N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 18, 2024

This role is no longer confined to technical oversight or incremental operational improvements. In parallel, their remit includes guiding organizational mindsets so that each business functionmarketing, sales, operations, human resourcesoperates cohesively under a unified digital vision.

Influence 195

Influence Strategy Supply Chain Agility 195

Let's Grow Leaders

AUGUST 8, 2014

Don’t freak out, with a few careful moves you can leverage apanel interview to your competitive advantage. One of the reasons for a panel interview is to see how you operate in a group setting. As if you weren’t already stressed enough about the interview, now you realize it’s 3 against one. First, relax.

Career 487

Career Tips Succession Active Listening 487

N2Growth Blog

APRIL 19, 2024

One is the ongoing impact of digitalization, which changes how operations and regulatory compliance are conducted. The latter’s pervasive influence touches every facet of business operations, necessitating adaptive, technology-savvy management strategies.

Strategy 349

Strategy Competitive Advantage SWOT Strategic Planning 349

N2Growth Blog

FEBRUARY 22, 2011

Leaders who don’t understand the value of distributable and actionable knowledge not only limit opportunities, but they’re also building huge contingent operating liabilities. It’s one thing to possess knowledge, but it’s quite another thing to leverage it. Thoughts?

Knowledge Management 388

Knowledge Management Management Leadership Document 388

N2Growth Blog

JANUARY 17, 2025

N2Growth, as a premier executive search and leadership advisory firm, recognizes the transformative influence a skilled Commercial Leader can wieldone who interlaces strategic vision, operational excellence, and people-centric leadership into a cohesive path toward profitability and innovation.

Long-term 195

Long-term Short-term Execution Loyalty 195

Leading Blog

APRIL 12, 2021

Rethinking Competitive Advantage: New Rules for the Digital Age by Ram Charan is one of those books. As opposed to: Until recently, the greatest competitive advantage went to companies that controlled distribution channels, had hard assets on the largest scale, or had established brands or patents.

Charan 332

Charan Competitive Advantage Core Competence Learning-by-Doing 332

N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 18, 2024

Conversely, poorly managed transitions invite uncertainty that can erode employee morale, undermine client trust, and weaken competitive advantage. While it may be tempting to focus primarily on operational metrics and bottom-line impact, an incoming CEOs style and core values must mesh naturally with those of the organization.

CEO 195

CEO Planning Succession Long-term 195

In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 13, 2012

Jacobs Suchard Directors expected me to run their North American operation as an entrepreneurial enterprise, and as long as the returns were acceptable, they assumed I was doing just that. With the exception of mega-company “clout” in the marketplace, sustainable competitive advantage cannot survive in toxic cultures.

Competitive Advantage 268

Competitive Advantage Long-term CEO Strategy 268

N2Growth Blog

APRIL 30, 2024

By embracing diversity in succession planning, organizations can create an inclusive environment that values different experiences, cultures, and genders, ultimately enhancing their competitive advantage. This groundwork helps to minimize disruption during the transition period, ensuring business operations continue seamlessly.

Planning 414

Planning Succession Diversity Long-term 414

Lead Change Blog

NOVEMBER 20, 2019

Is your leadership a competitive advantage—or is it costing you? Leadership mastery shows a well-honed outer game arising from a highly mature inner game, while the inner game matures through sequential structures, like operating systems. How do you know? Most leaders are in over their heads, whether they know it or not.

Competitive Advantage 46

Competitive Advantage Leadership Maturity Long-term 46

Leading Blog

JANUARY 30, 2011

The Top 20 Best Companies for Leadership are at the forefront of a significant shift away from hierarchical organizational operating models,” said Rick Lash, Director in Hay Group's Leadership and Talent Practice and co-leader of the Best Companies for Leadership Study. In the process, they are gaining important competitive advantages.

Company 281

Company Competitive Advantage Leadership Diversity 281

N2Growth Blog

APRIL 21, 2011

Most people tend to look at acquisitions from a rather myopic and traditional M&A perspective: making a strategic or synergistic purchase of an operating entity on an accretive basis. However restricting your view of acquisitions to operating companies is like playing a football game with only one play in your playbook.

