Leadership: the true artists

published: 2011-12-05

“Who the hell cares about art?” That was my first sentence when opening an exhibition last weekend in Sydney. I then summarised three things I believe the best artists do that ensures their audiences care. On reflection, these same three actions answer another question that’s close to my heart: who the hell cares about leadership? So, let me share them and see what you think. In particular, whether the people you lead would say you’re succeeding or not. ... read more

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: 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: does yours make music?

published: 2011-05-16

Like any effective leader, a good sports-person or concert performer must attract willing and committed followers. Not only their fellow players on field or stage, but also audiences, who pay to attend and enjoy the performance. Think of your favourites: how much do you pay to be present – personally or virtually? So, here’s a thought: who would pay to watch you leading your team at work? Perhaps not a nice idea after all! So, let me share the tricks I’ve learnt from a famous performer, who’s been dead for almost 30 years but people still pay to experience. ... 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: are all your sub-personalities pulling together?

published: 2011-04-11

Each of us has a range of characteristics and skills struggling for control of our actions. This morning, my optimistic, creative self may be taking charge. But, following a couple of bad meetings, colleagues may notice that my angry, controlling aspect have taken over. It’s easy – even amusing – to describe but unpleasant for me (and those around me) if the shifts run beyond my recognition and control. For some leaders, such swings are mild and short-lived; for others, more extreme and durable. Using a theatrical metaphor, how many actors are there vying for parts in your leadership production? Do you understand their styles and motivations – and, more importantly, how to direct them? Here’s a way to consider. ... read more

Leadership: how healthy is your business?

published: 2011-02-28

If you’re feeling off-colour, a doctor checks your “vital signs” of temperature, blood (both pulse and pressure) plus breathing. A leader working in the healthcare industry asked me what might be comparable vital signs for a business. It’s probably foolhardy to draw parallels between people and businesses. People are singular but substantially similar bio-organisms. Companies, though, are hugely more diverse: in nature, scale and organisation. But, foolhardy I am! So below, I’ve listed three tests plus a fourth for good measure – my four “Cs”. As a leader, what does each tell you about your business today? More importantly, which is tracking least well? And, what leadership medicine are you administering? ... 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: TURNING AROUND FAILURE

published: 2010-09-06

I’ve just discovered that my favourite blogger, Seth Godin, is also a columnist with the Harvard Business Review. However, even in this mainstream venue, he retains his quirky preoccupation with what’s wrong in the world. He prises open our minds and this is certainly true when he redefines failure, so we recognise various forms of “getting by” as actually various ways of failing. Below are his eight examples with his introductory wording. For each, I’ve appended an action option – taken from my V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership framework. Ask yourself this: how would colleagues rate you on your readiness to take such actions? ... read more

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. ... 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: WHEN IN DOUBT, DISAGGREGATE

published: 2010-05-31

Seth Godin is part blogger, part public intellectual. Some days, he really nails a topic. Here’s an abbreviated introduction to a recent posting*.

“The typical American buys precisely one book a year … (but) when it comes to books, there is no typical American. There are a lot of Americans who buy zero books … and then there are people like me who buy 400. The average is irrelevant.”

It’s the old warning of the non-swimmer, who drowned in a river of one-metre average depth. So, what’s the equivalent for your leadership? Are you just taking “average” one-size-fits-all actions? Here’s a three-step alternative.

LEADERSHIP: FOR BETTER CSR

published: 2010-05-17

It’s unusual to read something balanced and practical about CSR. Activists want business to carry the wrap for everything. Apologists limit it to immediate operating activities and what the law requires. True, the primary responsibility is to sell sound products that people want, employ and reward fairly and act honesty and responsibly. But, the authors of a recent HBR article offer an insightful approach to the boundary issue of what is and isn’t a company’s responsibility? They make this erstwhile no-man’s land a fertile ground for corporate creative thinking and commercial good sense. ... read more

LEADERSHIP: PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF

published: 2010-05-10

The author of this article opens with an unbeatable leadership confession. He states that “The problem with health care is people like me.” He’s a doctor but the article equally applies if “doctor” is replaced by engineer (my training), actuary, lawyer or any other profession. By definition, leaders start with some specialisation – technical, social or commercial. And the better we perform, the more likely someone will appoint us to lead others – first in the same area and later across others. And the rot starts there – unless, like Thomas Lee, we recognise that changing roles requires changing priorities. Leadership is another profession. But we often fail to see that or we come to it after starting to lose our flexibility of thinking and behaviour. How well would your people say you’ve transitioned? High, medium or low? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY INEFFECTIVE MANAGERS

published: 2009-10-26

I'm no techo, nor a digital native.  But Langdon, V|E|C|T|O|R's technology manager, tries to educate me.  And, recently forwarded an article by Nari Kannan from www.it.toolbox.com* - and, I've borrowed its title for this Potshot.  It's a play on a famous book title and the seven negative habits he lists are all too common - and, not just in IT.  So, why not check below and rate yourself - and see what options you have to overcome such habits! ... read more

LEADERSHIP: ARE YOU AMATEUR OR PROFESSIONAL?

