“When alligators are nipping at your heels, you need to deal with the alligators” (Nick Pearce) Before creating a grandiose vision for the company, the leadership team needs to deal with the crises or at least get them under control. They should focus on putting out the big fires and on anything that can quickly…
“The mind celebrates a little triumph every time it formulates a thought” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) The work involved in using your creativity and imagination to innovate evokes many emotions – sometimes bringing agony, exhaustion, and tears, but on other occasions, satisfaction, joy, and excitement. Innovation, however, does not come without a price. In “The Second…
“The very essence of leadership is that you must have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet” (Theodore Hesburgh) There have only been a few of them – country leaders who have managed to impart vision to the people to bring changes to attitudes and behaviour and thus create a better life for all citizens….
I love motor vehicles, especially those that are designed to perform at optimal levels in races on tracks or on the dirt in rallies. The back-up crew of mechanics and engineers are critical to any driver’s potential success, as the crew spend hours tweaking the performance and ability of the vehicle from engine to suspension,…
“Often, poor leadership is masked by those with the loudest voices and strongest opinions” (Nick Fewings) Many employees are highly skilled, adept at problem-solving and creative in fulfilling organisational goals. Some are business builders and grow the company’s reach (brand quality, sales, footprint, etc.). Most employees, however, though maybe not entrepreneurial, at least have a…
I have spoken to many employees in various business contexts who feel that their voices are not heard – their ideas are not listened to. As such, they feel that they don’t have a real contribution to make, feel undervalued and overlooked. Typically, this translates into despondency, and many leave their energy and passion at…
“Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart” (Roy T Bennett) According to psychology research (Lisa Fritscher: Very Well Mind), fear is a primal emotion that involves a universal biochemical response and a high individual emotional response. Fear is helpful when it alerts us to…
A visionary leader, who is inclusive, has the power to transform a culture into a forward-looking, responsibility-taking and high-performing team that is focused on meaning and value. Typically, rules and regulations hold an organisation back from fulfilling its mission – talent gets attracted and commitment gets fostered to the vision, but that enthusiasm gets lost…
“The key to business success is duck-like – smooth and unruffled on the top but paddling furiously below” The expression ‘in the same boat’ is typically construed as a negative idiom – “you say that you have run out of money – well, I am in the same boat”, meaning that I have run out…
“Organizational culture is the ‘water’ in the fishbowl. If the water is clean, nourishing, energising, the fish will thrive and if the water is toxic, the fish will die, leaving the infrastructure value-less” (Ranjan de Silva, Sensei International) Organisational health – the status of operating efficiently and effectively with a “happy team” of positive and…
“Most people think leadership is about being in charge. Most people think leadership is about having all the answers and being the most intelligent person or the most qualified person in the room. The irony is that it is the complete opposite. Leadership is about empowering others to achieve things they did not think possible….
“The success of your organisation doesn’t depend on your understanding of economics and organisational development or marketing. It depends, quite simply, on your understanding of psychology: how each individual employee connects with your company; how each individual employee connects with your customers” (The Gallup Organisation) Most employees are amazingly resilient and capable of coping with…
