What makes business different is that a business is a going concern. What this means is that a business should–theoretically–last forever. But just like a human or your automobile, entropy is out to get your business. Without significant maintenance and substantive change through time, your business will fall apart and return to the stardust from whence it came. Therefore, change is a necessary condition for the success and survival of any business. Operating a business without a plan for how to deal with change–or imagining that change is not important–is akin to having a death wish. Left unattended the opposing forces of change and entropy will rip the organization apart.

In the boardroom, determining corporate purpose is a team sport that is driven from the office of the CEO with input from the senior executive team. Like its personal counterpart, a high level of human skill is required for the best results. Quiet egos, open ears, curious, agile minds, and courageous, yet compassionate voices are necessary conditions for success.

The concept of a management operating system has been around for years, but has encountered limitations on adoption as existing models focus primarily on structures, processes, and systems that work together. Our approach is different in that we’re purposefully recognizing the impact of philosophy, the human element of business, and specifically engineering the operating system to promote the movement of organizational culture toward high trust and high accountability.

There are three certainties in life: change, community support (a.k.a., taxes), and death. We should all spend the right amount of time educating ourselves and contemplating our relationship with each of these certainties. It’s important not to dwell on, or allow these conversations to overwhelm us. However, it’s equally important to engage and not stick our heads in the sand - blissfully wandering through life under the assumption that we are somehow immortal.

The process of getting to know yourself is difficult, but deeply satisfying. Self-reflection and personal planning exercises are two important tools to understand and employ on the journey toward greater self-awareness and enlightenment. In this muse, we’re going to take the promised deep dive into the concept of the personal A3.

Create a sense of community within your organizations. Yes, the profit motive is important, but your organization has a real opportunity (and, I would argue, an obligation) to help build the emotional intelligence, self-awareness, situational awareness, and lifelong learning skills your employees need to succeed at work and within the broader community.

There is only one way: forward (which, by the way, is the motto of my home state of Wisconsin) and together. We cannot move forward if we’re so polarized and fixed in our thinking that the act of “listening” to the other side amounts to canned, party-approved responses that paint political opponents and our neighbors as “enemies” and “evil.”

It should be no surprise to frequent readers in this forum that the tools needed to improve the accuracy and fidelity of business forecasting are pinned in the tenets of continuous improvement and organizational health. The “ah ha” moment I hope you’ve had is the importance of having strong financial modeling skills embedded in your organization.

The first step on the journey to strengthen the fidelity of our inner eye is to recognize our obligation to learn and continuously improve. Without a strong inner eye, we become rigid, fixed and unyielding. Without a strong inner eye, it is difficult to see ourselves as part of the solution to challenges. We easily fall into the trap of a blame mindset and are easily swayed by strong voices that are not our own.

It’s a common refrain from both employers and employees: “My team is a family,” or “Come work for us, our company has a real family atmosphere.” While typically meant to convey a sense of warmth, belonging, and bonding, I believe the word “family” should exit our business vernacular and be reserved for reference to our core family units.

It was a magic show. A magic show presented during a global pandemic that has killed millions. To help keep everyone safe from the virus and allow the “show to go on,” the organizers instituted a very simple attendance criteria that everyone wear a face covering to limit the spread of airborne particles that contain infectious disease.

This coming Wednesday, November 17th, I have the honor of being recognized by the Kaplan Educational Foundation with their “Stand Up for Diversity” award.

When Nancy Sanchez, Executive Director of KEF called me to ask if I’d accept the award, my initial response was “Certainly… but surely there must be others more deserving than me?”

Stating the obvious, I’m a 58 year old white male from one of the least diverse places in the country. What do I know about diversity?