CEO Advisory

Many struggle to understand what culture is.  And they find it even harder to understand how to change it.  You’ll have seen many models of how to deconstruct culture.  They tell you to change your culture symbols, the organization’s beliefs, rituals, stories and other, forgive me, hokum.  Your HR department...

Soft skills, or human skills, define how we engage with others and include leadership, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving.  Many cognitive and socio-emotional skills provide the foundation for high emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s emotions while also recognizing, understanding, and influencing the emotions...

Pushy. Manipulative. Dishonest. Most everyone knows about the “used car salesman” stereotype. Rooted in folk truth and popular portrayals across stage and screen, these individuals are aggressive bullies who never hesitate to bend the truth in order to make a deal. After all, it’s all part of the ABCs —...

We sat down with Stéphane Waser, responsible for the watchmaking division at DKSH  and Managing Director for Maurice Lacroix, the Swiss brand well-known for crafting watches that deliver high perceived value. Our conversation revolved around AI, of course, new trends and his own hopes for the future. watches from Maurice Lacroix...

Ready to shake things up? Leaders and their leadership styles are the foundation of every working culture. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 70% of employee behavior is the result of leadership role modeling, and leadership patterns have huge impacts on long-term worker well-being. The right leadership styles provide...

Budgeting is one of the most critical processes for any organization, serving as the foundation for financial stability and long-term success. For finance teams, the challenge lies in ensuring that budgeting is not only accurate but also efficient and adaptable. Traditional budgeting methods, often reliant on static spreadsheets and manual...

It can be challenging to discover that the person on your team who you self-assessed as the star performer is actually a bad leader. I confronted this same situation in one of my senior corporate roles. Adept at managing up, they appeared to be leading their team well. Sadly, that...

In 2015, we celebrated 40 years of Giorgio Armani Spa with a book and a series of events and content, celebrating and tracing the history of a business case, as the Americans would say, which is exceptional. In 2025, we celebrate 50 years of an enterprise, with the founder firmly...

No, exponential technologies, like AI or blockchain, are not going to disrupt the toilet paper business. At least, not as fast and deeply as they will with strategic industries of our economy, like healthcare or energy, or education. Certain things will evolve more rapidly than others. It’s life. If you...

For CEOs, understanding the emotional well-being of employees during the holiday season isn’t just compassionate—it’s strategic. While many organisations face a slowdown, the race to meet end-of-year goals or finalise budgets can create added stress. Proactively addressing the emotional needs of your team during this time is essential for fostering...