many of these have you heard? Are there any you have used? What could you change to improve the quality of communication in your business?

Death Spiral 101

This article from The Atlantic compares the perils of the early days of aviation (and how pilots learned to ignore their instincts and rely on their instruments) to the challenges that all executives face today.   

For some insight on what to do the next time you’re headed for disaster, spend a few minutes for some insights on How to Avoid a Death Spiral.

A Blockchain Primer

Bitcoin? Blockchain? What’s are these new offerings really all about?  Blockchain is a way of facilitating transactions that has made new ways of conducting business (such as Bitcoin) possible. Most of us have heard about Blockchain but haven’t had a good introduction to it.

This 8 minute video from HBR will give you a good executive summary of this new technology that will soon impact your business if it hasn’t already. It answers questions such as what is blockchain?….. how does it work?…. why should I care? (answer: Yes!) …and how does it apply do my business? 

If you have further interest after watching the video, this short article “Blockchain Explained” from MIT will provide a deeper dive.

ECON RECON – Be Warned (Again)

A Simple Warning:  Speaking to a group of executives in the distribution industry, Dr. Alan Beaulieu of ITR Economics talked about what’s ahead and how to be ready to take advantage of the opportunities.  “It’s been a good year, but there is a change coming,” he said.  Take heed of his simple warning.