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You searched for the string: "Address skill and process gaps" found 16 results

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Leadership: how innovative are you?

published: 2011-05-23

According to The Economist magazine “Business writers have always worshipped at the altar of success” ... and ... “This success-fetish makes the latest management fashion all the more remarkable. The April issue of the Harvard Business Review is devoted to failure.” Well, what does that mean for you and me as leaders? Are you noted for fostering new ways - and risking failure? Do you innovate personally – including in how you lead? Here are 10 action suggestions, I’ve put together from reading The Economist report. ... read more

Leadership: how healthy is your business?

published: 2011-02-28

If you’re feeling off-colour, a doctor checks your “vital signs” of temperature, blood (both pulse and pressure) plus breathing. A leader working in the healthcare industry asked me what might be comparable vital signs for a business. It’s probably foolhardy to draw parallels between people and businesses. People are singular but substantially similar bio-organisms. Companies, though, are hugely more diverse: in nature, scale and organisation. But, foolhardy I am! So below, I’ve listed three tests plus a fourth for good measure – my four “Cs”. As a leader, what does each tell you about your business today? More importantly, which is tracking least well? And, what leadership medicine are you administering? ... read more

Leadership: have you tested yours lately?

published: 2011-02-21

Phil Rozenzweig, a professor at IMD in Switzerland, swims against the current. When asked “What’s the next new thing in strategy”, he replied “That’s the wrong question. There’s always new stuff … and most of it’s not very good.” His advice … “Seek what’s true, not new!” This quote leads an article in a recent McKinsey Quarterly that offers ten tests for your company’s strategy. My list below is identical except I’ve inserted “leadership” instead of “strategy” in each test. Check them out and see how you rate. ... read more

Leadership: you don't need a sex change

published: 2011-02-14

Michael Wallent (an 11-year Microsoft veteran) and Megan Wallent (a co-worker) couldn’t be more different. One is a man; the other a woman. Each, we are told by Harvard Business Review*, demonstrates the classic “male” or “female” leadership traits. Michael has the engineer’s narrow-gauge logic and bluntness. Megan shows sensitivity and inclusion. The HBR explains wide-eyed (at its own permissiveness, I sense) that Michael and Megan are actually the same person – pre and post a sex change. Do you dare to read on? ... read more

Leadership: LinkedIn and opened out

published: 2010-12-13

Old technologies and ways of doing things always colonise the new. Value only emerges when the unique potential of the new is properly exploited. Early TV was radio with pictures: boring shots of people reading the news. This changed once media companies recognised the mobility of TV cameras delivered powerful on-the-spot reporting – whether of earthquake damage or red-carpet events. For many leaders, social media and networking tools are still little more than an electronic Rolodex. Is that you? Here are five questions I’m answering for myself from engaging with the networking tool LinkedIn. What are your answers? ... read more

Leadership: Steve Jobs and nose jobs

published: 2010-11-15

Steve Jobs is a revolutionary. Few upend as many industries. Not just computing but also music and publishing. A Gutenberg of our era. A Black-Swans breeder, who takes home the prizes. But, what about you and me? Perhaps renewal (rather than revolution) is more our thing. In my case, I’ve just released a new VECTOR Leadership site. With more functionality and product – and much better looking. But, interestingly, it has a small Black Swan nestling inside (a Black Cygnet, perhaps) waiting to waddle from the nest. Leadership Action Planning remains undiscovered by many. Most leaders are still stuck with self-reflective profiles or backward-looking evaluations. More of that later. But, in terms of your business and leadership, what’s needed: revolution or renewal? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: WHAT ARE YOUR VOICES DOING TO YOU?

