#strategy

There doesn’t seem to have been any strategic assessment of ongoing projects or team structures. My team is literally falling apart, and it's only going to get worse. We've lost people who were critical to anything beyond routine backend tasks. What’s the point of such crude cuts? It feels like they’re more likely to create long-term problems than solve anything.

Did Jacob just accepted that Roche is a serious competitor? Never seen he accept or agree about a competitor before and losing train of thought and not looking confident is not good. Does Roche have something that’s really a threat to Illumina? He had a plan for Ultima but nothing for Roche.

Steve B is chasing low margin IT business rather than trying to be the market share leader in what is a high margin copier business. Although is a declining business it not disappearing and there should be a better balance of revenue and margin contribution. The deal with HCL has cost them a fortune in lost revenue and profit because HCL can’t bill timely and accurately. What shame for an iconic brand.

McKinsey’s strategy cycle is straightforward: design, mobilize, execute. It’s not rocket science. You decide what you are, you back it with resources, and you deliver with discipline.

Verizon had every chance to do this. The consultants were in the building. The frameworks were there. The slide decks were polished. But instead of running the cycle, the company cherry-picked the buzzwords and skipped the hard parts.

Design – What Are You, Really?

This is where the cracks showed first. Verizon never answered the basic question: are we a premium network, a media company, or a 5G pioneer? Instead of choosing, leadership tried to be all three. That’s how billions vanished into AOL and Yahoo while 5G was oversold as the silver bullet. A serious design step would have admitted the obvious — the real fight was with T-Mobile — and built around Verizon’s one true edge: the network.

Mobilize – Strategy Stuck in the Slides

Mobilization is about turning strategy into motion. Verizon never did. Money went into distractions instead of spectrum and customer value. Employees weren’t empowered. Decisions stayed locked in Basking Ridge PowerPoints. On paper, the strategy looked world-class. On the ground, nothing moved.

Execute – Where the Market Called the Bluff

Execution is the test, and Verizon failed it.
• The assumption that people would pay extra just for “5G” was never proven.
• T-Mobile stole the momentum and the growth narrative.
• Layoffs and outsourcing drained morale and capability.
Meanwhile, the “next big thing” — AI, fiber, customer experience — never got launched.

The Market’s Verdict

The stock says it all. Verizon hovers at $44 and might push $48, but that’s not growth — it’s dividend math. Wall Street treats it like a bond proxy because that’s what it has become. The growth stories — Oath, 5G, “the network of the future” — no longer convince anyone.

The Punchline

Verizon had the McKinsey playbook in hand. Hans and Sampath had the consultants, the frameworks, the binders. What they didn’t have was the discipline to use them.

And that’s why Verizon isn’t seen as a growth company anymore. It’s a dividend utility dressed up in strategy slides.

It's about time it was realized that, without wireline's monetary backing, the wireless ship would have never floated or even left port.
Without wireline's welfare-like subsidizing of any of their landline issues, that ship would not have stayed afloat so long, were the playing field leveled to competitors.
Yet these, so-called, wireless "management" bozos still thought they were superior strategists, yet they could never have realistically competed in a real world, one on a level playing field.
They needed to su-kle at the te-t of their landline counterparts, their benefactors, all the while viewing their intellectual, experienced superiors with disdain and always biting the lone hand that allowed for their existence. Like a spoiled, wet behind the ears, teen who thinks they know everything.

Stock is up almost 6% after hours.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/softbank-group-intel-corporation-sign-231000755.html

Be honest, how many of the corporate initiatives you’ve been asked to work on are pointless? Reflecting back on the last few years, I’m embarrassed at the amount of work I’ve put into corporate initiatives that are either completely pointless, or totally ineffective. Most of these have either been quietly abandoned or performatively kept alive. For me, it’s nearly all of them. And frankly, it’s affects how I approach current initiatives. I do as I’m told, but don’t really care about the actual quality, since I know it’ll be dead in 12-18 months any way.

New outside C level who seems sharp, a new AI strategy that finally makes sense, new initiatives to actually standardize how opportunities work and take a logical approach to account mapping and strategy. Good vibe from leadership. All good progress.

I'm not in ISG but layoffs always seem to obliterate them quarter after quarter. Layoff after layoff. idk, wouldn't you be better off finding a new job, lining it up, then hope to get laid off? idk but, if my dept and/or org was continusously mu---red I'd be out.

It’s initially good. Because of this change there might be new trust into the company strategy and boost sales/confidence/stocks from external peers.

However medium/long term we will see what the new CEOs strategy is. If they will downsize the company or what. Layoffs won’t stop so don’t get cushiony. However there’s a chance with new external confidence in leadership lowering the frequency or amount of restructuring.

Agree, @a1+1k2cdja1v. No place for too much optimism.

David Lancefield
Helping to create extraordinary organizations and leaders - as a catalyst, strategist and coach. Speaker and Board advisor.
London, England, United Kingdom

www.davidlancefield.com
linkedin.com/in/davidclancefield

What would I tell myself about a major transition?

It's been just over a year since I left PwC where I'd been a partner for 14 years. What would I tell myself at the age of 46? Whilst it's personal to me I hope it's of use to anyone else considering or making a similar transition.

★ Build your personal brand. Going solo is another level compared with anything you've done before. People want to know your value, not your (previous) title.

★ Adopt the mindset of an apprentice. Get over yourself. Dig in. Graft. Ask silly questions.

★ Reach out, don't wait. Your inbox will shrink rapidly, but so will your meeting schedule; use the time to network.

★ Work out why a client should come to me (afresh). What makes me special or different?

★ Do things you enjoy. Focus on what you want to do, not what you used to do, or others think you should do.

★ Remember what you're doing this for; use it as a guide and anchor as you explore.

★ Manage the chatter in your head. You're on your own, with fewer interactions; use silence and space wisely.

★ Spend time with people who show genuine interest in you as a person, not just your brand, expertise or black book.

★ Be patient. Transitions take time; don't compare yourself to people who've been doing what you want to do for years.

★ Be kind to yourself. Get comfortable with the messiness, uncertainty, loss, new found curiosity. It tests your emotions.

★ Recognize that you will lose contact with people. You're less relevant when you're out of their "bubble" and without a corporate brand.

★ Focus on momentum, experimenting with new practices, propositions, but remember it's not a race. Check your limiting assumptions.

I've loved the last year and I'm so grateful to those who've provided counsel, interest and ideas. You know who you are. There's been so much learning, and fun.

#strategy #leadership #transitions #careers