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Counter Strategies explores the situation of technology-based companies in global B2B markets. New customer segments in these fast developing economies and up-coming low-cost competitors have ruptured the market landscape and challenge established suppliers. To keep their leading role, companies like Siemens, GE, Alstom, Mitsubishi, as well as many mid-sized companies in the developed countries, need to change the very characteristics -- product focus, technical sophistication, and high-end quality -- that previously made them strong. They either have to develop new products that fit the growing demand of the new customer segments or create market barriers by developing complex service solutions, or both. Given the problems regarding product development, pricing, branding, sales-force management, development of employees' skills, company organization and culture which are going to follow these changes and disruptions, Ploetner draws a new blueprint for global B2B-companies and the mindsets of those thriving there.

This groundbreaking book takes an unusually objective look at the realities of executive coaching from the coach’s point of view. This is not just any group of coaches , nor are these ordinary stories. In a departure from most books on the topic, we’ve invited coaches who work senior executives and star performers who share their insights about the difficulties of coaching. As any coach knows, coaching often gets tricky. What initially seems clear later becomes confused; the client may turn out to be someone else entirely; boundaries can easily become blurred; and the coach’s own emotions or values may influence outcomes. But the fact is that many tricky situations can be turned around if the coach stays grounded in objective coaching protocols. Responsible coaches understand the need to explore and define the boundaries of coaching – to help define coaching protocols that will help coaches in tricky situations and , more importantly, to develop their own skills and self-awareness. In this book, we draw on case notes shares with us by experienced coaches, coaching educators, and coaching researchers, and provide a body of evidence that will help the profession evolve in the direction of coherence, standard protocols, and rigorous evaluations. This rich collection includes reflections on why people become coaches (and why some people should not); advice on how to write up case notes; and an overview of common situations that lead to trickiness. Even more powerful are the open and honest stories of coaches themselves, as they share their efforts to continually seek greater understanding about the interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics that come into play in executive coaching.

A pdf file of this working paper may be available at INSEAD.