published: 2010-08-02

Recently a young friend failed to bid at an auction for an apartment he’d decided to buy. At the last minute, his resolve was undermined by adverse comments on the property from a trusted, older colleague. He could at least see in this case where the upset came from. As a leader, however, our decisions are often destabilised by the more subtle intervention not of friends but of our own sub-personalities. Below are eight examples. To what extent would your colleagues say any one or more intervene in your leadership decisions and actions? And, what are you doing to make sure you remain disciplined and balanced? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: POWER AND PURPOSE

published: 2010-01-28

US decline and China's inexorable rise are much talked of. But, in a recent article, Josef Joffe* concludes his rebuttal thus. "Gainsayers will still dramatise China's growth rates as a harbinger of a grand power shift. But as the 21st century unfolds, the US will be younger and more dynamic than its competitors." Whether right or wrong, it's an important issue. And, his arguments have resonance for the durability of leaders, as well as nations. He stresses the requirement for "requisite power and purpose." If asked, would your colleagues say you still have these? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?

published: 2009-07-27

We often speak of some part of our organisation running "like a well-oiled machine". But, we all know business lacks that precise and reliable machine-like character. It's organic, changeable and often unstable. Unlike an engine, it's not bolted to a chassis or floor. It floats in a larger organic pool of economic, competitive and regulatory influences. No wonder, therefore, people find it hard to measure (and justify) leadership investment. But, if you've found some good metrics or trustworthy business-performance stats., please let me know (timothy@vectorleadership.com). In the meantime, here are some arguments to consider. ... read more

LEADERSHIP: LESSONS FROM TIANANMEN SQUARE

published: 2009-07-06

Most of us would rate the Chinese Communist Party as both tough and inflexible. And, we'd be right about tough. But, wrong about inflexible. Reflecting on the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, here are some quotes from the May 30th edition of The Economist. "After the massacre, the Communist Party set about transforming itself." And, today, "the outcome is a wholesale reinvention." If colleagues reviewed your leadership over the last two decades, would they report "wholesale reinvention"? Or, more of the same? And, if the Chinese Communist Party can change so radically, what can you learn from it? ... read more

LEADERSHIP: NEITHER BORN NOR BRED

published: 2009-04-06

What do Kim Jong-il, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Dick Fuld, Lakshmi Mittal and Conrad Black have in common. Yes, fame (or infamy). But, not necessarily life stories. For me, the link is their role as potential exemplars in the debate about leadership being either the result of "nature" or of "nurture". "Nature" being about genes, family and early life; "nurture" about job experience and training. So, which is the dominant driver of your leadership approach? ... read more

Leadership: what if the world erupts?

published: 2008-07-21

The chameleon lizard changes colour with its environment. As a leader, you have to do much more. When the world changes, you have to transform your organisation and how it operates. Otherwise, it may fail. And, to start the organisational change, you have to change. New situations bring new leadership challenges.

LEADERSHIP: MAKING CHANGE POSSIBLE

published: 2008-07-14

It's lovely to sit and dream: imagining a better future. But, it takes energy to work out how this might be achieved; and, the real work begins when you have to start organising and implementing. ... read more

LEADERSHIP: A STEP UP FROM MANAGEMENT

published: 2008-04-14

Are you a leader or a manager? And, what's the difference? For me, the distinction is one of degree not kind. Most managers spend time leading; and, leaders also manage.

LEADERSHIP: WHAT’S YOUR INNOVATION INDEX

published: 2008-02-18

The authors of an article in the December issue of Harvard Business Review assert that “five ‘discovery skills’ separate true innovators from the rest of us.” They list the usual suspects: Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Ratan Tata. And, as usual, it’s more about after-the-event generalisations than scientific deduction. But, that doesn’t stop us asking: what must I do to be more creative? Here are their five thoughts – and one I’ve added. ... read more

LEADERSHIP: INVESTING AND RESOURCING WISELY

published: 2008-01-21

“Most of business is about placing bets – allocating resources – and making them pay off.” So begins the McKinsey report of its 2007 global survey on resource allocation. But, the good news is balanced by bad. Taking account of sound financial criteria, proven business performance and potential for value creation are reported as leading to good investment outcomes. However, excessive optimism, risk aversion and behind-the-scenes lobbying can darken the picture. Real life is truly real – and at times grubby. ... read more