Leadership: Steve Jobs and nose jobs

Published: 2010-11-15   There are 6 comments ... please add yours below

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?

Here are some things to think about:

• Change potential: is there need or opportunity to totally change your industry; to rewrite the rules? Is it time to bet-the-house with a make-or-break, gut-wrenching investment? Or, is something more moderate needed – being an Orange rather than an Apple?
• Strategic rethink: what responses are needed from you to changes in market preferences, technical standards, delivery modes, customisation options, etc.? Post GFC, financial businesses are recasting their models. In energy, everyone’s scrambling.
• Embedding innovation: for many, it’s more about multiple adjustments. Being swift to exploit new capabilities and tastes re smart systems, data-rich experiences, lower prices, infrastructure as service. Keeping your business a player in the twenty-first-century game.
• You: change doesn’t stop with what you sell, it has to flood through everything you do: your work priorities, diary, resource allocation, skills and ways of engaging. If anything remains the same, check it out. How can it – and remain competitive?
• Watch the dials: push hard but don’t bust the engine. Change only as many parameters as necessary at any one time. Minimise complexity and overload – whether of your people, balance sheet or market credibility.
• Leadership Action Planning: this is the next generation. Your MBTI is about you, not the people you lead. Feedback is about your previous challenges not the current one. If you plan product launches and IT upgrades, why not plan your leadership too?

Whether you’re taking the market by storm or battling up the renewal slope, Leadership Action Planning helps. It ensures that you personally remain a strong and effective cog in the change machine, not one that crumbles or pops. It’s your job and your career. So see how we can help you make them both better for longer: www.vectorleadership.com.

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