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: "Understanding V|E|C|T|O|R" found 26 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: THE FRUGAL OPTION
published: 2009-01-04
Carlos Ghosn, global head of Renault Nissan, talks up “frugal engineering”. He sees it as key to delivering affordable cars in emerging economies like China and India. But, what does he mean? And, by extension, what would “frugal leadership” be?
LEADERSHIP: WHICH HALF IS WASTED?
published: 2009-03-23
As Sam Wanamaker famously said: I know that half of my advertising dollars are wasted ... I just don't know which half. He might equally be talking about leadership training and development. Checking Amazon, I find they have over three hundred thousand titles under "leadership". And, how many have you read? Or should you? Perhaps two or three! The key test: does this one give me a tool to diagnose what my team needs from me, in their current circumstances and facing their particular challenges. Anything else leaves you reliant on theory or anecdote. As a leader, you practice a craft: customising your leadership actions. Not borrowing, copying or mass-producing! And, the output has to be a personal Leadership Action Plan. So, how would such a tool look? And, what does it need to do?
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: 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: A STEP UP FROM MANAGEMENT
published: 2008-04-14
Are you a leader or a manager? And, what's the difference? For me, the distinction is one of degree not kind. Most managers spend time leading; and, leaders also manage.
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: SHARP TOOLS FOR HARD TIMES
published: 2008-12-07
What's the leadership equivalent of reaching for your Swiss Army Knife, and selecting the right blade? It's creating a plan, and populating it with appropriate leadership actions. Actions relevant to current challenges, not old ones. Actions that convince people and build commitment. Things that work, giving traction in this tough new environment.
LEADERSHIP: THE V|E|C|T|O|R PROMISE
published: 2008-11-30
V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership® is an online leadership action-planning tool. It helps you do two things: first, diagnose what your colleagues need you to do, if they're going to follow and support you; and second, turn this into a plan. Sounds simple - but it's not often done. The cost: as little as $75 - and you can update your plan, email it and access lots of resource material. It's certainly new, and we believe unique.
LEADERSHIP: A LESS WOBBLY GELI
published: 2009-01-26
Manfred Kets de Vries, creator of GELI (the Global Executive Leadership Inventory), is a leading leadership thinker. He's teased out the so-called "soft" human aspect of leadership. But, this aspect is actually the "hard" one: more complex; and less trainable. And, that said, I think his GELI could do with more gelatine!
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.
LEADERSHIP: YOUR FISCAL STIMULUS
published: 2009-02-02
Whether you're President Obama or the leader of China, France or any other country, you’re currently struggling to craft or manage a stimulus package that’s both effective and efficient. Effective in creating growth and jobs; efficient in doing so without waste. There’s no point giving money that isn’t spent, gets into the wrong hands or takes years to impact. OK, but what about your personal stimulus package? In these times of retrenchments and cut-throat competition, what are you doing (and investing) to grow as a leader and keep your job?
LEADERSHIP: LIFT YOUR GAME OR LOSE YOUR JOB
published: 2009-02-09
Do the math. Ericsson, Microsoft, UBS and BHP (to mention just four global companies) are each retrenching thousands of workers. Unemployment in New York is rising at the "fastest pace on record". Job losses in Singapore may "triple in 2009". Small businesses are closing in every Main Street. Across the globe, millions of people are losing their jobs. And, for every ten workers, one leadership position disappears as well. So, what are you doing to be sure you're not the next leader without a role?
LEADERSHIP: A BROADBAND APPROACH
published: 2009-02-16
The Brookings Institution claims the US gains 300,000 jobs for each one percent increase in broadband penetration. And, two European consultancies see 2m new jobs by 2015 from increased broadband access*. That's the good news. But, what about the bad? What's the upside (and downside) of broadband for your leadership - and your job?
LEADERSHIP: OF MID-LEVEL AND FRONT-LINE TEAMS
published: 2009-06-15
Team leaders split their time between "leading" and "doing". But daily pressures (particularly now) drag leaders towards the latter: getting things delivered, resolving technical challenges, responding to HO demands, and keeping the admin. flowing. Too often, they stop leading; and, become managers at best or merely operatives at worst. Sounds familiar?
