The Archive

Every issue of Exec Edge, from day one. Sharp thinking for leaders, one idea at a time.

38 issues published

Why is cross-border collaboration SO hard?

When Daimler bought Chrysler, cultural clashes cost them $30 billion. Here's the 3-step checklist that prevents cross-border collaboration disasters in any expansion or integration.

3 min read

How AI-fluent is your leadership team?

Most leaders approve AI spending without hands-on experience. This 3-tier assessment helps you evaluate your leadership team's actual AI fluency and strategic readiness.

4 min read

The 10-15% rule

Most companies run the same budget year after year, missing massive growth opportunities. The 10-15% reallocation rule can double your company value over 20 years.

4 min read

Add work or remove work?

Basecamp's decision guide asks one crucial question: Will this decision eliminate future work or create more? Learn how to reduce wasted approvals and accelerate decision-making.

4 min read

What actually predicts renewal

A customer who doesn't renew usually made that decision early. Learn the 4 metrics that predict renewal in the first 90 days and why late-stage signals are too late to act on.

4 min read

The five places profit hides

There's money sitting in your P&L that you're probably not seeing. It hides in five places across cloud bills, contracts, and fees—often adding up to 1-5% of revenue. Here's where to look.

3 min read

What Sam Altman uses instead of Notion (the 3-field decision log)

Sam Altman ditched elaborate productivity systems for a simple 3-field decision log. Learn why this 2-minute approach beats Notion and other complex knowledge management tools.

3 min read

Stop calling it “resistance to change”

Six years of Gartner research reveals why teams really struggle with change - and it's not resistance. Plus a 10-minute capacity check you can run this week.

4 min read

IBM saved 3.9 million hours doing this

IBM saved 3.9 million employee hours in 2024 by following one key principle: eliminate unnecessary work before automating anything. Learn their proven 4-step framework.

4 min read

Ask these 5 questions before you sell

McKinsey research reveals successful acquisitions happen when buyers have specific plans. Here are 5 critical questions to ask any potential acquirer before you sign.

5 min read

Raise prices without losing customers

Shopify's 33% price increase generated zero meaningful churn. Here's the exact 60-day plan they used, plus free tools to calculate your optimal pricing strategy.

4 min read

How to run a think-week

Bill Gates's think-weeks redirected Microsoft toward the internet. Jeff Bezos came back from solo retreats with Amazon's organizational breakthroughs. Here's how to plan your own.

4 min read