The Stagnation Assassin Blog
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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?
What Is an Industry Orthodoxy? Definition + 12 Examples
Your competitors aren't your biggest threat. The beliefs you share with them are. Every industry operates on invisible assumptions that […] Read More
Why Best Practices Are Killing Your Innovation Now
Your obsession with best practices is making you average. Deliberately, systematically, expensively average. Every benchmark study, every industry conference, every […] Read More
Why Best Operators Make Worst Transformation Leads
Your best COO. Your most efficient plant manager. Your cost-cutting VP of Operations. They're brilliant at what they do. That's […] Read More
Transformation Team Building Timeline: 90-Day Plan
How long does it take to build a transformation team? Most organizations guess. They throw together whoever's available and launch, […] Read More
Pragmatist Role Template: Job Description Guide
You need a Pragmatist for your transformation team. You have no idea how to hire one. Traditional job descriptions attract […] Read More
5 Transformation Leadership Myths
Does Industry Experience Predict Transformation Success? Are Your Best Operators Your Best Transformation Leaders? Does Transformation Require Experienced Change Managers? […] Read More
Transformation Team Checklist: 15 Questions to Ask
You're about to spend millions on transformation. Before you start, answer 15 questions. They'll take 20 minutes. They'll save you […] Read More
How to Identify Pattern Readers in Your Company
You have Pattern Readers in your organization right now. They're the people who warned you about problems six months before […] Read More
Why Transformation Teams Need Conflict to Succeed
BCG research shows only 30% of transformation efforts succeed, and one pattern explains most of the failures: leadership teams that […] Read More
Provocateur vs Devil’s Advocate: Key Differences
Most executives believe encouraging devil's advocacy in meetings provides sufficient challenge to their transformation. It doesn't. A devil's advocate is […] Read More
Why Is Disney’s $1 Billion OpenAI Investment the Most Significant Orthodoxy-Smashing Move in Entertainment History?
Disney just demolished four orthodoxies that the entertainment industry treated as immutable law for a century — in a single […] Read More
Seven Fatal Transformation Team Mistakes to Avoid Now
McKinsey research confirms that leadership capability is the single determining factor in transformation success — but not leadership as traditionally […] Read More