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?
Henry Heinz vs James Kraft: Who Wins Cage
The decision: Heinz over Kraft, 3–2. Two founders, one organizing truth — Henry Heinz sold trust, James Kraft sold permanence. […] Read More
Middle-Market Collapse: 40% Will Vanish By 2028
The 2026 Middle-Market Collapse Posted in Transformation • By Todd Hagopian The 2026 Middle-Market Collapse: Why 40% of Manufacturers Will […] Read More
Atmosphere Obsession: 2026 Customer Intel Gap
Atmosphere Obsession: Identifying 2026 Needs Before Customers Do ATMOSPHERIC PROBLEM-SOLVING The Customer Intelligence Methodology That Operates Below the Articulation Threshold […] Read More
How Often to Review the Numbers
When an executive asks how often they should review the numbers, they are usually asking a different question than the […] Read More
3 Places Revenue Goes After a SKU Cut
Why the SKU's own revenue is the wrong starting number The three places the revenue can go How to classify […] Read More
12 Questions Before You Hire a Consultant
What does this article cover? What do buyers say actually works? Before you buy: three questions About the work: three […] Read More
Capturing Institutional Knowledge Before 2030
Capturing Institutional Knowledge: Solving the 2026 Retirement Crisis THE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE CRISIS The 30-Day Apprehend Cycle for Capturing Tacit Expertise […] Read More
12 Manufacturing KPIs That Matter
The standard advice on manufacturing metrics is that you should measure what matters, align your KPIs to strategy, and make […] Read More
What Should Happen in a Portfolio Review?
You asked how to run a product portfolio review. The question underneath it is narrower and harder: who is allowed […] Read More
Manufacturing Conferences 2027: What Runs
What does this article cover? What does 2027 actually offer? What are you going for? If the objective is sourcing […] Read More
How to Build an Operating Cadence
1. Start With the Decision, Not the Meeting 2. Build the Daily Layer First 3. Make the Weekly Layer Load-Bearing […] Read More
When to Keep the Long Tail and When to Cut It
There are two standard answers to the long tail question, and they point in opposite directions. The first says cut […] Read More