• “IT’S ONLY NATURAL FOR LEADERS TO TRY TO MAKE THE MOST OF THEIR STRENGTHS… But as they rise in an organization, people often become comfortable practicing the skills that got them thus far, and fail to ask how useful these are when working at a higher level… This ‘paradox of excellence’ can result in leaders micromanaging their subordinates (particularly those doing the job they used to do) and neglecting the bigger picture. It often makes bosses choose to do the wrong thing well, rather than the right thing poorly… Many successful leaders are successful precisely because they push their strengths to the limit… But judgment is what matters most…to know when to modulate virtues and when to pull out all the stops.” [THE ECONOMIST – June 8, 13]

    “LEADERSHIP AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IS ABOUT DRIVING ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR. The timeless challenge is to bring together a group of diverse individuals and create an environment where they will work together effectively toward common, shared goals… Collaborative approaches can help develop passion and engagement among individuals, but the need for accountability and clear execution of strategy remains… The ability to obtain the best of the teams’ innovation and creativity, while maintaining discipline and focus on execution – creating that culture and environment – is no easy task… The essential foundation includes establishing clarity, creating a climate that supports organizational behavior, and building capability to reach organizational goals. DCG has decades of expertise in strategic planning & execution; it’s never too late to optimize through course-correction. [JRNL OF ACCOUNTANCY – June 13]

  • INNOVATION IS ALIVE AND WELL. ‘DNA FOG’ IS THE NEWEST CRIMEFIGHTING WEAPON – a security system that “marks intruders with genetic material (derived from plants) which links suspects to crime scenes… The water- resistant particles are nearly impossible to remove from human skin or hair for up to three weeks, and stand up well in courts (European banks use them in cash-carrying boxes and the markers have supported 57 convictions in the U.K.).” The deployment system is available to small businesses at cost as little as $4,000.

    AND COMPETITIVE INNOVATION IS ANOTHER FEDERAL GOV’T GIVEAWAY PROGRAM. Over the last 20 months, 16,000 people have participated in contests for some $40 million prize money involving projects like “creating technology for the FTC that blocks illegal robo-calls; ways for the U.S. Army to safely airdrop aid packages in populated areas; and Dep’t of Justice timelines for when body police armor no longer stops bullets.” The program is headed by a ‘White House Ass’t Director for Grand Challenges’ who is currently offering up to $2 million for innovative ideas about “reducing costs of installing rooftop solar panels (Dep’t of Energy); designing wearable sensors that track air pollution & stream data to a Smartphone (EPA & Dep’t of Health & Human Resources); developing apps to help prevent/detect/treat cancer (Nat’l Cancer Institute); creating nutritious tasty recipes for school lunches (USDA); a better appointment system (Veterans Admin); and developing cables to build an elevator to space (NASA). [BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK – June 10, 13]

  • HOTEL ROOM SERVICE “IS HEADING THE WAY OF THE ROTARY DIAL PHONE.” The New York Hilton, with nearly 2000 rooms, was first to announce a shift to “grab’n’go” cafeteria self-service – a result of high labor cost (keeping staff ready to serve at all hours) and inconsistent demand. Rationale is that “it’s hard to justify a service that both loses money and makes customers feel ripped off” from necessarily inflated prices. [THE WEEK – June 14, 13]
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK: Shameful But True: ‘print’ is truly almost dead! 80% of recent New York City high school grads cannot read sufficiently to enter a community college program, and the average American now spends over 400% as much time listening to the radio (14%) or on mobile devices (12%) than reading a newspaper or magazine (6%).

    “America is the only country where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is real, but the moon landing was faked.” –David Letterman “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.” -Albert Einstein Want to join the Morons & Idiots Majority? Check out: http://www.youtube.com/embed/z9pD_UK6vGU