LeaderLab - - page 3

by john on April 27th, 2012 4 Comments

Learn to Teach. Teach to Learn

When I retired, I thought I was through with business. And I was, until the social network came along and enticed me to blog. Like most bloggers, I write about what I know; that’s strategy, leadership and branding. My motive is nothing more than to share my experience with today’s business community in the hope they might put an old warrior’s advice to good use. To improve relevancy, I’ve had to familiarize myself with the new economy and the products and services that did not exist when I was CEO of coffee/confectioner, Jacobs Suchard. As a side benefit of this crash course in catch-up, I have learned more than I ever imagined. And although I am no longer engaged in commercial business, I am once again “thinking business” and enjoying the rush of discovering the ideas and innovations of today’s entrepreneurs.

Nothing has been as illuminating as studying the ways and means of Apple. More recently, I delved into the business of “cult” energy drink brands, Red Bull and Monster, and I strongly advise anyone in consumer products or services to examine Red Bull’s strategies and culture. Do that and you can’t help but think differently about your own brand or business. The folks at Red Bull are the ultimate entrepreneurs; although you may be caught in the bureaucracy of an old economy organization, you cannot escape the fact that great ideas create change.

Your idea can change a company. That idea can also change you; believe me, there is nothing like a business breakthrough to set the right foundation for the rest of your career. Take the time to look at other industries. You’ll be surprised what you can learn and how that information can affect your own business or industry. A trade show is a great place to start.

15 months of blogging and here’s the most important things I’ve taught:

Complexity in a company is a cancer. Keep it simple. Focus.
Strategy has never been more important. With the pace of business and with so many options at a leader’s disposal, clarity of purpose is critical to differentiating you from the rest of the pack. Leverage it to get ahead. Remain focused on it to stay ahead.
Creativity is the last great bargain in business. Institutionalize it within your modus operandi and mindset. This is difficult for big company people because they are part of a “spend your way out of it” culture. Creativity is the key to a small company’s success. With the emergence of social media, the leverage of creativity is immeasurable.
Appreciate that culture is the strategy. Look at Apple – no question Apple would not be what it is today without Steve Jobs ‘vision and tenacity. But don’t over look the fact that Apple’s culture is innovative, competitive, focused, passionate and collaborative.
Look to a future beyond the fiscal year. Develop strategies that define the future based on the actions
you will take to achieve that vision.

43 years in business and here’s the most important things I’ve learned:

Life is a journey, not a destination. I didn’t get this until I left the corner office and began to discover interests beyond business. Don’t wait that long.
One can successfully balance work life and home life. Hug your kids. They grow up faster than you can imagine. Sure, there are times where you’ll have to put in the long hours. But you can work smarter. That means more hours for your family and your out-of-work passions. Trust me; the business won’t suffer.
Today’s business is more exciting than ever before. Okay, so there are roadblocks – government meddling, environmental challenges, cheap foreign production. But look at the opportunities – online marketing, social media, niche products and services, specialization, the list goes on.
“Greed is good” is becoming “greed for good”. Entrepreneurs invest where there is opportunity. Saving the planet is good business. In the renewable energy market, global investment has increased from $33 billion in 2004 to $211 billion, 7 years later.
The most important thing in business and life is to love what you do. This means following your passion. Mine was marketing. Now that I’m out of business, my passion is writing. One day I’ll find a publisher not afraid to take a chance on a grey-haired, rookie novelist.

John Bell is a strategy consultant and former CEO of Jacobs Suchard (Kraft, Nabob). He is a contributor to Fortune magazine and a regular blogger at CEO Afterlife.

by david on April 25th, 2012 2 Comments

What Happened to Strategy?

Over the past 50 years, strategy has been examined, factored and reduced to a few simple formulas. In that time, strategy has moved from the realm of senior leaders to the hoards MBAs and consultants. That’s the thrust of the argument Cynthia Montgomery makes in The Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs. Montgomery writes, “With all good intentions, we had backed strategy into a narrow corner and reduced it to a left-brain exercise. In doing so, we lost much of its vitality and much of its connection to the day-to-day life of the company, and we lost sight of what it takes to lead the effort.”

Montgomery argues that strategy ought to be an act of leadership, and not the formulaic calculation it currently appears to be. She argues that sustainable strategy is a myth and that true strategists and leaders work on constantly shaping and cultivating their companies value proposition and purpose over a longer time frame. To add to her argument she brings in fascinating case studies such as Domenico De Sole’s incredible turnaround of Gucci and (yes it seems obligatory) Steve Jobs’ triumphant return, which left Apple better aligned with the direction of the consumer market.

Montgomery’s style is a beautiful blend of academic prose and practical lessons. At first glance, the book looks like dry, heavy stuff however it moves quickly and keeps you feeling positive and entertained. There are many books about strategy out there, and many more about leadership – however, The Strategist has done the body of literature a service by finally blending the two in a comprehensive, yet understandable manner.

by guest on April 23rd, 2012 4 Comments

Leading for Innovation: Why Fighting Fires Burns Down the House

This is a guest post form Soren Kaplan. Soren is the Managing Principal of InnovationPoint, an Adjunct Professor within the Imagineering Academy at NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands and the author of the new book Leapfrogging: Harness the Power of Surprise for Business Breakthroughs.

One simple question lies at the heart of a continuous struggle that most leaders and organizations face: how do we succeed today while simultaneously creating the future?

