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Leadership: putting social media to work internally
published: 2011-10-24
Cemex, the global Mexican cement company, has over 500 communities worldwide using its collaborative platform called “Shift”. They solve local problems by engaging global talent. The platform mixes wikis, blogs, discussion boards and Web-conferencing. In one project, 400 employees across its ready-mix businesses slimmed the product range – creating an ongoing global catalogue. Cemex is huge. But what are the lessons you and I can take and use? ... read more
Leadership: yes, but what about self-leadership?
published: 2011-10-17
The renown blogger, Seth Godin, hits home runs oftener than most. Here’s a recent one* that was short but sharp. “The job of the CEO isn't to check things off the agenda. Her job is to set the agenda, to figure out what's next. Now that more and more of us are supposed to be CEOs of our own lives and careers, it might be time to rethink who's setting your agenda.” Putting this another way … as leaders, we need to lead ourselves before we try to lead others. If you can’t do that, you can hardly be a credible or trustworthy model. So here are six aspects of your self-leadership to check – to see if you merit the licence to lead others. ... read more
Leadership: of followers not just bosses
published: 2011-09-05
Who’s more important for you: your boss or your team members? Not easy. We all have to balance the expectations of a range of people. However, as any sports captain knows, there’s no game without players. And, that means your direct reports, who do the work. So, let’s invert the mindset of an old HBR article entitled “Surviving your new boss”? To start your thinking, ask yourself this: what would my team suggest I do differently, so they’ll better survive my leadership? Below are some thoughts under the seven headings from the original article but with each refocused on the needs of your team rather than your boss. ... read more
Leadership: what's your cool quotient?
published: 2011-08-22
London’s Financial Times commented as follows after Apple briefly overtook Exxon as the world’s most highly-capitalised business. “A cool company run by a cool executive (briefly) ruled the corporate world.” That it “ousted an unhip energy company only made it cooler.” An academic adds that cool comes in two sub-types - what I’ll call “together cool” and “far-out cool”. Perhaps, Rupert Murdoch and Warren Buffett exemplify the first - the older, quieter, more assured version. And, Richard Branson and Larry Ellison the second - more maverick and exhibitionist. The FT recommends* mixing both approaches - but gets sidetracked on style. So, let’s explore what leadership actions might give you “combo cool”. ... read more
Leadership: what's your unbreakable promise?
published: 2011-08-16
As a leader, what are the three things you’ll never do? Break a promise? Fail to show up? Dress someone down in public? Or, what? Seth Godin, the well-known blogger, recently offered a list that he titled “Delivering on never”*. It’s a fun title but what does it mean for your leadership? His focus on customers is spot on for us as leaders. Our teams and other followers are the customers for our leadership. So, here are five things that will help to make them buy. ... read more
Leadership: jargon is your ally and your enemy
published: 2011-07-18
My wife and I recently visited the Venice Biennale including the key national pavilions plus 30 smaller exhibits across the city. As with most expositions (artistic or other), this one ranges from the amazing to, yes, the abysmal. But the explanatory handouts fall within a narrower range: from dismal to abysmal. Full of phrases like “subtracted singularities”, “coloured epiphanies”, “discursive modalities” and “the temple of our contemporaneity”. Jargon can be useful. It facilitates high-value, coded communication between close colleagues. But, it can equally be a smokescreen that sounds smart but is empty of meaning to others. So, how does your own leadership jargon rate? Here are six words, which often come across like Biennale waffle. And, with each, some actions you could take to give your words operational meaning. ... read more
Leadership: sparking up your personal creativity
published: 2011-07-11
“Only by forcing our brains to … move beyond our habitual thinking patterns can (leaders) begin to imagine truly novel alternatives.” So say the authors of a recent McKinsey Quarterly article – and it’s hard to argue. They focus mostly on improving team creativity but there are two segments of their article I’ve re-refocused towards personal innovation. Rapid technical, cultural and social changes mean that leaders, who fail to generate new approaches will become victims of change, not its drivers. How would people say you perform on the items in the two checklists below? ... read more
Leadership: how innovative are you?
