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+THE LC JOURNAL

Ideas that become
good decisions.

Thirty practical readings for the questions that move a business. The stories are fictional representations of common business risks and possible responses; they are educational examples, not accounts of actual events or client results.

STRATEGY / OPERATIONS / TECHNOLOGY / PEOPLE

SEARCH A QUESTION

30 guides / 30

Two professionals review work documents at a table

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Strategy2 min read

Why aren’t my leads converting? Check your sales follow-up

Inquiries arrive, quotes go out, then silence. In this hypothetical story, a business finds what to investigate before spending more on advertising.

Two professionals analyze charts and business indicators

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Operations2 min read

Which KPIs should a small business track? Start with three

A dashboard full of numbers and a meeting without decisions. Follow a fictional team investigating delivery delays through three operational signals.

Two professionals review documents and a work plan

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Technology2 min read

How do you automate a business process without scaling the mess?

Sofia wants to stop copying orders between files. Her story is fictional; its questions about rules, duplicates and exceptions can help you examine your operation.

Two professionals discuss responsibilities and decisions

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Leadership3 min read

How do you delegate when everything depends on you?

Andres leaves one meeting to find another queue of decisions awaiting approval. A hypothetical story about sharing judgment as well as tasks.

Editorial image about Do I need a CRM? Signs your customer follow-up needs a system

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Technology2 min read

Do I need a CRM? Signs your customer follow-up needs a system

A fictional business loses the thread between messages, email and quotes. The CRM comes into the conversation after the process is clear.

Editorial image about How can a business use AI without losing human judgment?

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Technology2 min read

How can a business use AI without losing human judgment?

A director wants AI everywhere. Her team tests one small case, measures usefulness and defines what information must never go in.

Editorial image about What should a small business automate first? Start with exceptions

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Technology2 min read

What should a small business automate first? Start with exceptions

An automated notification promises to save time until unusual cases receive the wrong message.

Editorial image about How do you choose business software without buying features you will not use?

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Technology2 min read

How do you choose business software without buying features you will not use?

Three vendors promise to fix operations. A trial with real work separates the sales demo from the team's needs.

Editorial image about What is a customer journey, and where does the experience break?

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Strategy2 min read

What is a customer journey, and where does the experience break?

A fictional clinic gets good feedback after visits but loses people before the first appointment.

Editorial image about How do you use a Business Model Canvas to examine your business model?

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Strategy2 min read

How do you use a Business Model Canvas to examine your business model?

A team fills nine boxes and thinks the work is done. Customer conversations show the most important box was an assumption.

Editorial image about Why do sales rise while profit falls? Review price and margin

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Strategy2 min read

Why do sales rise while profit falls? Review price and margin

A fictional distributor celebrates record sales until it counts discounts and special deliveries.

Editorial image about Why can a profitable business run out of cash?

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Strategy2 min read

Why can a profitable business run out of cash?

A company signs a large contract. Work starts now; payment arrives much later. A cash calendar changes the conversation.

Editorial image about How do you study competitors without copying them?

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Strategy2 min read

How do you study competitors without copying them?

A small firm copies a rival's price. Buyer conversations reveal they were solving a different problem.

Editorial image about How do you prioritize projects when everything feels urgent?

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Strategy2 min read

How do you prioritize projects when everything feels urgent?

A small business starts six improvements at once. Comparing impact, effort and capacity reveals why none is finishing.

Editorial image about How do you map a process without producing a useless diagram?

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Operations2 min read

How do you map a process without producing a useless diagram?

An order takes ten days even though the work takes two. The map reveals waiting between teams.

Editorial image about How do you find a bottleneck in your operation?

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Operations2 min read

How do you find a bottleneck in your operation?

A plant buys another machine and deliveries remain late. The limiting point was after production.

Editorial image about How do you document procedures people will actually use?

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Operations2 min read

How do you document procedures people will actually use?

A long manual is forgotten. A guide built around a real exception helps a new colleague decide.

Editorial image about Why is your team fixing the same work twice?

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Operations2 min read

Why is your team fixing the same work twice?

A fictional agency delivers quickly, but every project returns with changes that could have been caught earlier.

Editorial image about How do you manage inventory without overbuying or running out?

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Operations2 min read

How do you manage inventory without overbuying or running out?

A store has shelves full of stock while missing sales of its most requested products.

Editorial image about How do you evaluate suppliers beyond price?

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Operations2 min read

How do you evaluate suppliers beyond price?

A cheap input arrives late and triggers urgent delivery costs. The real cost changes the decision.

Editorial image about How do you stop a project from filling with tasks but not moving forward?

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Operations2 min read

How do you stop a project from filling with tasks but not moving forward?

A team reports finished tasks every week. The promised customer outcome remains far away.

Editorial image about How do you connect sales and operations data without another report?

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Technology2 min read

How do you connect sales and operations data without another report?

Two systems show different figures for the same month. Defining the data matters before technical integration.

Editorial image about When does a customer-service chatbot make sense?

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Technology2 min read

When does a customer-service chatbot make sense?

A company wants to reply around the clock. First it must decide which questions can be answered reliably.

Editorial image about Which business data should stay out of an AI tool?

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Technology2 min read

Which business data should stay out of an AI tool?

A team wants AI to summarize contracts. A data review changes the pilot before the first upload.

Editorial image about Why does your website get visits but few inquiries?

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Strategy2 min read

Why does your website get visits but few inquiries?

A company invests in traffic. Customer testing shows its offer is hard to grasp and contacting the team asks too much.

Editorial image about How do you sell to businesses when more than one person decides?

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Strategy2 min read

How do you sell to businesses when more than one person decides?

A proposal excites a director but stalls with operations and purchasing. The team learns to understand the full decision.

Editorial image about Why does sales training fail to change results?

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Leadership2 min read

Why does sales training fail to change results?

The team returns motivated from a workshop and repeats the same conversations. Practice needs follow-through in real work.

Editorial image about How do you run meetings that end in decisions, not more meetings?

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Leadership2 min read

How do you run meetings that end in decisions, not more meetings?

A director meets every morning, yet decisions still wait until Friday.

Editorial image about Why does a team resist a change that appears helpful?

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Leadership2 min read

Why does a team resist a change that appears helpful?

Leadership announces a new system. The people who must use it know what the plan overlooked.

Editorial image about How do you lead a remote team without watching every minute?

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Leadership2 min read

How do you lead a remote team without watching every minute?

A team across Ciudad Juarez and El Paso has more video calls than agreements. Better coordination reduces noise.