Thought Sparks Wrap Up — February 2022

Dear colleagues:

Just when we begin to see glimmers of the emergence of whatever comes next, we are seemingly plunged into massive uncertainty once again, with geopolitical tensions and armed conflict that seemed unthinkable. The Washington Post offers a guide to how we can help people in Ukraine now. NPR adds some additional ideas. Businesses with a bigger footprint are cutting ties with Russia, in sectors as varied as oil and gas, automobiles, and services.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia was seen as a potentially huge new market of consumers with rising incomes, spurred on by the kind of growth that capitalism supports very well. Remember BRICS? Many firms are now facing a big rethink, as everything from reputational risks to the sheer effort that will be required to operate in the country weighs on their decisions.

Meanwhile…

My course on growth and change, called Leading Strategic Growth and Change is scheduled to run next May, for a week, in person! Click here for more information.

If you are curious about my upcoming schedule, your go-to resource is my “events” page. Click here to view it.

This Month’s Thought Sparks

It Worked Great Until it Didn’t: The surprising, but Perhaps Foreseeable Shutdown of Drinkworks (February 1)

Keurig had a huge success with its coffee pod business. Anheuser Busch was at the cutting edge of science in…