Some leaders consciously acknowledge this fundamental paradox. Others experience the inherent tension but let short-term goals and fire-fighting consume their lives – at the expense of preparing for and positioning themselves for the future. We all know the companies and brands that failed to find this delicate balance: Kodak, Blockbuster, Borders, and the list could go on and on.

This one little question lies at the intersection of two big fields – leadership and innovation. Whereas innovation used to be all about research & development, technology, and product or service innovation, what’s required for innovation today goes far beyond the traditional nuts and bolts. Innovation today is as much about how you deliver value as it is about what it is you offer to the market. Today’s innovators know that services, business models, collaboration, relationships, networks, knowledge, and social capital are the keys to the future.

The other domain is leadership. Leadership used to be all about purpose, vision, mission, motivation and communication. While these things are still important, the domain of leadership is being reinvented by the same mechanisms responsible for transforming the field of innovation. Leading is as much about fostering networks, tapping into global resources and knowledge, following others, and creating the conditions that foster innovation.

I’ve heard many leaders lament that they just don’t have the time or resources to focus on the future. They’re say that since they’re not “measured” on long-term innovation they must live and die by quarterly results. And besides, they say, there are too many operational challenges requiring attention so they don’t have the “luxury” to think long-term. Some leaders, on the other hand, work through the paradox of leading for innovation by ensuring they don’t sacrifice the long-term for short-term gains. The easy example is Steve Jobs, who mastered the ability to create products and services that people want now, while simultaneously innovating new products, services and business models focused on shaping the future.

The convergence of leadership and innovation is about realizing that the secret sauce that gives life to breakthrough leadership is innovation – and for breakthrough innovation it’s leadership. So what can leaders do right now to tap into the power of this convergence?

Carve out time for the future – Even if it’s just a few hours per month, dedicate time to putting down the fire hose and help yourself and others step back to see the big picture

Look everywhere for opportunities to leapfrog – Because innovation is about creating new value, look for ways to reinvent anything and everything, from products to processes to the organization’s physical environment to the rewards and metrics that motivate behavior

Provide an innovation vision – Create a vision for innovation. Describe the type innovations (from small tweaks to big breakthroughs) that will make a difference for your organization, your customers, your clients, your community, and the world.

Role model innovation leadership – successful innovation requires risk-taking, acceptance of failure, and openness to revisiting and modifying fundamental assumptions. Role model these things every day. Find others who do these naturally and use them as inspiration for others.

Open up to surprise – innovation leadership is about living with uncertainty and using ambiguity as a tool to find clarity and direction. Exploring new areas outside of our comfort zone delivers surprising insights that can lead to new opportunities. Being ready to respond to both positive and negative unforeseen events makes us more adaptive as we drive forward our innovations.

Innovation is a continuous process of invention and reinvention. The most effective innovators embrace the journey as part of the destination while helping others recognize that they play a role in delivering value today while concurrently creating the future.

by david on April 20th, 2012 Comments Off

Leadership As a Way of Life

The newest issue of Strategic Leadership Review is out and it features two strong articles promoting evidence-based leadership. One of which is entitled “Leadership as a Way of Life: Ten Practices of Effective Personal Leadership.”

From the abstract:

In the past few years, businesses have been hit hard with a talent crunch, a generational shift, and an economic downturn. This is all on top of the usual 21st century challenges of globalization, innovation, and technology. How can leaders possibly keep up? They must, and they will. But in order to do so successfully, they must learn to not only lead their organizations but also lead themselves. They must learn to practice personal leadership. This article outlines ten practices of personal leadership that show readers that leadership is not just a label. It is a way of life.

[Download Article]

by david on April 18th, 2012 4 Comments

Why Most Managers Are Ineffective

Warren Bennis (or Drucker, or someone else first) once remarked that leadership is doing the right thing and management is doing things right. However, recent research suggests that most managers are not doing things right, or better said: are not doing much right at all.

Research from Heide Bruch and the late Sumantra Ghoshal discovered that managers are typically quite busy but that busyness is not from doing things right. In their study, “Management is the Art of Doing and Getting Done,” the researchers examined a variety of managers’ schedules for the presence of what they titled “purposeful action” – or actions that helped move the organization toward its strategic objective. They found that only about 10 percent of managers took purposeful action, the remainder fell into various categories of busy but ineffective activity (40 percent were energetic but unfocused; 30 percent had low energy; 10 percent were focused but not very energetic, the remainder failed to classify).

The good news for many senior leaders is the 40 percent who are energetic about their activity, but whose activity is unfocused and reactive. Most of their potentially productive time was spent reacting to small problems and working on minute details. These managers lack clear-cut direction on where to begin taking action or how to prioritize. They may just need to be reacquainted with the strategy. More likely, however, their lack of focus is due to an insufficiently understood strategy or a lack of clear strategic objectives.

The 40 percenters make a wonderful argument not just for the importance of strategy, but also for keeping strategy clear and helping everyone in the organization understand exactly what actions will help contribute to strategic objectives. Knowing this vital information should help more managers take purposeful action.

David Burkus is the editor of LeaderLab. He writes, speaks, and serves on the faculty of management at Oral Roberts University’s College of Business.

« Older Entries Newer Entries »

Learn to Teach. Teach to Learn

What Happened to Strategy?

Leading for Innovation: Why Fighting Fires Burns Down the House

Leadership As a Way of Life

Why Most Managers Are Ineffective

SUBSCRIBERS

42,556 | Twitter + RSS

SEARCH

Categories

Meta