published: 2011-05-23
According to The Economist magazine “Business writers have always worshipped at the altar of success” ... and ... “This success-fetish makes the latest management fashion all the more remarkable. The April issue of the Harvard Business Review is devoted to failure.” Well, what does that mean for you and me as leaders? Are you noted for fostering new ways - and risking failure? Do you innovate personally – including in how you lead? Here are 10 action suggestions, I’ve put together from reading The Economist report. ... read more
Leadership: your four lessons from Japan's decline
published: 2011-05-02
Nature has recently dealt the Japanese a deathly blow – and our hearts go out to them. However, as with most of us, the harder blows are often self-inflicted. In the 1980s, Japan was still the coming economic power – as China is today. Journalists wrote breathlessly of Japan’s super-reliable manufacturing, its highly valued banks and growing position in the world. All exemplified by its zaibatsu buying operations and assets across the globe. More recently, in contrast, the Japanese narrative is one of stagnation and decline – the home of compromised leadership and inability to change. So, if you’re currently a successful leader (of a team or business), how do you ensure this continues and doesn’t stagnate? Here are four things to do. ... read more
Leadership: how hard are you pushing yourself?
published: 2011-04-25
Do Seth Godin and Jack LaLanne have anything in common? Let’s start with the differences. Seth’s a blogger. Jack in contrast was the godfather of fitness training in America – opening a fitness gym in Oakland, California over 70 years ago. In a recent blog, Seth listed eight things Jack did that made him successful. To my mind, Seth walks in the same shoes. As a leader, how do you rate on the eight factors? More importantly, which one or two should you tone up? ... read more
Leadership: Starting with what you've got already
published: 2011-02-07
Recently, a friend sheepishly confessed to using my Potshots in a novel way. Given her CEO’s dumping of the development budget, she’s been forwarding one Potshot each month to her direct reports. She asked them to plan a new leadership action prompted by its theme or action points; and, then circulate this to each of their divisional leadership colleagues. Rather than foregoing development, she’s built on something she already has and made it work for her. So, what low or zero cost strategies are you pursuing? Are you leveraging what’s available to maximum advantage? Like her, could you use the Potshots or any other free resource more effectively. ... read more
Leadership: LinkedIn and opened out
published: 2010-12-13
Old technologies and ways of doing things always colonise the new. Value only emerges when the unique potential of the new is properly exploited. Early TV was radio with pictures: boring shots of people reading the news. This changed once media companies recognised the mobility of TV cameras delivered powerful on-the-spot reporting – whether of earthquake damage or red-carpet events. For many leaders, social media and networking tools are still little more than an electronic Rolodex. Is that you? Here are five questions I’m answering for myself from engaging with the networking tool LinkedIn. What are your answers? ... read more
Leadership: what's your techical value-add?
published: 2010-11-29
At 7am each Saturday morning, I drive into the small town near our weekender. The sole purpose: to buy croissants for breakfast. They are not just the best in the district. This patisserie regularly wins State and national competitions. Over the years, I’ve come to know Tracy, the owner. He has a successful business and a great team. What’s the key to his success? Well, here are the six things that I believe set Tracy apart and make him highly effective. How would your team say you rate on each of these factors? ... read more
Leadership: Steve Jobs and nose jobs
published: 2010-11-15
Steve Jobs is a revolutionary. Few upend as many industries. Not just computing but also music and publishing. A Gutenberg of our era. A Black-Swans breeder, who takes home the prizes. But, what about you and me? Perhaps renewal (rather than revolution) is more our thing. In my case, I’ve just released a new VECTOR Leadership site. With more functionality and product – and much better looking. But, interestingly, it has a small Black Swan nestling inside (a Black Cygnet, perhaps) waiting to waddle from the nest. Leadership Action Planning remains undiscovered by many. Most leaders are still stuck with self-reflective profiles or backward-looking evaluations. More of that later. But, in terms of your business and leadership, what’s needed: revolution or renewal? ... read more
LEADERSHIP: INNOVATE OR BE THE NEXT DODO
published: 2010-09-27
After last week’s Potshot (based on an outstanding article by Shoshana Zuboff), I searched for this one, which I wrote back in April. I discovered it never got posted. But, I think it’s still worth publishing, since it touches on the same life-and-death commercial imperatives that Professor Zuboff presents so starkly. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: THAT ONE KEY LESSON
published: 2010-07-07
