…But You Can Adjust The Sails.
These words to the Ricky Skaggs song Can’t Control The Wind are a great entrée into the first of four monthly segments on the Total Leadership Process. These particular words came to mind as I was reading a recent Fortune article about Larry Ellison and the BMW Oracle Racing Team returning the America’s Cup Trophy back to the United States after a fifteen-year absence. His thoughts on the victory centered on the right combination of technology, sailing skills and strategy.
Strategy is the focus of this segment as it forms the foundation of the Total Leadership Process and reflects the Purpose of the organization. In actuality, the organizational Purpose is a combination of Vision, Values, Mission and Strategy but it is the Strategy that determines how the organization will compete in its current market and industry. Understanding the importance of this definition is crucial as the competitive landscape and assumptions in every industry are changing.
What strategic assumptions worked when economic and industry growth rates were 10% - 15% before the recession will be different in the 2% - 3% growth economy of the next several years. Likewise, targeting double-digit growth rates will require different strategic assumptions than in previous years where that level of growth was not the norm. A strategy setting a path to 12% growth year-over-year sounds good at face value. However, if the industry is growing 15%, the strategy loses market share.
Like the wind challenges sailors, we may have difficulty totally understanding and reacting to the competitive landscape. Some events we can see well in advance. The recent healthcare reform legislation was announced well in advance, enabling organizations to think through various contingency plans on how to react to the final version. In effect for less than a week, several large companies already announced changes as a direct result of the new law.
Other competitive events are not well known, yet must be anticipated in order to put forth a reasonable strategy for success. Most of us cannot accurately predict the future. But the issue is not to predict the future; it is to prepare for the future. Successful leaders continuously run scenarios for their market or industry helping them adapt quickly to their changing competitive landscape.
With so many changes happening at an ever-increasing rate, do you have a means to capture what your market is telling your organization every day in a way that is meaningful to the contingency scenarios relevant to your strategy? Ask yourself how much time your organization spends managing the past versus navigating towards the future. If we drove our cars the same way how much progress would we make?
When the wind changes direction, which way will your crew be facing?
Lead Well!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
We Can Learn a Lot about Purpose Driven Leadership…
From the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.
Now this may seem like a strange way for me to discuss leadership as those who know me know I am a lifelong Colts fan. However, I did spend half my military career in Louisiana and Mississippi only hours from New Orleans and the French Quarter. It is during these times we came to appreciate the food, music and culture of the city. I do know what it feels like to have to evacuate in front of an oncoming hurricane and if nothing else, Sean Payton, the Saints coach is from our hometown of Naperville, IL. So it is with some attachment I use their recent Super Bowl victory as a backdrop for Purpose Driven Leadership.
Purpose Driven Leadership supposes, in spite of all the talk of the recession, jobs, expenses and profits, people want more. This translates through the organization’s Vision and Values. Organizations (public, private and non-profit alike) who have a clear Vision of what they want to become have a distinct and clear advantage over their competitors over the long haul, especially when dealing with change. These same organizations have and live a set of Values embraced by all in the organization and reinforced daily by their leadership. The Saints had a purpose that transcended what happened on the football field earlier this month. They played to not only win the Super Bowl but to provide a sense of higher belief in a home city still rebuilding both physically and culturally. What makes the ideal even more important in my mind is by staying true to their purpose, leaders must take risks to achieve the desired results. The Saints certainly made that point clear with several risky plays including the now famous on-side kick to begin the second half of the game.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to hear from another member of a Super Bowl team, Jim Covert from the 1985 Chicago Bears. In his speech on leadership he highlighted the idea of Values. As the President and CEO of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine he sees his purpose as creating fundamental and sustainable change through leadership. In doing so, he identified three Values he uses to achieve his Purpose:
➢ Honesty and Integrity – Lead By Example
➢ Set Expectations – Use Effective Goal Setting
➢ Accountability – For You and Those Around You
A story he relayed was of Mike Ditka, the Bears coach at the time, setting a goal to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the 1983 training camp. What stood out is he also said half of the assembled players would likely not be there, which turned out to be true two years later when they did win the Super Bowl.
So what is the Purpose of your team and is everyone on board to help you win your Super Bowl?
Lead Well.
Now this may seem like a strange way for me to discuss leadership as those who know me know I am a lifelong Colts fan. However, I did spend half my military career in Louisiana and Mississippi only hours from New Orleans and the French Quarter. It is during these times we came to appreciate the food, music and culture of the city. I do know what it feels like to have to evacuate in front of an oncoming hurricane and if nothing else, Sean Payton, the Saints coach is from our hometown of Naperville, IL. So it is with some attachment I use their recent Super Bowl victory as a backdrop for Purpose Driven Leadership.
Purpose Driven Leadership supposes, in spite of all the talk of the recession, jobs, expenses and profits, people want more. This translates through the organization’s Vision and Values. Organizations (public, private and non-profit alike) who have a clear Vision of what they want to become have a distinct and clear advantage over their competitors over the long haul, especially when dealing with change. These same organizations have and live a set of Values embraced by all in the organization and reinforced daily by their leadership. The Saints had a purpose that transcended what happened on the football field earlier this month. They played to not only win the Super Bowl but to provide a sense of higher belief in a home city still rebuilding both physically and culturally. What makes the ideal even more important in my mind is by staying true to their purpose, leaders must take risks to achieve the desired results. The Saints certainly made that point clear with several risky plays including the now famous on-side kick to begin the second half of the game.
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to hear from another member of a Super Bowl team, Jim Covert from the 1985 Chicago Bears. In his speech on leadership he highlighted the idea of Values. As the President and CEO of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine he sees his purpose as creating fundamental and sustainable change through leadership. In doing so, he identified three Values he uses to achieve his Purpose:
➢ Honesty and Integrity – Lead By Example
➢ Set Expectations – Use Effective Goal Setting
➢ Accountability – For You and Those Around You
A story he relayed was of Mike Ditka, the Bears coach at the time, setting a goal to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the 1983 training camp. What stood out is he also said half of the assembled players would likely not be there, which turned out to be true two years later when they did win the Super Bowl.
So what is the Purpose of your team and is everyone on board to help you win your Super Bowl?
Lead Well.
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