Author: Bob Bartleson

February 25, 2019

Dynamics of Complex Systems

So what are characteristics of complex systems? They have many moving parts, and many connections exist between the parts–some known and some not known. Small changes can ripple across connections and create outcomes and...

When leaders don't let go of the ball they fail

Gag Reel / Leadership

February 22, 2019

Transformational Leaders Let Go of the Ball

Transformations involve major shifts in an organization’s capabilities and culture in order to deliver improved sustainable results, with the goal of developing an ongoing mastery of change and adaptability. Successful transformations may be relatively...

JaVale McGee kisses fan after saving a ball

Gag Reel

February 18, 2019

Leaders Focus On Their People

Genuine champions like JaVale McGee know that it’s the supporters (in his case fans) who give them a chance to shine. Leaders in business do the same. Walt Bettinger, CEO of Charles Schwab, learned...

Small banks working with fintech startups

Digital Transformation / Fintech

February 16, 2019

Small banks you’ve never heard of are quietly enabling fintech companies

BB: I suggested larger banks partner with nimble fintech companies in an article I published in January. I’ve also suggested such a model for cryptocurrency fintechs. Fintech companies who partner with, or hire, those...

Leaders and Managers need to fit together like puzzle pieces with different but complementary roles

Blog / Sustainable Transformations

January 30, 2019

How Sustainable Value Creation is Achieved through Collaborative Leaders and Managers

Synergizing the roles of leaders and managers is much like finding the puzzle pieces that fit together to deliver the entire picture. While this paper will not cover the specific puzzle pieces in the...

Adaptability is an essential arrow in your workforce quiver.

Adaptive / Leadership

January 14, 2019

Leading Adaptability In The Workforce

Adaptability is an essential arrow in your workforce quiver–and it is a two way street. Leaders differentiate themselves from managers by giving employees a chance to succeed at new challenges and learn new hard...

What to look for in cryptocurrency banks and brokerages during 2019

Featured / Financial Landscape

January 1, 2019

What To Look For In Cryptocurrency, Banks, and Brokerages During 2019

Executive Summary With new currencies, new fintech bank charters, and a new stock exchange garnering momentum, 2019 is looking like a busy year for the financial world. At the same time, after a very...

Collaborative / Gag Reel

December 20, 2018

The Collaboration Conundrum

While “toxic” workplaces (usually the result of management and co-workers) have been around since the beginning of organized work, their impact in today’s exceedingly networked environment is significantly greater. With top-down decision-making losing its...

Thinking out of the box child style - design thinking

Adaptability / Blog / Gag Reel

December 11, 2018

Thinking Out of the Box – Design Thinking

Test your inherent (and for some, learned) ability to apply Design Thinking with this video. Successful innovation requires we have the ability to see solutions outside of today’s approach. With the advances in technology...

Why you think you're right even if you're wrong

Agile Management

November 27, 2018

Why You Think You Right – Even If You’re Wrong

Fail fast is a popular catchphrase in successful leadership, finding ways to avoid decisions that lead to failure is even more effective–and worth some extra time. Very few “leaders” would consider the need to...

transformational leaders engage employees

Leadership / Transformative

November 14, 2018

Four Key Characteristics Found in Transformational Leaders

Transformational Leaders practice employee engagement at the beginning of discussing change rather than “selling” the change upper management has determined without employee collaboration. Even in the military Transformation Leadership has proven to be more...

Blog / Sustainable Transformations

November 13, 2018

Capitalizing on Change – Principles of Successful Transformation

Abstract Change must occur, but those prepared through knowledge and adherence to key principles will find opportunity where others fail. These principles include creating a pattern for change, candid assessment, strong leadership, a focused...

Repeating the Same Actions is not Transforming

Gag Reel

October 23, 2018

Repeating the Same Actions is not Transforming

Hilarious insanity! Repeating the same action while expecting a different result is insane on the part of leaders and creates insanity with their employees. But there is another lesson in this video. It is...

Meaningless jargon is the same as pursuing IoT when your not ready

Adaptive / Leadership

October 8, 2018

Internet of Things – IoT

Ahhhh, technobabble…gotta love it. What I don’t love is the endless pursuit of the newest “differentiator” in technology. Two of the hot ones today is Digital Transformation and the Internet of Things (IOT). The...

buzzwords like integrate mobile, social, real-time channels are meaningless without knowledge to implement

Leadership

September 14, 2018

Buzzwords – Digital Marketing Mumbo Jumbo

The next time you see the need to integrate mobile, social, and real-time channels, or personalize customer engagements by all means do it. Just don’t rely on buzzwords to tell everyone what you are...

Financial Institutions can survive fintech competition by getting competitive

Agile Management / Featured / Financial Landscape / Transformational Leadership

September 13, 2018

How Financial Institutions Can Survive the Fintech Assault

Executive Summary Today, much is expected from internal IT teams, including new delivery models and innovative technologies–in part to reduce losing customers to competing fintech companies springing up seemingly overnight. Business managers and employees...

Leadership

September 3, 2018

Training and Retaining Employees

Yes, we see more labor done by machines/computers each year. And while such progress is to be desired–even pursued–and it is easy to accept the need for companies to constantly upgrade, too often little...

dilbert crypto craze stupid blockchain cryptocurrency bitcoin idea

Humor & Insights

August 13, 2018

Jumping Into the Crypto Craze

The question of cryptocurrency and ICO regulations is a crucial issue, with many crypto believers expressing their concerns over excessive regulatory scrutiny towards the industry. Others, like head of regulatory relations at Ripple, Ryan...