Pascoe's potshots
Latest
Subscribe
Or receive Pascoe's Potshots weekly by email
Recent
Search Pascoe's Potshots
Pascoe's Potshots search results ...
You searched for the string: "Create accountability" found 10 results
(note: search terms must be more than four characters.
To search for a phrase like "road to success" enclose it in quotes as shown)
LEADERSHIP: THERE'RE ALWAYS CONSEQUENCES
published: 2009-08-03
Come year end, how will you judge your own performance? And, that of your team members? Does everyone have clear and measurable goals? More importantly, are they taken seriously? And, if I fall short, are there real consequences?
LEADERSHIP: THE SEEDS OF FAILURE
published: 2008-04-21
Think of big corporate disasters you've known or read about. What was the cause? Bad strategy, wrong business model, inefficiency, bad luck? Not in my experience. Most often, the core issue is flawed human beings - and, at the top.
LEADERSHIP: WHAT'S YOUR PLAN?
published: 2009-02-23
High (often unreasonable) expectations await newly appointed presidents - whether taking the helm of a company or a country. For President Obama, this is multiplied manyfold. His personal story, and the dreams it creates for others, breaks hugely with the past. And, he steps up in the face of challenges of hurricane proportions. How will he go? Sadly, if his current economic and financial initiatives fail, the dreams of many may end almost before they're born. So, let's take stock of your leadership (of your team, project or business): how difficult are things going forward? And, what the hell are you doing about them?
LEADERSHIP: AVENGING ANGELS OR GADARENE SWINE
published: 2009-03-30
Dramatic economic downturns inflict pain both widely and deeply. People lose their jobs, homes and self-worth. No wonder they join in seeking scapegoats. Tearing into Bernard (Ponzi) Madoff in America or Fred (the Shred) Goodwin in Europe deflects our own pain. But, as a leader, how much time do you spend reviewing your own responsibility for what you've experienced recently - for your own organisational and systemic failures?
LEADERSHIP: FOR BOTH NOW AND LATER
published: 2009-09-21
Bad times are tough for everyone. Fewer sales, lower margins, cancelled contracts - and, yes, lay-offs. We're each under pressure - trying to find new customers, offer extra service, get bills paid, cut costs. In sum, improving our effectiveness (in achieving goals) and our efficiency (in delivering them). Doing more and doing it better - but with less! This is true whether we're an engineer, front-line salesperson or work in the canteen. But, it's doubly true for leaders. You have to inspire and motivate people more than ever. You've got to be a leader for today and tomorrow - not yesterday. Which are you? Here's how you can find out.
LEADERSHIP: POWER AND PURPOSE
published: 2010-01-28
US decline and China's inexorable rise are much talked of. But, in a recent article, Josef Joffe* concludes his rebuttal thus. "Gainsayers will still dramatise China's growth rates as a harbinger of a grand power shift. But as the 21st century unfolds, the US will be younger and more dynamic than its competitors." Whether right or wrong, it's an important issue. And, his arguments have resonance for the durability of leaders, as well as nations. He stresses the requirement for "requisite power and purpose." If asked, would your colleagues say you still have these?
LEADERSHIP: BEWARE OF YOUR STRENGTHS
published: 2010-03-22
Twenty years ago, I was shocked to hear that some of the reasons my wife had originally been attracted to me were now driving us apart. My decisiveness and energy were leaving no decision-room for her. It's often the same in business. Our natural attributes, which are powerful and value-adding, can go to extreme and undermine effectiveness. If I asked your colleagues, which two of your strengths would they say are most causing them trouble? Here's a checklist that might help.
LEADERSHIP: THE LUSTIGER LEGACY
published: 2008-01-07
We all have something to learn from Cardinal Lustiger: above all, his courage. Courage to do what he believed in; and, to do it in a way he thought useful to the world. And, I’m not talking about action in some back corner or on insignificant issues. He was born a Jew and never rejected this. He converted to Catholicism as act of faith, but also as a continuation of his Jewish beliefs. Not everyone agreed. But, he set an example for us all as leaders.
LEADERSHIP: AVOIDING BLACK-SWAN DISEASE
published: 2010-07-26
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the best-selling economist and author of The Black Swan, is famous for his arresting insights. His recent postscript to The Black Swan is no exception: presenting ten lessons from the Global Financial Crisis. Above all, he recommends learning from “Mother Nature” – by making our global financial system more robust via a series of simple but dramatic changes to our thinking and policies. However, his lessons apply way beyond finance and I’m going to apply some of them to leadership. How do you think colleagues would rate you on the issues below?
LEADERSHIP: HOW’S YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND COURAGE?
published: 2010-08-30
What do lobsters, scorpions and bees have in common? Yes, a capacity to inflict a nasty bite. But they also all lack a spine. An exoskeleton (the lobster’s hard shell) is all that holds their bodies together. There’s no internal bone structure. Some leaders are like this. Outer toughness and a nasty bite: the cutting remark or petulant decision. But little inner structure or resolve that makes for true leadership that will deliver results and build respect. What would people say about you: outer show or inner strength? Here are some action options.