by beCause Global Associate Cortney McDermott – her Perfectly Imperfect series is about acknowledging and embracing our individual gifts and quirks-our perfect imperfection.  ***   It’s time we release the idea that every part of us must be “perfect” and we open to our full creative potential as unique beings. Stay here to learn how to replace guilt, worry and self-criticism with joy, wonder and purpose. So many of my clients — brilliant men and women with impressively successful lives and careers — experience self-doubt and engage in self-criticism to an extent I rarely see in other folks. Chances are, if you’re reading this, that you’re juggling a gazillion things at once and not giving yourself enough credit. You may also throw... more

by beCause beCause Global Associate Peter Cook, CEO Human Dynamics, – Collaboration is becoming a business as usual model for doing unusually good business in an increasingly connected world. Just consider these examples: For the first time in history, pharmaceutical companies are collaborating to pool their resources and information against consumer demand for greater transparency and the sheer costs of developing life-saving drugs. Social and economic pressure for these changes is enabled by the internet and our ability to process large volumes of data for advances in medical science that ultimately benefit the whole world. Companies as diverse as Coca Cola and Heinz, Corning and Sharp are collaborating to devise products that provide superior benefits for their clients and customers. In... more

by beCause CEO Nadine Hack – In 2009 my friend Suzanne Braun Levine published another one of her great books in which she wrote about being patient with the confusion of the “Fertile Void” we often experience in later adulthood. By remembering that my powerful sense of unknowing what was to come next for my husband Jerry and me actually had a rich fertility within it, I let go of trying so hard to plan it out and surrendered to not knowing and seeing what might germinate. Shortly after, I was invited to become the first woman to serve as Executive-in-Residence at IMD Business School. Who could have imagined how sublimely happy we would become in our new life living... more

I’m honored to have this guest post from Peter Cook, renowned author of five books on business leadership and creativity. In his latest book “The Music of Business”, he draws parallel lessons from the world of music and relates them to his MBA and his work as a business consultant. I asked him some questions about some of my favorite musical artists at the end. Here’s what he had to say about the book. What can you learn about creativity and innovation from The Beatles and David Bowie? What can Lady Gaga teach you about Business Strategy and using Social Media positively? Can a study of Jazz help you beat the competition? What can Spinal Tap, Deep Purple and Led... more

by beCause CEO Nadine Hack – I love that quote from Rainer Maria Rilke.  Every spring, as new life blooms, I think about how all cultures honor rebirth and regeneration.  Christians celebrate Easter about resurrection and new hope; Jews celebrate Passover about liberation and renewal; Muslims celebrate Mawlid al-Nabi honoring the Prophet Muhammad’s birth; Buddhists celebrate Purnima, the birth of Budha; Hindus celebrate Baisakhi, the start of their new year.  This spring what are you doing that is a new blossoming for you?  I rejoice in the new experiences life continues to offer me.  I gave a TEDx talk in Geneva “Adversaries to Allies” and you can click to watch it now. My guests on a Trust Across America program... more

As our consulting engagements always have been international, our clients – Fortune 500 companies, global NGOs, governments – agree it does not matter whether I base from Lausanne or New York.  I am delighted that my fascinating work with them is boundary-less.  While beCause Global Consulting continues to provide a spectrum of services – design strategic action plans; create multi-sector alliances; provide executive coaching; integrate corporate social responsibility; improve organizational and governance structures; etc. – our particularly unique specialty is to help clients develop and execute effective stakeholder engagement processes that directly impact achieving their goals.  You can hear my most recent interview on Radio Frontier, Geneva, about our pioneering work on Strategic Relational Engagement (SRE).  See what clients say about... more

On a recent weekend, I went hiking in the Swiss Alps at Rochers-de-Naye with my husband and one of our nieces.  When I looked out at the breathtakingly beautiful horizon, I thought about all that stretches out in front of me as I start yet another new chapter of my life.  I was honored to hold the post of Executive-in-Residence at IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland for the past two years (Sept 2010 – Aug 2012). I found it deeply satisfying to work in executive education programs with IMD faculty and participants from around the world.  While I will continue some work at IMD, my clients are happy that I again will have more time to work on other projects and I... more

During February among many wonderful IMD executive education programs I worked with Bill Fischer, IMD Innovation Management Professor and Idea Hunter maestro assisting executives examine and refine plans for their future.  Next week with IMD Finance Professor Arturo Bris during IMD’s Advanced Strategic Management program we’ll help other global executives tackle their challenges.  We engage with participants before, during and after these on-site programs and, I continue to write about the strategic value of engaging stakeholders with my latest series published by ReWiring Business.  Share what you have found to be effective and/or challenging in engaging stakeholders.

  Cross-sector, cross-culture, cross-boundary learning is alive and well. My second year at IMD continues to be filled with rich intellectual and creative stimulation. I worked with finance professor Arturo Bris in Advanced Strategic Management (ASM). In this intensive program, 42 participants from 27 countries in 23 industries each clarified how to deal most effectively with a significant business challenge. IMD professors shared innovative tools, frameworks and lenses to analyze unique dilemmas and the extraordinary group learned as much from each other. I was in a panel discussion, Bottom Up Entrepreneurship for Democracy and Development, led by Iqbal Quadir, Director of MIT’s Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, hosted by IMD’s Evian Group led by international political economy professor Jean-Pierre... more