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?
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
The Greatest Turnaround CEOs, Judged Honestly
What does this article cover? What should we judge them on? The reputation that most exceeds the record The record […] Read More
Apollo’s $225M Pickleball Bet: Decade Allocation or Q4?
Apollo's $225M Pickleball Bet: Decade Allocation or Q4 Trend Chasing? body { font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; max-width: 780px; […] Read More
The 70% Rule: Decision Velocity for Your ATM
PROPRIETARY HOT SYSTEM FRAMEWORK THE DECISION TYPE MATRIX The 70% Rule Is the Oil · Clinical Empathy Is the Brake […] Read More
Option B: The Binary Choice Boards Refuse
Option B: The Binary Choice Terrifying Boards Boards Bargain. Operators Optimize. Outcomes Obey. THE BINARY CHOICE OPTION A • OPTION […] Read More
Why Across-the-Board Cuts Always Fail
The standard instrument is a uniform percentage. The number comes down, it gets divided evenly across every function, and each […] Read More
What a SKU Actually Costs You
1. What does the standard cost sheet include? 2. Which costs are fixed per SKU? 3. How do you put […] Read More
How to Identify Which SKUs to Kill
Part one: building the screen Find the constraint first Rank by contribution per constraint hour A worked example When the […] Read More
Todd Hagopian Reviews: Praise and Criticism
Awards and Recognition at a GlanceWhat Executives Who Worked Alongside Todd SayWhat 80/20 and Operations Leaders SayEditorial Reviews of the […] Read More
Where Should You Cut Costs First?
You have a number. It arrived from a board, a sponsor, a lender, or a forecast that stopped working, and […] Read More
Should I Fix It, Sell It, or Shut It Down?
People ask whether they should fix a struggling business unit, sell it, or close it, and the question is usually […] Read More
The Blunt Guide to Product Portfolio Strategy
What does product portfolio strategy actually decide? Why don't the standard portfolio matrices work here? The unit of decision is […] Read More