Leadership & Culture

  1. Read more: The Hidden Realities of Corporate Decision-Making: Connections vs Qualifications
    The Hidden Realities of Corporate Decision-Making: Connections vs Qualifications

    The Hidden Realities of Corporate Decision-Making: Connections vs Qualifications

    Why Connections Often Matter More Than Qualifications in Business

    The corporate world often prioritizes connections over qualifications, leaving many puzzled and frustrated. Here’s why it happens and what you can learn from it.

    1. Networking in Hiring Decisions

    Even when a candidate perfectly matches the job description, the position may go to someone less qualified but better connected. Relationships within the organization or external networks often outweigh credentials, as these connections strengthen long-term organizational ties.

    2. Securing High-Value Contracts

    Corporate events, like holiday parties, often go to vendors with deep personal connections to decision-makers, bypassing open bidding processes. Relationships play a key role in these high-stakes decisions, highlighting the importance of influence over mere competency.

    3. The Corporate Trainer Dilemma

    Sometimes, long-standing relationships lead to outdated service providers maintaining their foothold. A 70-plus-year-old corporate trainer, delivering outdated techniques, continued to secure contracts due to his ties to a senior executive. This example shows how connections can overshadow modern expertise and innovation.

    How to Navigate This Reality

    • Understand the System: Recognize that relationships are integral to decision-making.
    • Build Your Network: Focus on forming genuine connections within your circle of influence.
    • Balance Ethics and Relationships: Evaluate whether favouring connections over competency aligns with your values and long-term goals.

    By learning from these scenarios, entrepreneurs and professionals can better navigate the dynamics of relationships and decision-making in the corporate world. If you’re dissatisfied with the system, strive to grow your influence and eventually challenge it effectively.

    Read more
  2. Read more: Seeing Business Structure Through a Lean Lens: Why Corporate Management is the “Fat” of the Organization
    Seeing Business Structure Through a Lean Lens: Why Corporate Management is the “Fat” of the Organization

    Seeing Business Structure Through a Lean Lens: Why Corporate Management is the “Fat” of the Organization

    Title: The Lean Business Body: Why Management is the "Fat" of the Organization

    Excerpt:
    Viewing a business as a human body, the core functions—like product creation, sales, and shareholder strategy—are the essential “muscles,” “heart,” and “brain” that drive value. Management, on the other hand, often acts as the “fat,” there to cushion and support, but not directly creating value. While some management roles serve as helpful ligaments or connective tissue, excessive layers of management can weigh down an organization, much like unnecessary body fat. In a lean business, every role needs to directly support value creation or facilitation, keeping the business agile and effective. Managers who don’t add true support to core functions become excess weight - better burned off to maintain efficiency and agility.

    Read more

Leadership & Culture

  1. Read more: The Hidden Realities of Corporate Decision-Making: Connections vs Qualifications
    The Hidden Realities of Corporate Decision-Making: Connections vs Qualifications

    The Hidden Realities of Corporate Decision-Making: Connections vs Qualifications

    by Coffee Analytica Team

    Why Connections Often Matter More Than Qualifications in Business

    The corporate world often prioritizes connections over qualifications, leaving many puzzled and frustrated. Here’s why it happens and what you can learn from it.

    1. Networking in Hiring Decisions

    Even when a candidate perfectly matches the job description, the position may go to someone less qualified but better connected. Relationships within the organization or external networks often outweigh credentials, as these connections strengthen long-term organizational ties.

    2. Securing High-Value Contracts

    Corporate events, like holiday parties, often go to vendors with deep personal connections to decision-makers, bypassing open bidding processes. Relationships play a key role in these high-stakes decisions, highlighting the importance of influence over mere competency.

    3. The Corporate Trainer Dilemma

    Sometimes, long-standing relationships lead to outdated service providers maintaining their foothold. A 70-plus-year-old corporate trainer, delivering outdated techniques, continued to secure contracts due to his ties to a senior executive. This example shows how connections can overshadow modern expertise and innovation.

    How to Navigate This Reality

    • Understand the System: Recognize that relationships are integral to decision-making.
    • Build Your Network: Focus on forming genuine connections within your circle of influence.
    • Balance Ethics and Relationships: Evaluate whether favouring connections over competency aligns with your values and long-term goals.

    By learning from these scenarios, entrepreneurs and professionals can better navigate the dynamics of relationships and decision-making in the corporate world. If you’re dissatisfied with the system, strive to grow your influence and eventually challenge it effectively.

    Read more
  2. Read more: Seeing Business Structure Through a Lean Lens: Why Corporate Management is the “Fat” of the Organization
    Seeing Business Structure Through a Lean Lens: Why Corporate Management is the “Fat” of the Organization

    Seeing Business Structure Through a Lean Lens: Why Corporate Management is the “Fat” of the Organization

    by Coffee Analytica Team

    Title: The Lean Business Body: Why Management is the "Fat" of the Organization

    Excerpt:
    Viewing a business as a human body, the core functions—like product creation, sales, and shareholder strategy—are the essential “muscles,” “heart,” and “brain” that drive value. Management, on the other hand, often acts as the “fat,” there to cushion and support, but not directly creating value. While some management roles serve as helpful ligaments or connective tissue, excessive layers of management can weigh down an organization, much like unnecessary body fat. In a lean business, every role needs to directly support value creation or facilitation, keeping the business agile and effective. Managers who don’t add true support to core functions become excess weight - better burned off to maintain efficiency and agility.

    Read more