Massive and disruptive change is upon the way we do business, the way we work, the way we govern, and the way we live. That calls for leadership that can execute on these main criteria: Do we have meaningful and lived values that guide how and what we think, say and do? Do we have […]
When I ask executives “what’s your company’s greatest unmet challenge?” they most often go silent, contemplating whether to articulate what they know, or which one to articulate. What I’ve discovered is that the unmet challenge is most often the ‘elephant in the room’ and closely associated with a ‘sacred cow’ or two. The ‘elephant’ is […]
The causes of the continuing financial crisis are very simple aren’t they? Fear – greed; fear that people won’t voluntarily seek to be productive; fear of the illusion of loss; loss of the illusion of control of the masses – and so many other possibilities. Habits – the idea that we can keep printing money […]
Most people behave acceptably at work, despite too high a level of employee disengagement across the entire workforce. However there is a minority of people who behave unacceptably and are definitely disengaged. These people cause the greatest problems and weaken the enterprise culture dramatically. This is where I get most requests for help, when the […]
In helping my senior leader clients master their role, I ask them to consider developing a pentagonal mindset. The foundational element is values. Values are the rules of the game, why and how we think and behave. To break them is to be in dishonour. A dishonourable leader has no future. The next element is […]
I sat before the C-level leaders, four of them – the CEO, the COO, the CFO, and the CIO. We were planning a development program for the direct reports to the C-level. I asked whether any of the C-level would attend. “No” came the firm reply, “We’re too busy and we’ve all done this sort […]
Most businesses that have been operating for any length of time have ‘sacred cows’ – those people, attitudes, equipment, issues or systems that never get fairly challenged, critiqued or corrected. Often they are protected due to misguided loyalties, fear, habits or just plain not knowing how to deal with them without risk. There is often […]
Warren Buffett, in his 2014 letter to shareholders said: “My successor will need one other particular strength: the ability to fight off the ABCs of business decay, which are arrogance, bureaucracy and complacency. When these corporate cancers metastasize, even the strongest of companies can falter.” Arrogance, Bureaucracy and Complacency! They are the symptoms of the […]
Business, whether to consumers or other businesses, can no longer afford to operate under a competitive model or mindset. Large dinosaurs (remember Kodak) that move slowly, with shareholder value top of mind, may continue to seek dominance. But they’ll be gone before they know it. Being competitive in business now when information and choice is […]
I plead with you for your answers to these five questions: Why, when we know the value of leadership and the massive return on investment in having effective leaders, do we not invest sufficient and realistic time and energy in developing effective leaders? Why, when we know that shared values drive sustainable desired outcomes for […]
