Strategy and the Fat Smoker

Strategy and the Fat Smoker

We all know what we should be doing—at least most of the time. So, why don't we do it? This question is at the heart of David Maister's latest book: Strategy and the Fat Smoker: Doing What's Obvious But Not Easy. (Full disclosure: Maister is a regular contributor to Consulting magazine.) It's fitting that Maister's book debuts in January, just in time for all those New Year's resolutions we probably won't keep. In the book, Maister takes on the equivalent of corporate instant gratification. For companies, the hardest part is doing what is good in the long term, in spite of short-term temptations. For Maister, the solution lies in implementing permanent change, and he offers up some practical advice, such as: focus on principles more than tactics; and, employees must choose to get with the changes or be gone as soon as possible—especially at the top of the org chart. Certainly, there's no room for fat smokers in those corner offices.