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You searched for the string: "Foster learning and reinventing" found 23 results
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Leadership: what's your favourite acronym?
published: 2011-12-12
NATO is the acronym for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation – and it’s typical of the abbreviations that governments love. But what of the acronyms we all used at school to remember lists of facts for our exams? Some provided by teachers, others self-created. And, what of today? Do you use any acronyms to prompt your leadership thinking and actions? If so, it could be a valuable show-and-tell! So, please share below your favourite leadership acronym: something you use as a checklist or guide. To get the ball rolling, I’ll share mine. ... read more
Leadership: it's all local
published: 2011-11-21
“Think global, act local” is a well accepted mindset amongst town planners and big-time strategists. It even has its own Wikipedia entry. But, too many people think they can follow this advice in choosing their leadership actions. They read books by business professors and lauded CEOs. And, assume this “global” knowledge somehow applies to their situation. That may be true if you sit at the apex of a global enterprise. For most of us, though, the better advice is this: think local, act local! Here are six questions and answers to explain why. ... read more
Leadership: a mash up of metaphors
published: 2011-10-31
The Harvard Business Review loves them: authors, who use three or four anecdotes to derive a general principle. But, as Phil Rosenzweig famously showed in 2007*, this is shoddy logic. And, the HBR article (Fire, Snowball, Mask, Movie – November 2011) is the genre Phil dislikes. Read it if you wish but only if you then do your own thinking. Leadership is about problem-solving – not repeating someone else’s tricks or even your own. Each day is new: with different people (or the same ones feeling differently) and different challenges – as the economy churns, competitors attack, suppliers mess up and so on. So, let’s check what the HBR article has to say – and then think a little deeper. ... read more
Leadership: what are you being paid to do?
published: 2011-06-27
Compared with your direct reports, how much bigger is your pay packet? If your employer segmented that premium across the leadership actions you take, how do you think it might be split? In simple terms, employers want you to achieve planned business outcomes. But to achieve these, your subordinates need your guidance and help in delivering them: the higher sales, lower costs, more timely deliveries and other improvements. If your team members (rather than your bosses) were the ones incentivising you, how would they split that extra pay you get as leader? To test this, why not allocate a percentage to each of the following six leadership actions. Once done, show your numbers to a couple of your team members and see what they say. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: Michael Moore's a fool
published: 2011-01-10
Some people regard Michael Moore as a fool. His films attack politics, healthcare and capitalism with half-truths, personal denigration and tear-jerk anecdotes. But, for me, these criticisms (and his childlike attention-seeking) mask an important, old-fashioned sense of being a fool. Moore is a modern court jester: the prankster and truth-speaker protected by the king. With the right also to tease the king. Today’s king is freedom of speech – and Moore tests its limits. As a leader, do you encourage such freedom? Do you have a truth-speaker, who points out where the dryrot is in the system? Below is an agenda of six questions for your in-house Michael Moore to pursue. Do you have the courage to protect him – or her? ... 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 reputation rating?
published: 2010-11-01
Recently, a friend sent me a note about the “2020 Workplace” book* – highlighting three themes. First, by 2020, every leader will have a reputation score. Second, leader-led learning will be embedded at work. Three, teams will elect their own leaders. Well, which side are you on: the revolutionaries or conservatives? It probably doesn’t matter. The tide will sweep you away if you don’t keep up. But, how do you build that leadership score? Below are six dimensions to consider, as you plan your journey to the world of 2020 leadership. ... read more
Leadership: is it more like poker or chess?
published: 2010-10-18
Leading often has parallels with playing both poker and chess. As in poker: you can be dealt handsome court cards (say, buoyant markets and customer growth) or the low, unsmiling ones (of supplier problems and staff illnesses). If luck runs your way, you may win regardless of personal ability or effort. And, vice versa, if luck’s against you. In chess, there is less luck (perhaps none), since both sides start with the same resources and options. There is more room for strategy, but less for bluffing – since the pieces and their location are visible to each player. So, which would your people say is more your style: poker or chess? To start your thinking, here are four questions to ask yourself. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: TESTING YOUR GUT INSTINCTS
published: 2010-07-05
What do these four statements have in common: I always exclude my own interests from business decisions; I exercise a strong sense of objectivity; I’ve learnt to proceed slowly and not rush decisions; unsurprisingly, the record shows I make good ones? The first link is lack of self-awareness – assuming I believe them. More importantly, as the authors of a recent article argue, there’s need for psychological checks to keep us honest – and out of trouble. Here’s how. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: FUTURE-FIGHTING, NOT FIRE-FIGHTING
published: 2010-03-29
"Harmony has tremendous appeal. Yet a good leader still asks how the business can do better. And, a great leader fights for what he or she believes in." This edited quote from a recent HBR article* urges us all to strive for what's game-defining, not what's marginal. Where do you and your team spend time: on operational fights with few serious implications; or, strategic challenges that can transform the business? The authors offer three checks of fight-worthiness - outlined below. ... read more
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. ... read more
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. ... read more
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? ... read more
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? ... read more
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."
... read moreLEADERSHIP: 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: CREATIVE DESTRUCTION
published: 2008-08-04
General Motors was once a paragon of American business. It's now in serious decline. Its plight illustrates what a famous economist called “creative destruction.” New industries, products and services rise to prominence; but, later lose their traction. Horse-drawn carriages gave way to automobiles - ushering in gas stations but destroying buggy-whip manufacturers. Gas guzzlers had their time on the road, but were overtaken by energy-efficient compacts. And now hybrids; and, so on.
... read moreLEADERSHIP: SCALING THE CLIFF FACE
published: 2008-07-28
We've all seen the graph. Starting low at the left, it rises little over the centuries. Then, in the last hundred years, begins to rise at an alarming rate. And today, climbs almost vertically – whether plotting the number of patents, the sale of mobile phones or the growth of online commerce.
... read moreLEADERSHIP: MAKING CHANGE POSSIBLE
published: 2008-07-14
It's lovely to sit and dream: imagining a better future. But, it takes energy to work out how this might be achieved; and, the real work begins when you have to start organising and implementing. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: DELEGATE? OR JUST STOP IT
published: 2008-07-07
When did you last reprioritise your diary? But that's the easy part. When did you actually stop doing something? Dropped, finished, gone! That's the tough one. ... read more
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.
... read moreLEADERSHIP: 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. ... read more
LEADERSHIP: ADAPT OR DIE
published: 2008-02-18
At university, a friend decided to compete in the Modern Pentathlon. He was a good athlete and swimmer. But, knew nothing of pistol shooting, fencing or show jumping. I was no sportsman, but had grown up with horses and done some fencing. So, he asked for tips. And, asked another friend about shooting. From these slim pointers, he worked with the team coach and became quite accomplished - and very quickly. ... read more
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