How do you rate yourself on the following five actions? Showing self-awareness?. Demonstrating authenticity, integrity and compassion? Understanding and engaging people as individuals? Showing self-leadership and adaptability? Communicating, particularly listening well – and widely? These are my phrases but, taken together, they encapsulate nearly 80% of the responses to a recent online survey that asked “if you could teach one thing to a young leader, what would it be?” From my decades of working with leaders (and being one), I can’t fault any of these suggestions. Even though, at times and to my cost, I’ve ignored some! But, notwithstanding their importance, they’re less than the full picture. Let me explain why – and suggest what else might be needed. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: YOUR KEY TO ORGANISATIONAL AGILITY
published: 2010-02-22
What would you give to achieve higher revenues, more satisfied customers and employees, improved operational efficiency and a faster time to market? That's what Donald Sull of McKinsey & Company offers if you achieve organisational agility. He defines it as identifying and capturing opportunities more quickly than your rivals. He quotes the heightened volatility of recent decades - and the acceleration during the GFC. But, what does this mean for you as a leader? Here are some thoughts. ... read more
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? ... read more
LEADERSHIP: BEING UPBEAT IS A CHOICE
published: 2009-10-12
"Today, it's all about confidence" is a comment I heard this week from a friend, who runs an industry association. And, he's right. More than ever, leadership is about having the courage to drive for success. Market signals are ambiguous. So, people's conclusions are driven by personal bias. Bears are super-bearish, and seeking a cave for the economic winter. While optimists see early signs of growth and are leading their cattle out to the new pasture. So, how would your team label you: an optimist or a pessimist? Are you seeking a cave or stepping out? And, if it's a question of attitude, what can you do? ... read more
LEADERSHIP: LESSONS FROM TIANANMEN SQUARE
published: 2009-07-06
Most of us would rate the Chinese Communist Party as both tough and inflexible. And, we'd be right about tough. But, wrong about inflexible. Reflecting on the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, here are some quotes from the May 30th edition of The Economist. "After the massacre, the Communist Party set about transforming itself." And, today, "the outcome is a wholesale reinvention." If colleagues reviewed your leadership over the last two decades, would they report "wholesale reinvention"? Or, more of the same? And, if the Chinese Communist Party can change so radically, what can you learn from it? ... read more
LEADERSHIP: HOW SERIOUS ARE YOU?
published: 2009-06-29
In the years before his conversion to Christianity, St Augustine of Hippo is quoted as having prayed: please make me virtuous but not yet. Similarly, many of us want to be better leaders but won't invest the effort and energy necessary to shift how we operate. So, let's check other areas in which we've all changed in recent years - and contrast these with how (if at all) we've upgraded how we lead those we rely on for the success of our projects. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: INNOVATE - BUT CAREFULLY
published: 2009-05-25
Check out these quotes! "Your planning process is superb." It's "excellent ... a very simple but very effective management tool." And, the resource material is "the best stuff I've seen." Yes, I'm showing off. These three recent comments refer to our online Leadership-Action-Planning tool. And, they're from: the CEO of a web-based business; the local head of a global investment bank; and, the CEO of a specialist insurance business. Sounds good. But, we're still struggling for uptake. So, how's your own (product and process) innovation? In tough times, innovation's key. But, it comes with challenges. So, let's review the lessons. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: AVOID NEW YEAR'S IRRESOLUTION
published: 2009-01-19
Every year's different. But, 2009 looks like being really different. For many, the most challenging year ever. So, let's cut to the chase: as you return to work, which of your stakeholders is most frightened - in relation to their dealings with you and your business? Is it customers, employees, suppliers or, perhaps, your bankers? And, what are you going to do to ensure they don't abandon you?
LEADERSHIP: LEARNING FROM NET GENERS
published: 2008-12-14
In 1997, Don Tapscott published "Growing up digital" - and coined the name "net generation" for the natives of the online world. Now 11 years on, and after a two-year survey of 8,000 people (born 1978 to 1994) from across 12 countries, he's published "Grown up digital". He concludes that on average Net Geners are smarter, quicker and more tolerant of diversity than the decrepit oldies like the Baby Boomers, let alone the dodos like me, familiarly known as Veterans. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: EDISON NEVER STOPPED TINKERING
published: 2008-08-11
New ways often bring new words; or reinvigorate old ones. "Betterment" is a case of the latter - and something every leader must deliver. A strategic rethink may set a whole new direction for your business. However, between these major shifts, there's lots of room for innovation and upgrades. That's betterment.
... read moreLeadership: what if the world erupts?
published: 2008-07-21
The chameleon lizard changes colour with its environment. As a leader, you have to do much more. When the world changes, you have to transform your organisation and how it operates. Otherwise, it may fail. And, to start the organisational change, you have to change. New situations bring new leadership challenges.
... read moreLEADERSHIP: 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. ... read more
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