Shift Ahead

"With the pace of change accelerating at such a dizzying speed, small errors in navigation can come with huge consequences. Businesses that have the skillset to course correct on the fly will be those that succeed." -- Thomas Friedman, columnist for The New York Times and bestselling author of The World is Flat and Thank You for Being Late In a world that's changing faster and more furiously than ever, the ability to shift focus is critical. Why is it that some organizations can continually evolve to meet the times and the marketplace, and others cannot? How do some businesses recognize the right moment to shift, and others, ruefully, only after it's too late? Shift Ahead offers a smart, calculated approach for spotting warning signs that it's time for reinvention and executing change while maintaining authenticity. Packed with fascinating interviews, the book explores success stories and cautionary tales of organizations that faced stiff competition, disruptive technologies, and declining customer bases. Examining the experiences of HBO, Adobe, BlackBerry, Hasbro, CNN, NYU, Microsoft, P&G, and others uncovers valuable lessons for charting a course ahead. "Relevance is about managing the tension between staying attuned to what your customers want, but also staying in tune with who you are as a company and where the world is going. Shift Ahead is an invaluable collection of ideas, tools, and case studies that will help you manage that tension and adapt to the emerging economy with both intelligence and speed." -- Beth Comstock, Vice Chair, GE "In this brilliant new book, Adamson and Steckel absolutely nail the key issues in moving organizations forward in the right directions and at the right pace. Based on thorough research and a fascinating set of interviews with business leaders from all walks of life, Shift Ahead is a highly entertaining and hugely informative playbook for the savvy top business executive."-- Kevin Keller, Professor of Marketing at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College "In today's rapidly changing multi-platform and digitally focused environment, it is more difficult than ever for brands to become--and remain--relevant to their consumers. Shift Ahead provides important perspective, offering valuable insight on brands that have successfully made this transition."-- Robert Pittman, Chairman and CEO, IHeartMedia, Inc.

List of contents

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ix

Chapter 1: Why This Book? 1

Chapter 2: Heed the Red Flags 19

Red Flag One: Basic Math 21

Red Flag Two: Competing on Price, Not Differentiation 22

Red Flag Three: Big on Data, Short on Analysis 23

Red Flag Four: Neglecting Table Stakes 25

Red Flag Five: Pride Often Does Go Before a Fall 26

Red Flag Six: Being Too Deep in Your Comfort Zone 28

Red Flag Seven: Yertle the Turtle Is Left Behind 31

Chapter 3: The Road Barriers 33

Kodak Read the Writing on the Wall (but Wasn't Willing to Pay the Price) 34

Xerox: Sunk Cost Bias and Golden Handcuffs Deterrents to Both Business and Brand 42

Toys "R" Us: Playing Catch-up Is Hard When You're Competing on the Wrong Metrics 47

Procter & Gamble: Not Too Big to Fail (or Stumble) 50

BlackBerry: Invincibility Is a Myth 54

National Geographic: A Well-Documented Case of Cultural Myopia 58

Playboy: A Yesterday Brand, with a Lesson Relevant for Today 62

American Cancer Society: Leadership on Autopilot Is Fatal in Fast-Changing Conditions 66

Teach for America: The Challenge to Get Back to the Founder's Mentality 69

Chapter 4: Ready the Organization for a Shift 81

American Express: Still Shifting After All Those Years 82

Hertz: Research as Waze 85

Facebook: Shifting Gears Comes Naturally 88

New York Life: Mutuality Does Mean a Lot 91

Delta: Climbing in Employee Satisfaction, and Otherwise 93

Sony: Going Back to Where It Plays Best 97

Chapter 5: Making Sense of the Road Ahead 109

Chapter 6: Which Shift to Make? It Depends on What's Ahead 123

Barnes & Noble: Understand Your DNA 126

Katz's Delicatessen: Sometimes Staying in Park Is the Right Gear 128

Cheerios: "Small Shifts" to Meet Shifting Attitudes 131

Hasbro: Game on . . . Shifting by "Zooming Out" 133

CNN: An Important Message for Media Companies 138

Conservation International: A Shift to Link Environmental Conservation to Economic Growth 143

IBM: A Legacy of Continued Shifting 148

Lindblad: Shifting to Deliver Deeper Expertise to a Core Focus 152

Comcast: Two Shifts, Two Roads, One Purpose 154

BP: A Lesson Learned 160

Chapter 7: Leadership 171

John Sexton: New York University (NYU) 175

Shelly Lazarus: Ogilvy & Mather--Leading the People Who Build Leading Brands 181

Central Park: Holding People Accountable--and Getting Your Own Hands Dirty 185

Forbes Media: Adversity Was the Mother of Reinvention 190

Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School: Guiding Kids--
and Parents--with Honesty and Determination 197

Chapter 8: Success Stories: What it Takes for the Long Haul 207

Marriott International: From Root Beer to Resorts 212

FedEx: Keeping the Purple Promise 216

Greenwich Public Library: Successfully Shifting Ahead in the Age of Digital Information 225

Chapter 9: Success Is Never Final 237

IAVA: A Clearly Focused Mission as a Compass for Veterans' Shifting Needs 238

HBO: Always Ahead, It's Never Been Just TV 243

GE: Reinvention at Work for over 125 Years 249

Concluding Remarks 257

Notes 263

Index 269

About the author

ALLEN ADAMSON is a branding expert, a Forbes.com columnist, and the author of three books including BrandSimple and BrandDigital. JOEL STECKEL is professor of marketing and vice dean of doctoral education at NYU Stern School of Business.

Summary

This book taps into both success stories and cautionary tales from others to provide you with a smart, calculated approach to knowing both: 1) when to change course and 2) how to pull it off.
In a world that's changing faster and more furiously than ever, the ability to shift focus is critical. Why is it that some organizations can continually evolve to meet the times and the marketplace, and others can't? How do some companies always seem to know the perfect season to shift gears, as well as the rights methods to implement when doing so, while others go down sinking when a simple shift would’ve saved everything?
Packed with insightful interviews from leaders at HBO, Adobe, BlackBerry, National Geographic, Microsoft, Kodak, and elsewhere, Shift Ahead explains how to:

• Spot warning signs that it’s time for a reinvention
• Overcome obstacles standing in the way of your company’s future goals
• Maintain authenticity when shifting gears
• Execute changes seamlessly, no matter how bold they are 

Today more than at any other time before, knowing when to shift, and how to do so successfully, is the key to remaining competitive. With Shift Ahead, this difficult yet imperative maneuver will become the key to your company’s long-term success!

Product details

• Authors: Allen Adamson, Allen P. Adamson, Joel Steckel, Joel H. Steckel
• Publisher: Amacon Book Division
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 09.11.2017
• EAN: 9780814438336
• ISBN: 978-0-8144-3833-6
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Business; BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Strategic Planning, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Organizational Development, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Structural Adjustment