Rebuilding Trust in Business

This is a great little article/blog in Harvard Business Publishing's March 17th edition. Within the text, it also lists a few other great articles to read in regard to leadership. The article as the title suggests has everything to do with 'trust.' A particular passage I enjoyed follows;

"....what enables a corporation to succeed in the longer term is a wish for immortality, or at least a long life; a consistent set of values based on an awareness of the organization's own identity; a willingness to change; and a passionate concern for developing the capability and self-confidence of its core inhabitants, whom the company values more than its physical assets. I suggest that those conditions are best met when organizations live up to the literal meaning of the word company--"the sharing of bread"--and regard themselves as communities, not property.....in time, the laws governing corporations will change to reflect (this) new reality."

Well said! All too often we see how ego and greed lead the 'leaders' of an organization into the dark abyss of unprincipled centered leadership. At what point is it that individuals take that turn for the worse where all of a sudden they feel that they got to that point in their company or within their personal life that they believe their accomplishments were achieved solely by themselves?!
Why is it that we often see power and money corrupt and bankrupt both individuals and companies?
While we have always believed that a company gets its vision and direction from the leaders within that organization - we also believe that the company will only achieve that vision of long-term successful financial growth- THROUGH ITS PEOPLE. It is people after all who drive the organization - filled with great ideas ready to blossom - if only the leaders believe and give them the chance to contribute in their success... Their success becomes our success...

Enjoy the read and until next time...

Successful leadership - how would you know?

"Articles about good leaders tend to focus on the personal attributes a leader should have, but you can tick every box and still fail as a leader, says London Business School Dean Andrew Likierman."

This is a necessary read for all who aspire to be successful in leadership - yes, you may be successful now - but are you all that you can be? This well studied and researched topic hits some extremely necessary components of being that successful leader BUT - we propose that the 'personal attributes' mentioned above along with Andrew Likierman's findings, will help to mold that leader into becoming that well respected, charismatic leader who will create such an incredible synergy within their team that they will endure whatever will be thrown their way. This in our opinion is what will create a long-lasting financially successful growth vehicle for any corporation. By 'modeling' this successful mindset every waking moment, we create an environment where we are 'touching' all the senses - and the more we can touch - the greater chance we have for teaching and learning.

Enjoy the read and until next time...

Communications when the Stakes are High - Why now's not the time to lay low

Well, a new year is upon us and with that comes so much more of the unknown - so much with the global and local economy - so much with that which touches us in our everyday lives. During these difficult times it is so easy to get trapped into all the 'negative' surrounding us. Too often we tend to 'clam up' and hope that all that is happening will simply go away or pass us by. But, we are a people of great strength, great conviction, great faith and hope. We all should realize that each of us possesses a quality within which can be so helpful to someone around us. This is what our focus should be - to help each other to 'weather the storm' by being positive and continuously looking for the opportunities around us. We will get through our current situation but it truly takes all of us to find those 'leadership' qualities each of us possess and in turn assist each other.
This brings to light a recent article I read titled ' Communications when the Stakes are High' published in CHIEF EXECUTIVE November/December 2008 issue. In this great little article Michael W. Kempner discusses the need for CEO's and leaders of organizations to understand that communicating now is an absolute imperative. Some of Michael's reflections;
" Right now, the value of smart communications has simply never been higher. So, what should a company do during this time of unprecedented turmoil? Say nothing and wait for things to get better? Just the opposite needs to happen, and with lightning speed. At a time when all companies are being painted with the same brush, companies need to communicate more openly than ever before. Whether the news is good or bad, companies need to communicate to their key stakeholders to differentiate their strategy, to engender faith in management and to clearly articulate their corporate assets."
"And, the critical value of internal communications has also risen in turn. The manner by which important information is shared with your employees is crucial to maintaining internal confidence and goodwill. In the most challenging environments, the ability to retain your best people is paramount – they own your customer relationships and serve as the face of your brand. You will need their support to weather the current storm, as well as in the future when the economy does eventually recover and the war for talent intensifies."
Michael also shares his thoughts with "Five Ways to Build Credibility and Trust in Uncertain Times."
In closing I'd like to end with an excerpt from his article which I feel exemplifies what needs to happen today...
"You don’t need to have all the answers … frankly, no one does. Certainly, some issues are so complex as to defy an easy solution. Trust can be earned, and confidence restored by simply acknowledging the issues and outlining your plan to find the answers. Strategic and thoughtful communications can inspire confidence in the plan and your ability to execute it well."

