Month: August 2016
By Elmore Alexander | 08/28/2016 | 8:29 AM (see full blog on blogs.dcvelocity.com) Any visit to China is striking. The size of everything is overwhelming. The contrast of old and new is striking. If you’re revisiting, the obvious growth is a shock. If, as was the case for me, the time span between visits…
Read MorePosted in: International Business
A decade ago, we were visiting colleges with our son searching for what he felt would be the perfect “fit.” Our visits took us on the tour of the New England liberal arts colleges. It began at Wesleyan and ended at Williams. One college caught the attention of each of us—Bates College. It was neither…
Read MorePosted in: Higher Education
Nothing can bring forward more coordinated moans from faculty members and administrators alike than the mention of a new strategic planning process. It portends endless meetings, maybe more endless arguments, and imminent frustration that the final product does not reflect “my university.” I will acknowledge that we have reached a point where state funding (or…
Read MorePosted in: Higher Education
How many times have you heard a discussion at your bank lamenting a failed change where everyone felt that the change was the right strategy but it didn’t succeed? It is very likely that a failed implementation program was the problem not the change itself. Change cannot be implemented without an effective communication program. There are…
Read MorePosted in: Community Banking
We all say that one of the attributes we most want in managers is good communication skill. My experience in working with banks and most other organizations is that this is a wish that is not often realized. This does not have to be. Managers can become better communicators and the result can impact the…
Read MorePosted in: Community Banking
By Elmore Alexander | 08/09/2016 | 3:43 PM — See Full Blog Post on blogs.dcvelocity.com In a recent blog (“Chinese Manufacturing Productivity”), I wrote about the problems of Chinese productivity, noting that, while growth rates were high, the absolute level of productivity was between 15-30% of OECD averages. This week, we were disappointed, but not…
Read MorePosted in: International Business