published: 2009-10-19

Heading for work recently, I ran into a neighbour I don't see very often.  He was leaving for his Wednesday, early-morning game of golf.  I noted his smart, all-weather jacket and his bag of high-quality clubs.  Clearly a serious player, I thought.  But, from our brief conversation, I soon learnt that though he'd played for years, he was still a hacker.  Sadly, many of us are like that with our leadership.  We do it every day and we've been at it for years.  But we make little improvement.  We're paid (and are therefore professionals) but we lead unthinkingly, like total amateurs.  So, what do serious golfers and leaders do?  And, could you do the same? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: NOT ANOTHER ASSESSMENT TOOL

published: 2009-10-05

A CEO recently showed me a tool she's considering - to help lift her own and her team's leadership effectiveness.  She asked what my criteria would be for choosing such a tool.  I highlighted the five listed below.  How do tools you've used measure up? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: BEWARE SELF-DELUSION

published: 2009-09-28

Half a dozen times in the last 20 years, I've worked with a CEO, who'd completely lost touch with reality.  In discussing strategy, they believed themselves as informed and proficient as they'd been in their prime.  Whether talking about customers, markets, technology or staffing, they knew it all - and, worse, felt no-one was ready to succeed them.  But, in each case, their colleagues (particularly their immediate team) saw the fading powers - and the growing self-delusion.  So, how would your team rate you on objectivity versus conceit?  Are you honest about your strengths and weaknesses - and your use-by date?  Here are six check-points. ... read more

LEADERSHIP: IT STARTS WITH LEADING YOURSELF

published: 2009-07-20

It's a wry statement but true: every overnight success is preceded by ten years of slog.  A serial entrepreneur said this to me recently.  He was talking about his current business venture that's struggling to get traction.  But, the same statement also applies to leadership.  Getting to the top is a testament to discipline and courage.  At each stage, the discipline to make a plan.  And, the courage to implement it.  Do you have that?  And, know what it means today? ... 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: A QUICK COVER-UP

published: 2009-04-20

Warren Buffett famously quipped that it's not until the tide goes out you find who's been swimming naked.  He was referring to financial risk-takers.  But, he might as well be talking about leaders.  With the tide rising, we all look fine.  But with the lake sucked dry, we may be caught.  So, as you stand in front of your team today, do they see you clad - or threadbare?  Are there holes where it's better to be covered? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: G20, GEE PLENTY

published: 2009-04-08

Committees are often the worst way to get things done.  Particularly in nervous times.  And, the pre-G20 vibes were net nervous.  There was positive energy (particularly from Barack Obama) about working together to restore financial and economic vitality.  But, from others, finger-pointing - for example, at bankers and, more generally, those with "blue eyes".  And, insistence (from Nicolas Sarkozy) that it would be his solution or none - with a walk-out threatened for good measure.  And, as always, cries for legislation and regulation - noisily slamming stable doors after the credits have bolted.  Sadly, it's often no different in business.  When things go bad, there can be a rush to blaming - and backside covering.  Also, pushing personal solutions.  So, how have you and your people behaved in the downturn?
... read more

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? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: COACHING AND SELF-COACHING

published: 2009-01-03

Think of your favourite sporting figure!  Who's their coach?  Call to mind how they watch each play or shot – then gently (often almost invisibly) send a message: to relax, focus, push harder or whatever’s necessary.  It's powerful stuff. 

LEADERSHIP: BEST PRACTICE

published: 2008-11-03

Benchmarking and intellectual property are modern buzzwords.  No business plan or conference is complete without them.  But, as with all jargon, they're more talked of than seriously applied.  Why?  Because, application is hard work.  And, benchmarking leads to comparing my company, division or team with others.  And, that's potentially embarrassing.  So, let's talk but perhaps not do too much. 

LEADERSHIP: THE HEROES ON THE FRONTLINE

published: 2008-06-23

Talk to any soldier and they'll tell you it's frontline troops, not generals, who fight the battles.  HQ may set direction and define key goals but it's platoon leaders and their troops, who go there.  They're the ones, who reconnoitre, take territory, dig in and fight.  Now, business isn't warfare.  But, the metaphor has its place. 

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: WHAT’S YOUR INNOVATION INDEX

published: 2008-02-18

The authors of an article in the December issue of Harvard Business Review assert that “five ‘discovery skills’ separate true innovators from the rest of us.” They list the usual suspects: Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Ratan Tata. And, as usual, it’s more about after-the-event generalisations than scientific deduction. But, that doesn’t stop us asking: what must I do to be more creative? Here are their five thoughts – and one I’ve added. ... read more

LEADERSHIP: MOBILISES TALENT AND KNOWLEDGE

published: 2008-02-04

“The formal structures of companies, as manifested in their organisational charts, don’t explain how most of their real day-to-day work gets done.” That’s what the authors of a recent article claim; and, many would agree. But, being consultants, they have a solution. Establish “formal networks” – and more about these below. But, let’s keep it simple. Why not appoint more appropriate leaders to run the company as it’s already structured? ... read more