Trust can be earned, and confidence restored... To me it just comes down to the premise that a company, an organization is its people - people who have feelings, dreams, desires and most importantly - many of the answers to the situations we may find ourselves in.

Enjoy the article and until next time...

“Framing contests”: What really happens in strategy-making meetings

"In strategy meetings, people try to convince each other by painting a mental image of the future; what would happen if they’d continue as is, and what could happen if they’d follow the course of action proposed by them. They might throw in some numbers based on “research” (put together long after they had made up their mind), and engage in spirited debate, complete with raised voices, rolling eyes and the occasional hand gesture."
Sarah Kaplan, a former McKinsey consultant turned Professor at the Wharton Business School describes strategy-meetings as “framing contests”. Framing contests, she said, concern “the way actors attempt to transform their personal cognitive frames into predominant collective frames through a series of interactions in the organization”

This well done article, titled "The truth about strategy sessions " by Freek Vermeulen an Associate Professor of Strategic & International Management at the London Business School points out that this may not be a bad way of doing these sessions. But as an individual who has attended, participated and facilitated numerous strategy sessions, I can also see danger here. This would occur if the leader of the organization doesn't set the stage by truly creating an 'open' climate where everyone is welcomed to voice concerns AND ideas and dreams of what CAN be within the company. This open climate will help get the 'juices' flowing - bringing to light some potentially way 'outside the box' ideas so desperately needed in today's rapidly changing environments. Of course every dynamic session needs to start with an analysis of where you are as a company - your assessment - strengths, weaknesses, and what resources are necessary over the coming 1 to 3 years; what's going on in the environment - business and global and what obstacles potentially threaten your ability to achieve your vision and mission.
This is just a 'snapshot' but one we feel strongly will help organizations' achieve their greatest potential. The key is to truly create that 'open' environment which encourages all to truly participate freely. After all it is everyone's company - isn't it?!

Leadership on the links: How America won the Ryder Cup

This is a wonderfully written article appearing in The Wall Street Journal/Golf Journal recently. Titled “Team USA's Management Victory” by John Paul Newport, this article transcends golf and can be an enlightening example of how many corporations could achieve new heights of greatness. The article points out how Ryder Cup captain, Paul Azinger, utilized a group-dynamic philosophy to assist his team in achieving what few before him have been able to achieve – beat the European squad. Paul’s approach to breaking up the group into 4 smaller units and appointing a ‘sub captain’ to each unit displays remarkable trust – trust that each group clearly understood the mission and were clearly motivated into helping each other achieve that mission. Realizing that golf is very much an individual rather than team sport, this is truly something worth noticing. What a great philosophy for corporate – the company President, builds a team, clearly articulates the company vision and mission, provides them the tools they need to accomplish the mission, then keeps them highly motivated and gives them SPACE to do their job!
There are some great lessons out there as long as we are willing to remain open to them!
Enjoy the read, and until next time…

The Genius of Norman Brinker -“A strong culture cannot survive a weak owner”

“The genius of Norman wasn’t the many things that were visible to the customer. His genius was in assembling, nurturing, challenging, educating, motivating, evaluating, and coaching a team of people to achieve what he had dreamed. Norman was the consummate restaurateur. But he was an even better leader.”

This excerpt titled "The Genius of Norman Brinker," by Lane Cardwell appearing in a recent edition of Chain Leader truly hits the mark. Part of Norman’s genius was his ability to recognize talent in everyone and somehow be able to coach them into achieving greatness. Norman lived the philosophy that your company IS your people. The other very admirable characteristic of Norman; he never quit learning and challenging those about him to do the same.

Great article! Until next time enjoy the read…

B-team players keep the company going when stars fall

“Who’s most critical to your company’s success, especially during a weak economy? Who supplies the stability, knowledge, and long-term view your firm needs to survive? B players—competent, steady performers far from the limelight.”

This excerpt from an article in Harvard Business Review, titled “Let’s hear it for B Players,” truly puts into perspective how it takes the entire team to grow a company into a respectable and formidable enterprise. The article does a nice job with 'B' players; in defining them, explaining how they become the ‘backbone’ of your corporation and how to nurture them. As we always like to point out – it is people who make the company and it takes all your people to keep your company ‘firing on all cylinders.’

Enjoy the read and until next time…