Real Estate 353

Real Estate Company Brand Operations 353

Lead Change Blog

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

Listen in as Steven and Mike share how supply chain complexities can be successfully overcome through better end-to-end-collaboration, and identify this as a largely untapped area for competitive advantage. What can organizations do to ensure they are creating a culture that helps employees feel valued and heard?

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Supply Chain EBITDA Competitive Advantage Webinar 221

Leading Blog

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

That’s a shame because the aviation industry as a whole still continues to be an industry model for how to operate with extremely high reliability despite having a highly fragmented set of organizational entities. The biggest challenge for companies when it comes to operational excellence is siloed behavior. Recall how the U.S.

Industry 333

Industry Stage-Gate Organization Company 333

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 22, 2024

Staying updated with Artificial Intelligence advancements, automation, and FinTech is essential for optimizing financial operations and planning business growth. As the financial leader, the CFO must guide the company through these changes, ensuring digital advancements enhance operational efficiency and financial soundness.

Chief Financial Officer 317

Chief Financial Officer CFO Skills Compliance 317

Lead Change Blog

JUNE 24, 2019

Trust needs to become baked into the DNA, strategy, and day-to-day operations of all aspects of business because it impacts relationships with all the business stakeholders. A joint report developed with the United Nations Global Compact found that 88 percent of investors see sustainability as a route to competitive advantage.

Supply Chain 345

Supply Chain Reputation Leadership Bottom-up 345

Leading Blog

OCTOBER 21, 2020

Although business leaders are rightfully concerned with competitive advantage and profitability, employees and customers typically have other concerns or priorities. Instead, people want to know that the way their organizations operate is ethical. People want to feel proud of both the work they do and the cause(s) they serve.

Ethics 365

Ethics Self-aware Competitive Advantage Learning-by-Doing 365

N2Growth Blog

DECEMBER 8, 2023

The Importance of a Strong Chief Commercial Officer in Business A robust Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) plays an instrumental role in businesses, providing strategic supervision, guidance, and management of all aspects of commercial operations. The CCO becomes paramount as enterprises navigate competitive landscapes and complex markets.

Trends 374

Trends Business Model Execution Marketing 374

N2Growth Blog

OCTOBER 30, 2011

Performance focused decisioning based upon principles of expectation alignment will lead to a certainty of execution that should translate into one of your company’s greatest competitive advantages.

Leadership 411

Leadership Commitment Competitive Advantage Resistance 411

In the CEO Afterlife

JUNE 17, 2012

The best ones influenced my mode of operation as an executive of Jacobs Suchard , the maker of coffee and chocolate brands, Jacobs , Nabob , Toblerone , Suchard and Côte d’Or. The philosophy begins with a mindset obsessed with the competition. Successful private label manufacturers have been operating this way for years.

Strategy 229

Strategy Competitive Advantage Innovation Operations 229

Eric Jacobson

MARCH 22, 2025

With a clear strategy, inspiring leadership, and aligned sales, powerful leaders understand that true competitive advantage doesn't come from innovation alone but belongs to companies that use their sales organization to add and create value. No product or service can sustain a competitive advantage on its own.

Competitive Advantage 73

Competitive Advantage Leadership Energy Micromanagement 73

Michael Lee Stallard

AUGUST 10, 2021

We spoke with a surgeon one time about her experience of learning to infuse connection into the team she was leading in the operating room. NOTE: Portions of this article were excerpted from Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy, and Understanding at Work , 2nd edition. Katharine P.

Executive Coaching 370

Executive Coaching Mayo Learning-by-Doing Competitive Advantage 370

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 9, 2010

Great businesses are in constant search of improvement, innovation, change, disruption, knowledge and other strategic leverage points that lead to a competitive advantage or operational enhancement. Well actually, no it’s not. Great businesses are dynamic, fluid, vibrant and ever changing.

Blog 305

Blog Brand CEO Depreciation 305

N2Growth Blog

JUNE 9, 2019

Today’s leaders need to be comfortable operating in the grey area, constantly pioneering new ways to use technology to enhance employee engagement, drive customer satisfaction and unleash competitive advantage. Consequently, there’s a lot of uncertainty and opacity that comes with the territory.

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Technology Early Adopters Competitive Advantage Information 331

Lead Change Blog

JANUARY 21, 2020

At the far end of the continuum is Shared Leadership, where the team member and leader are jointly responsible for the task getting completed and work in a collaborative and co-operative way, each individual focusing on their own area of expertise. And remember that control and creativity are the antithesis of each other.

