LEADERSHIP: TURNING AROUND FAILURE

Published: 2010-09-06   There are 2 comments ... please add yours below

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?

1. Design failure – if your product or service is mis-designed. Action: identify ways to rebuild competitiveness via innovation or a modified business model.
2. Failure of opportunity – if your assets are poorly deployed. Action: turn that about - re-align investment, resourcing and systems to better support your business goals.
3. Failure of trust – if you waste stakeholder goodwill. Action: raise performance benchmarks and delivery standards, also build IP – thereby earning trust and testimonials.
4. Failure of will – if your organisation prematurely abandons important work. Action: ensure you, as leader, always push execution and follow-up until things are successful.
5. Failure of priorities – if your people focus on work that doesn’t create value. Action: re-jig the must-do agendas for yourself and each of them, to ensure everyone gets back on track.
6. Failure to quit – if your organisation sticks with a mediocre idea. Action: take necessary tough decisions re activities and people; and, do it now.
7. Failure of respect – if you fail to regard your people and customers. Action: take steps to understand and engage them as individuals – respecting who they are and what they need.
8. Failure to see you’re failing – if blind to your own decline. Action: undertake training (and practice!) to establish and then hone your self-awareness and adaptability.

Seth highlighted the final item to round-out his HBR column. It’s fundamental: understanding if you’re moving forward, standing still or going backwards. I remember this latter feeling when first trying to stand on skis. The ground seemed to be sliding from under me and I hadn’t a clue what to do. On skis, as in leadership, it takes practice and discipline to learn the right moves.

Seth opens our minds but only we can take the actions that make us successful leaders. As with anything, planning is the first step. And, here’s where you can do it: www.vectorleadership.com. Better to start now than when the ground is already sliding from under you.

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership^®