by Stuart Cross | Jan 14, 2020 | Growth
The first wave of post-Christmas trading results from the UK’s leading retailers has been largely disappointing. Although there are some winners – including Aldi and Lidl, the discount grocers, Dunelm, JD Sports and Next – the majority have seen sales fall. Tesco,...
by Stuart Cross | Dec 8, 2019 | Growth
Innovation has never been more important to companies as it is now. Economic, technological and social turbulence is creating new needs, and new forms of value are needed to fulfil them. Innovation is no longer a strategic alternative; it’s a strategic necessity. Yet...
by Stuart Cross | Oct 22, 2019 | Growth
Management can sometimes seem like the fairground game of ‘whack-a-mole’. As soon as you have beaten one mole away, another pops its head up. And, like the game, the ‘fun’ never stops; management time is perpetually focused on periodically batting away the same set of...
by Stuart Cross | Oct 16, 2019 | Growth
I’ve had two strategy books published. And over the last decade I’ve worked with dozens of organisations on their strategy. Yet it’s only in the last two or three years that I’ve really understood the importance of having a clear organisational purpose at the heart of...
by Stuart Cross | Jul 31, 2019 | Growth
Yesterday, I was walking in a field with Finney, our cocker spaniel. As is Finney’s habit, he had his head down, carefully sniffing the ground in a bid to track a hare, rabbit or pheasant. When Finney’s sniffing like this, it’s hard for him to hear my calls or...
by Stuart Cross | Jul 16, 2019 | Growth
As I pulled back the curtains yesterday morning, I saw three birds on the trunk of the tree at the front of our house: a pair of green woodpeckers and a nuthatch. Now, I’m not an overly knowledgeable ornithologist, but I’ve never seen a pair of woodpeckers on...
by Stuart Cross | Jun 18, 2019 | Growth
I’m undertaking a learning review of a relatively complex project today. The project has gone well, but the big question is ‘How do we replicate our success across the business?’ The answer to that question has two responses. First, there are some actions –...
by Stuart Cross | Jun 11, 2019 | Growth
I am three-quarters of a way through the first stage of a client project to step-change the sales performance of a retail department. In the future, and with my client’s consent, I’ll hopefully be able to provide more details, but here is a summary of the results so...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 30, 2019 | Growth
There is research-based evidence going back several decades that organisations struggle to embed the learning that is generated from their projects. Yet, you probably don’t need me to tell you that. The notion that ‘we keep reinventing the wheel’ is endemic in most...
by Stuart Cross | Apr 18, 2019 | Growth, Strategy
If a tree falls in a forest and no-one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Equally, if a new business strategy is developed and there is no-one willing to deliver it, did it ever really exist? One of the biggest mistakes executives with their strategy is that...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 25, 2019 | Growth
When I was at junior school, in the 1970s, I was obsessed with football. As part of my obsession, I would analyse the latest league tables every Sunday morning, following Saturday’s fixtures. Even better, I had access to my Shoot league ladders (see photo above, for...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 19, 2019 | Growth
Last week I was lucky enough to be working in New York City. Looking out over the Manhattan skyline, I was amazed by the sheer scale of building work that was going on. New York is in a constant state of regeneration. The developments are almost exclusively high-rise...
by Stuart Cross | Mar 6, 2019 | Growth
Last Friday, I ran a project planning session for a major UK retailer. The aim of the project is to run a trial to rapidly grow sales in one of the retailer’s most important categories. Identifying the specific capabilities that need developing and improving...
by Stuart Cross | Feb 12, 2019 | Growth
I’m not sure if I made that up or heard it elsewhere, but, whatever the source, it’s true – the hardest part of delivering a breakthrough strategy is the follow-through. Like someone who wants to get fit but is struggling to find time to get to the gym, it can be easy...
by Stuart Cross | Jan 7, 2019 | Growth
One of the most difficult conversations I have with my clients is the need to develop a focused strategic agenda. Most business leaders are optimistic – and a little greedy – and wish to bite off more than their organisation can reasonably chew. As a result,...
by Stuart Cross | Sep 17, 2018 | Growth
I am currently reading Fear: Trump in the White House, written by Bob Woodard, the legendary Washington Post journalist. It’s a fascinating insight into the internal machinations and ways of working of President Trump’s top team and their supporting officials, which,...
by Stuart Cross | Aug 29, 2018 | Growth
I’ve been reflecting on the fundamentals of organisational speed and distilling the key lessons for businesses to work on. As a result, I’ve pulled together these five principles of pace that could accelerate your growth and success: Be fixed on the vision, but...
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 | Jan 18, 2018 | Growth, Leadership, Speed and Pace, Strategy
Towards the end of last year, I was talking to the CEO of a large UK retailer who was bemoaning the lack of progress in delivering his company’s strategic agenda. Earlier in the year, he and his executive team had spent several days developing a clear new growth...
by Stuart Cross | Dec 6, 2017 | Growth, Leadership, Strategy
Few companies recognise the power of investing in strategies rather than initiatives. Most companies I know demand detailed discounted cash flow statements for all proposed projects. These projections must show significant payback before the initiative is considered...
