by Stuart Cross | Jun 7, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: Since I launched my consulting business in 2016, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest and best businesses in across the globe. Ten years ago, for instance, I worked with the UK arm of Avon Cosmetics, helping the leadership...
by Stuart Cross | May 25, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s riff: Technology, globalisation and socio-political shifts are combining to create a more uncertain, complex world for businesses. Many companies respond by creating more integrated, joined up organisations, with matrix structures, a myriad of committees...
by Stuart Cross | May 17, 2018 | Business Rocks, Simplicity, Speed and Pace, Strategy
This week’s focus: One of my key messages to my clients is the need to focus on their big priorities. Too many organisations get bogged down in vain attempts to move a million ‘strategic’ projects forward, rather than concentrating on the handful of initiatives...
by Stuart Cross | May 15, 2018 | Innovation, Leadership, Performance Improvement, Speed and Pace
Managers value predictability; it gives them a sense of control over external events. In my experience, results that do not match initial expectations are not normally welcomed, and actions are quickly put in place to restore performance to expected levels. Even...
by Stuart Cross | May 11, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: What is the UK’s vision for Brexit? I’m not trying to make a political comment but, two years on from the referendum, I genuinely don’t know what either HM Government (Conservatives) or HM Loyal Opposition (Labour) want to achieve in terms of...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 27, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: I coach a talented Under 12 football team. When I say coach, what I mean is that, during training sessions, I put cones out (and collect them again), distribute bibs (and collect them again) and sort out any issues with boots. I call myself...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 18, 2018 | Innovation, Leadership, Speed and Pace, Strategy
In my experience, 70% or more of the attention of most senior executives is devoted to problem-solving, and up to 40-50% of it is on ‘fire-fighting’, resolving big, urgent issues as they arise. If you wish to gain a stronger position in your market, however, you...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 13, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: The term ‘strategic planning’ is an oxymoron. It is virtually impossible to develop a winning business strategy during your annual planning process. Planning kills strategy every time! Most planning processes begin with a sales and profit...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 4, 2018 | Leadership, Performance Improvement, Speed and Pace
In recent weeks I’ve come across several examples where leadership teams have been struggling to get important new projects off the ground. In one instance, a three-month gap had emerged between agreeing the need for a particular set of projects and any work...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 23, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: As someone who has worked with many of the UK’s leading retailers, it has been both interesting and depressing to see the recent decline of the likes of Toys R Us, Carpetright and Maplin. All of these retailers have operated in difficult...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 21, 2018 | Leadership, Simplicity, Speed and Pace, Strategy
Every organisation I’ve ever known or worked with has had a myriad of goals, objectives and targets. The trouble with too many competing objectives, however, is that it results in unnecessary confusion and complexitWhen I work with my clients we determine their #1...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 16, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: Over 50 years later than doctors had predicted, Professor Stephen Hawking sadly passed away this week. In a life that was so fully and brilliantly lived, Hawking overcame the paralysis and physical deterioration of Motor Neurone Disease to...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 9, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: We are, as a species, designed to be sociable and to operate effectively within groups. There is both a psychological and societal upside to pleasing others, helping them and being generous with our time. Yet, if you are too generous and too...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 2, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: Around four inches. That seems to be the amount of snow that’s necessary to ‘break’ the UK’s road and rail infrastructure. This week’s cold blast has brought snow, freezing temperatures and a ‘refreshing’ easterly wind to the country – and it...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 1, 2018 | Leadership, Simplicity, Speed and Pace, Strategy
It takes a photon of light a little over 8 minutes to reach the earth after it leaves the sun’s surface. In the vacuum of space, the photon literally travels at the speed of light over the 150 million km journey. But doesn’t light always travel at that velocity? Well,...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 26, 2018 | Leadership
What is the minimum that KFC, the chicken fast-food restaurant, should be able to offer its customers? The answer, of course, is chicken. Amazingly, however, KFC were unable to offer chicken in most of its restaurants across the UK last week. Many of which were forced...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 19, 2018 | Growth, Leadership, Strategy
Last week, I met with an old client who shared with me his company’s latest strategy pack. The document, prescribed by the Group Head Office, was 126 pages long and full of analysis, charts, tables, graphs and action plans. There was also one page in the pack...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 16, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: A few years ago, I cycled the coast-to-coast route, from my home town of Morecambe to Bridlington. The route is around 170 miles and we cycled it over two days. As we set off, I was feeling fresh and fit and looking forward to the day ahead....
by Stuart Cross | Feb 9, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: Some years ago, I led a project to run a trial of a new store format in London. We started with a single store and did a lot of work to change its product range, create a better layout, extend the opening hours, improve cash-taking and make it...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 2, 2018 | Business Rocks
This week’s focus: I’ve stopped watching the news on TV. I find it all just too depressing and it’s no longer the way I wish to either start or end my day. Don’t get me wrong; I still want an understanding of what’s happening in the world and will scan the...
