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LEADERSHIP: BEING THE BEST
published: 2009-08-17
They say history's written by the victors. But, in business, the victors also win the customers, gain market share and make the best profits. Sounds good to me.
LEADERSHIP: BUILDING TRUST
published: 2008-07-27
We all believe in honesty. And, for most of us, this disbars stealing from colleagues or our employer. But, what about failing to pull our weight on a team project or using work time to pursue personal interests? We've all done it. And, in that sense, I haven't always been honest. And, that's possibly true for most of us.
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: BUT, I LIKE PEOPLE LIKE ME
published: 2009-01-12
If you were putting together a football team, would you select only people, who play the same position? Probably not. But, that’s what we often do with business teams. No, let's not ask Jenny, she's rather different, and she's not an engineer; and, Fred, he’s only interested in sales. We don’t want anyone who rocks the boat – in other words, with different or confronting views.
LEADERSHIP: ARE YOUR CARROTS FRESH AND SWEET?
published: 2008-11-24
As children, we learnt about rewards. We got dessert, if we finished our spinach. We went to the fair, if our rooms were tidy. It's not surprising therefore that as adults, incentives still work for most of us.
LEADERSHIP: FINDING YOUR "SILVER FOLLOWERS"
published: 2008-05-26
Think of the all-time favourite stories. Many describe a heroic journey: a man or woman leading colleagues in pursuit of an exciting goal. In comparison, being a leader in business is not usually heroic. You don’t have to fight dragons or dive to the bottom of the sea. However, as leader of any team, you share one thing in common with the legendary leaders. There’s no journey, if people won’t follow.
LEADERSHIP: THE MISSING LINK IN BUSINESS PLANNING
published: 2008-06-02
Why do organisations fail? Or, succeed? Breakthrough technology may help. So can low-cost production. Or, superb marketing. But behind all this, one finds leadership. Whether it's Murdoch, Gates or Mittal driving growth and achievement; or, Wagoner, Lay or others causing their companies to stumble. But, their's are huge global businesses.
LEADERSHIP: SIX KEY WORDS
published: 2008-05-12
To understand Italian opera, you only need five words - or, so they say. Here's the list: morte (death), amore (love), maledizione (curse), adio (farewell) and andiamo (let's go). Supposedly, these will guide you through any romantic tale.
LEADERSHIP: LIFTING MY GAME
published: 2008-05-05
How was your last leadership performance review? And, feedback from colleagues? Was the employee survey result less positive than you'd like?
LEADERSHIP: THE ART OF LIBERATING TALENT
published: 2009-05-11
An article in The Economist (October 5, 2006)* highlights the value of "brainpower (both natural and trained) and especially the ability to think creatively." It states that "the value of 'intangible' assets - everything from skilled workers to patents to know-how - has ballooned (since 1980) from 20% of the value of companies in the S&P 500 to 70% today." Also that "the proportion of American workers doing jobs that call for complex skills has grown three times as fast as employment in general."
LEADERSHIP: IT'S ABOUT LEADING, NOT READING
published: 2008-03-31
Throw out all those books on leadership, and the pile of articles on your desk! Reading what other leaders do (or recommend) is like going to the movies or watching TV. It’s entertainment. Sometimes inspiring but mostly irrelevant - and soon forgotten. Most of us don’t need to be General Patton or Rupert Murdoch. We just need to lead that team we see, talk and do things with every day at work.
LEADERSHIP: MULTI-TASKING THROUGH THE DOWNTURN
published: 2009-06-01
Hands up anyone who wants to be a business leader today! No-one? I'm not surprised. If you run a big organisation (particularly in financial services), you're clearly a crook. If it's a small business, the banks won't roll your loans. And in between, you're still a dirty capitalist; and, surrounded by staff fearful for their jobs; and, with customers who've probably already opened the window and jumped. So, what's your leadership strategy going to be?
LEADERSHIP: STOP THE HUMAN SACRIFICES
published: 2009-08-10
As a king, commander or leader in Ancient Greece, you'd sacrifice an animal before a major journey, battle or personal undertaking. And, perhaps visit the priests and oracle at Delphi. But today, decision-making is mostly more rigorous and analytical. Planning replaces hoping. But, not in leadership. Many leaders still base their actions on oracular generalisations from gurus - or acolyte consultants. And this involves human sacrifice. Their team members may not be dead physically, but they are organisationally: frustrated, unmotivated and unfulfilled. Sound familiar - for you as a follower or as a leader? So, who are the sacrificial lambs in your organisation? And, what can be done?
LEADERSHIP: NO MORE ABSTRACTIONS, PLEASE
published: 2009-08-24
Politicians talk in abstractions - about future growth, long-term sustainability, equal access and so on. And, voters love it. Why? Because we each interpret their generalities to suit our own needs and desires. For me, "growth" may mean a job; for you, more infrastructure; and, for the government, a higher tax base. Sustainability and access: well, they mean a million things to a million people. This may work well on the campaign trail. But not day-to-day in business. Your people need to know exactly what you have in mind: not only for the division but also for them. So, how clear are you? What would your team say? I personally must own up to being too abstract in a recent Potshot. Let me explain.
LEADERSHIP: FOR GOODNESS SAKE MOVE ON
published: 2010-02-01
As John Maynard Keynes so aptly put it "The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones." An example is how old technology always colonises the new. Initially, TV news was just talking-heads - radio newsreaders filmed reading the news. Until, of course, producers realised the new medium allowed them to cut away to the accident, political leader or fashion show being described. Today, many businesses struggle to reinvent themselves online and exploit its new and hugely different potential. Is the same true of your leadership? Are you stuck in old approaches - even some perhaps, which may never have worked all that well for you? Here are six things to check.
LEADERSHIP: THE ROLE OF THE CHAIRMAN
published: 2010-03-08
Boards get a lot of flack and it's not surprising. They're the shareholders' representatives. And, in corporate crashes (think Enron or Royal Bank of Scotland), boards are often judged as having been inadequate or worse. But the issue is broader. Even boards of successful companies (and not-for-profits) are frequently seen as not adding sufficient value. So, what's the problem? From personal experience of doing governance reviews, I believe it's more about board leadership and hence operational effectiveness; less about the issues of individual or group honesty and independence, which tend to attract the headlines and legislation.
LEADERSHIP: FOR REAL-WORLD MANAGERS
published: 2007-08-28
Business-school journals publish “more than 20,000 articles each year.” And, the Economist magazine says these remain “almost universally unread by real-world managers”. A frightening indictment. And surprising, since “business schools inhabit a highly competitive world.” And, it’s even more competitive for their thousands of graduates – and the millions of other managers and leaders, working in large and small businesses around the world.
LEADERSHIP: BEING GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO
published: 2008-02-11
Richard Rumelt’s CV includes conquering both mountains and new territory in business thinking. In the latter, from an analytical base, he’s disproved many old assumptions. One of his most notable findings is as follows: being in the right industry does matter, but being good at what you do matters a lot more – regardless of your industry.
LEADERSHIP: HOW WOMEN CAN GET TO THE TOP
published: 2008-01-28
The authors of “Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership” take a new viewpoint on the challenge women face in rising to senior leadership roles. They emphasise deep systemic problems rather than a single obstacle such as the glass ceiling, which has dominated debate for 20 years. In their view, “by depicting a single, unvarying obstacle, the glass ceiling fails to incorporate the complexity and variety of challenges that women can face in their leadership journeys.” However, notwithstanding this broader perspective and a wide-ranging review of available research, the authors don’t come up with a lot that’s new – or, more importantly, that a woman executive can directly control. So, is there an answer?
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.