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.
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: BRIDGING FROM TRAINING TO TRACTION
published: 2009-11-09
I remember my first skiing lesson. A cold sunny morning, in a shallow bowl, above the then tiny village of Obertauern in Austria. A German friend was showing me the basics: standing up, snow-ploughing, turning and so on. I felt safe and we had the place to ourselves. But, I remember even more vividly my first attempt to get down the mountain. The learning didn't seem to work. I had the theory but no plan for the reality of steeper slopes. And, for the next week, I made a fool of myself - with much time spent face down in the snow. Sadly, it's often like that with leadership: what you take from the training sessions doesn't translate quickly enough to the steep slopes of day to day leadership. So, what can you do?
LEADERSHIP: THE POWER-DRESSING PARALLEL
published: 2009-11-16
Before I meddle with your mind, let me meddle with your wardrobe. What are you wearing today? And, why? When dressing this morning, you probably had a choice in your closet: suits, casual stuff, even beach wear. And, you made a selection. Perhaps you thought: where am I going; and, how do I want to come across? Appropriate dressing isn't a default action of grabbing the first thing you see. And, effective leadership is similar. Conscious choosing; not what worked in a different situation; or, what your boss used to do. But what's right for leading your current people in their current situation. So, why's that so difficult?
LEADERSHIP: WHAT’S YOUR SOVEREIGN RISK RATING?
published: 2010-06-15
Daily papers and serious journals are currently full of articles about sovereign risk. The possibility Greece or other European countries (particularly those fringing the Mediterranean) will default or reschedule their debt. This could undermine the standing and even the survival of the euro. Wikipedia defines it thus: the risk of a government becoming unwilling or unable to meet its loan obligations, or reneging on loans it guarantees. What is the leadership equivalent – and how do people rate you as a risk? Let’s explore some ways to reduce that.
LEADERSHIP: ARE YOU DRIVEN BY VISION OR VENGEANCE?
published: 2010-06-28
Kevin Rudd resigned his Prime Ministership rather than face being voted out by his own party colleagues. What transformed a resounding electoral win in December 2007 into this current humiliation? More importantly, as leaders, how can you or I avoid such outcomes? And, what are the warning signs? Here are half a dozen.
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.
LEADERSHIP: TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT - BUT HOW?
published: 2010-07-13
Google returns 16 million responses for leadership training and 29 million for leadership development. But this begs the question of what is the best approach to either – and a deeper question: do current practices work? From my experience, much of what businesses spend is sub-optimal or wasted. Let me explain.
LEADERSHIP: FIVE FAULTS TO FIX
published: 2010-08-16
Another home run for Seth – my favourite blogger. His posting of 13 June* describes the entrepreneur’s desire for a magic lottery ticket – that sudden, solve-all event that will get you over the hump in terms of publicity, funding or customer uptake. Many times in launching my V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership business, I’ve wished for such a fairy-godmother moment. Think about it, do you by chance lead your people in similar wishful mode: hoping it will suddenly come right? Here are five traps to think about. And, what you can do to avoid them.
LEADERSHIP: WHAT ARE YOUR VOICES DOING TO YOU?
published: 2010-08-02
Recently a young friend failed to bid at an auction for an apartment he’d decided to buy. At the last minute, his resolve was undermined by adverse comments on the property from a trusted, older colleague. He could at least see in this case where the upset came from. As a leader, however, our decisions are often destabilised by the more subtle intervention not of friends but of our own sub-personalities. Below are eight examples. To what extent would your colleagues say any one or more intervene in your leadership decisions and actions? And, what are you doing to make sure you remain disciplined and balanced?
LEADERSHIP: WHEN YOU’RE NEWLY APPOINTED
published: 2010-08-09
If you’ve just been promoted, you might want to read “Letter to a newly appointed CEO” by Ian Davis, a former Managing Director of McKinsey & Co. It’s a practical checklist whatever your seniority – and even if you’ve been in your role for some time. When did you last re-think your priorities: what to do more of and what less? How to allocate your time? I bet if I asked your colleagues they’d have some suggestions. Why not get in first? Here’s a summary of Davis’s ten points plus some comments.