The Stagnation Assassin Blog
Weapons-Grade Wisdom
Short Slaughters, Permanent Profits
Start Here: My Most-Read Articles
The Stagnation Encyclopedia: Why Is Your Company Dying While You Celebrate Success?
The warning signs most executive teams miss, in one reference.
The Three Essential Leadership Behaviors That Make or Break Organizational Transformation
Three behaviors that quietly sabotage change efforts, and how to master them.
HOT System Transformation vs. Kotter's 8-Step Change Model
A 90-day rapid turnaround approach compared with the classic 8-step model.
The 3-Question Transformation Leader Test
Three questions that show who can actually run a turnaround.
What's the “70% Rule” and Why Does It Work?
Decide before you have every fact, and stop paying for delay.
What's the Difference Between Activity and Productivity?
The audit that turns busyness into measurable impact.
Drowning in Data but
Starving for Strategic Solutions?
S&OP: Reconcile Demand and Real Capacity
Executive summary: Sales and operations planning is the monthly process that reconciles what the business intends to sell with what […] Read More
Post-Merger Integration: Capture the Value
Executive summary: Post-merger integration is where acquisition value is either captured or lost, and most of it is lost. The […] Read More
Capital Allocation Framework for Operators
Executive summary: Capital allocation is the decision about where a company's money goes, and over a decade it determines more […] Read More
B2B Pricing Strategy: Value Over Cost-Plus
Executive summary: Price is the most powerful profit lever most B2B companies own and the one they manage least deliberately. […] Read More
The 80/20 Rule: Simplify Your Portfolio
Executive summary: The 80/20 rule in business says a small fraction of your products and customers generates almost all of […] Read More
Business Turnaround Strategy: The Sequence
Executive summary: A turnaround is not an improvement program run faster. It is a different sequence entirely: stabilize cash, diagnose […] Read More
Ronde Barber Got Beat. Then Beat Everyone.
Contents What happened on the final play of the 1995 Pigskin Classic? Why does it matter that Ronde Barber got […] Read More
Customer Concentration Risk: NVIDIA’s 92% Lesson
What Did NVIDIA's Q2 Actually Reveal About Concentration? Why Is 92 Percent of Revenue Not the Same as 92 Percent […] Read More
Cattle Herd Rebuilding: The Growth Trap
What Is Actually Causing the U.S. Cattle Shortage? Why Are Record Cattle Prices a Warning Sign Instead of Good News? […] Read More
Columbia High’s 101 Losses: Turnaround Fundamentals
What Happened at Columbia High School on August 22, 2026? What Did I Inherit at Ann Arbor Huron in 2021? […] Read More
Orthodoxy-Smashing for Marketing Directors
Orthodoxy-Smashing: How Marketing and Merchandising Directors Break the "Best Practices" That Guarantee Mediocrity ORTHODOXY-SMASHING FRAMEWORK "Best Practices" Guarantee Mediocrity RETAIL […] Read More
70% Rule for Robots: 2026 AI Guardrails
70% Rule for Robots: Guardrails for 2026 Autonomous Operations 70% RULE FOR ROBOTS Guardrails for 2026 Autonomous Operations NAM 2026: […] Read More