LEADERSHIP: BEING GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO
Published: 2010-04-08 please add a comment below
This Potshot was prompted by:
"Strategy's strategist: an interview with Richard Rumelt
The McKinsey Quarterly 2007 Number 4
URL: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategys_strategist_An_interview_with_Richard_Rumelt
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Richard Rumelt’s CV includes conquering both mountains and new territory in business thinking. In the latter, from an analytical base, he’s disproved many old assumptions. One of his most notable findings is as follows: being in the right industry does matter, but being good at what you do matters a lot more – regardless of your industry.
His McKinsey Quarterly interview (2007 Number 4) covers broader issues. But this finding alone merits serious reflection – particularly in the context of leadership. As a leader, whether in a large corporation or an SME, you need to address both the <strong>hard issues of markets and strategy</strong>, and also the so-called <strong>soft ones of people and culture</strong>. One without the other is like playing the piano with only one hand. For maximum effectiveness, leadership (like music) needs to combine a range of elements – not just rely on a single line, note or pitch.\n\nAnd, you need to match your leadership music to the situation in which you find yourself. Is this a dramatic turnaround challenge? Or squeezing the last 2% from an existing business model? Are you leading novices or highly experienced professionals?\n\nThink of your current responsibilities and challenges – in the context of Rumelt’s pointer of <strong>being good at what you do</strong>! What does that mean for your business today? And, <strong>what does it mean for your leadership</strong>, since that’s a key driver of business performance? If you’re not being as good as you can be, the same will be the outcome for your business.\n\nBut, how can you know? More importantly, <strong>what can you do</strong> to get started?\n\nThe first step is to work out a plan. And, that’s what my online <strong>Leadership Action Planning</strong> tool enables you to do. It’s unique, and users find it adds a lot of value. Check it out! It’s a practical tool, developed for <strong>people determined to be the best</strong>.

Dr. Timothy Pascoe AM
PhD (Cambridge), MBA (Harvard), BE & BEc (Adelaide)
Creator, V|E|C|T|O|R Leadership®