ACI Articles
The optical illusion of job descriptions
Article by Benjamin Gilad A recent post on LinkedIn brilliantly described with a few visuals the different realities of what a CI professional actually does. It leads beautifully into this Skeptical Analyst’s post about a recent ad for a senior CI manager for a (very)...
How untrained managers doing “CI” weaken their companies by being naive
Article by Benjamin Gilad If someone told you they were very happy they moved to a new place that has low wages, cramped living space, high rent, draconian health policy (two years of lockdown), people are chronically late, and shopping options are very limited, what...
Are the Special Forces losing their “special” designation?
Enhancing US Army SOF Transitions During Unconventional WarfareBy Leonard Casiple, PSYOP/SF, Gary Harrington, USMC/SF/CIA and Benjamin Gilad, PhD Introduction The three tribes of US Army Special Operations (Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations)...
Culture eats strategy for breakfast? intelligence eats both
Article by Benjamin Gilad Culture eats strategy for breakfast is a famous cliché suggesting that the best strategies fail because culture prevents their successful implementation. It is also cited by CEOs in one survey as the number one reason for failure to reach...
What to do if you are “pigeonholed”?
Article by Ben Gilad I just delivered our first “Foundation of a CI Analyst” webishop in April. Boy, it was fun. At least I had fun. I am never sure, even after 30 years, if my “students” have as much fun as I do. I consider...
I hate Zoom. Thank god for Zoom.
Article by Ben Gilad I just finished running another analysis module for ACI via Zoom (Feb. 2021). I love that I don’t have to travel. For a teacher, though, who loves teaching (I know, it’s ironic, isn’t it; A fisherman loves fish? A teacher loves teaching?), Zoom is...
If you happen to have a 30-second ride in an elevator with your CEO, what would you say?
Article by Ben Gilad and Cam Mackey The title posits a question which some competitive intelligence practitioners may regard as spurious. Many don’t get to ride an elevator with their CEOs. Others will regard anything said in 30 seconds at best a sound bite, not...
Are Executives Blindsided by Competition? Article by Benjamin Gilad in California Management Review
The competitive intelligence revolution began in the 1980s but remains as important as ever. Companies face enormous challenges today, from the novel coronavirus to climate change to the shifting attitudes of young people towards capitalism. It is natural therefore...
How CI Changed in One Decade Survey Report
With all the noise afflicting managers, it is hard to do online surveys these days. So ACI took a break after 2015. But then as ACI’s strategy gradually shifted, we wanted to see if we were on the right track. No, that’s bollock. Of course we are. Do you think I can...
My Whole CI Life Survey Report
This survey and report will serve as a companion piece to the Academy of Competitive Intelligence 2013 survey (Who Are the Most Successful CI Professionals?) The 2013 survey profiled the factors that affect successful CI careers. Its secondary objective was to assess...
Who Are the Most Successful CI Professionals Survey
During the summer of 2013, the Academy of Competitive Intelligence surveyed its alumni, those certified (CIP™-I and Master of CI CIP™-II) and in the process of attaining certification. Four hundred and five (405) people whose emails could be identified from our...
They are market research. We are competitive intelligence. Who wins?
This is a stupid question, but not completely without corporate context. Ben Gilad just finished teaching at the Academy of Competitive Intelligence winter core certification (CIP-I™) program with Troy Pfeffer and Heather Hallenbeck. In every program, there are at...
The desperate Competitive Intelligence professional?
By Dr. Ben Gilad In May of this year 2019 I posted an article on LinkedIn titled, “Is Competitive Intelligence dead? Yes. No. Depends.” It had 59 comments, which was gratifying. Yesterday there was an advert for a webinar posing an ominous heading of “the end of line...
Pivot
If you are a marketing, market research, strategy, pricing, or product professional, that may be your pivot Jenny Blake, the co-creator of Google’s career development mentorship program published a new book, Pivot, discussing lessons for pivoting one’s career. “When...
Why ACI & Why Certification?
This is simple to answer: we are the one that has been defining the curriculum in the field since 1999. You can take many courses in information management. We are the only ones training in intelligence. Intelligence is not information. Certification offers your...
Leading Means Leaving Money on the Table
Leadership in any field is not about following customers’ demands. Leadership is about offering customers paths they haven’t thought about to achieve their goals.
What degrees are conducive to careers in competitive or market intelligence?
By Dr. Ben Gilad, ACI Faculty Mick Lariviere (CIP-II™) recently changed jobs. Formerly at McAfee, he put our Masters’ certification on his resume. The hiring manager at his new job told him our certification was a game changer. We have dozens of such anecdotes....
Do women make better analysts?
By Dr. Ben Gilad, ACI Faculty First, my answer is Yes. Second, I admit- the heading is mostly so more women read it and then come study with us. Naturally, it is a generalization, and like all generalizations, it holds a kernel of truth but doesn’t apply to every...
6 Surefire Ways to Impress the Higher-Ups at Work, According to a Management Expert
Article by ACI faculty in Money Magazine. Working in a large organization can make you feel invisible — but is there a secret to getting noticed as a go-to person by executives many pay-grades above yours? See full article here:...
6 Habits That Will Help You Become a Better Leader, According to Someone Who Coaches CEOs
By Helen Rothberg, ACI Faculty Over the past 25 years, I’ve coached a mix of executives in for profit and not-for-profit companies like Kellogg’s, Monsanto, SoCalGas, Newark City Government, The United Way, IBM, and AT&T. I’ve been in board rooms with people...