Delegation 287

Delegation Competitive Advantage Creativity Motivation 287

N2Growth Blog

JANUARY 23, 2018

To stay competitive, brands must innovate and transform. That transformation requires adopting new digital technologies in every aspect of business — from product design and operations to customer service and marketing. But not every business knows how to convert that data into actionable insights. Transformation is the new normal.

Strategy 210

Strategy Innovation Competitive Advantage Incubator 210

In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 5, 2013

I think she sized up the work force and concluded that her most valuable employees were the ones prepared to come into the operation every day. The competitive advantage lies in how Yahoo’s employees work together to fulfill Marissa Mayer’s strategic vision. These are the people who will represent Yahoo’s future.

Competitive Advantage 241

Competitive Advantage Reputation Strategy CEO 241

N2Growth Blog

AUGUST 16, 2010

They all speak of the quality of their talent as a key success metric…in fact, many of them will emphatically state that talent is their single biggest competitive advantage. Rarely do I speak with an executive who hasn’t drunk the talent messaging Kool-Aid.

Blog 366

Blog Politics Mission Statement Brand 366

Michael Lee Stallard

APRIL 29, 2015

I am excited to announce that my latest book, Connection Culture: The Competitive Advantage of Shared Identity, Empathy and Understanding at Work is now available! Former Chief of Naval Operations. Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO, The Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute. Vernon Clark, Admiral, U.S.

Books 150

Books Competitive Advantage Servant Leader Review 150

Great Leadership By Dan

JANUARY 9, 2014

At the same time, the advent of new ground breaking technologies such as electricity and motorization – today we would call them disruptive – allowed the estates to operate with significantly less staff. Every competitive advantage in every marketplace is potentially subject to unexpected disruption. Don’t wait to act.

Competitive Advantage 267

Competitive Advantage Resistance Business Model Consensus 267

Strategy Driven

OCTOBER 11, 2023

For small business owners, reducing operational costs is essential for the success of the company. With rising overhead expenses and competition from larger companies, it can be difficult to keep up with the ever-increasing costs associated with running a business.

Operations 97

Operations Cost Lean Manufacturing Outsourcing 97

N2Growth Blog

NOVEMBER 16, 2010

Therefor by definition it is not unique or likely to generate any competitive advantage. Their core is the design and the idea, the operating system, plus the network environment such as iTunes. Again a core that keeps customers loyal & provides a competitive advantage. As an example, Look at Apple!

Blog 334

Blog Outsourcing Competitive Advantage Innovation 334

N2Growth Blog

MAY 13, 2024

The Intersection of Creativity and Regulatory Compliance In the 21st century, businesses are primarily driven by data-centric operations. These specialized operations require a unique combination of creative innovation and strict regulatory compliance. This blend creates an exciting yet challenging enterprise environment.

Innovation 243

Innovation Compliance Creativity Agility 243

In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 19, 2012

History has shown us that the best performers were those who made the right strategic moves to create a future in which their company would enjoy significant competitive advantage. At this point I will gaze into my crystal ball and prophesize the environments in which 21 st century CEOs will operate, a decade from now.

CEO 204

CEO Competitive Advantage Teamwork Marketing 204

Leading Blog

APRIL 3, 2019

Acquaintance with how systems think can be helpful in troubleshooting, understanding limitations, and explaining the operation of cognitive technologies.”. That means humans have a competitive advantage in the workplace if they are perceptive, sensitive, and insightful about human emotions.”

Emotional Intelligence 305

Emotional Intelligence Short-term Technology Banking 305

Lead Change Blog

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

The following excerpt is from the Introduction of Total Value Optimization: Transforming Your Global Supply Chain Into a Competitive Weapon by Steven J. Its performance determines the health of your daily operations and the long-term success of your enterprise. Your supply chain is the backbone of your company.

Supply Chain 204

Supply Chain P&L EBITDA Handbook 204

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 2, 2012

Proponents believe that dominant market share creates competitive advantage because ofmarketplace leverage and economies of scale. Old economy thinking works within known market space defined by industry boundaries and competitive rules. The new economy doesn’t operate that way. But hold on for a moment.

Sports 228

Sports Tactics Competitive Advantage Short-term 228