As a leader, you must learn to not only tolerate change, you must learn to create it – and help others do the same. The challenge: The road to the future is paved with uncertainty. And, for many people, your picture of the future is not clear and inviting – it is dark and foreboding.
As I reported a few weeks ago, I have begun a personal experiment with a work style that may someday be the global norm. My Free Address approach is not particularly radical compared to the changing standards of the world at large, but for a chicken guy, this is out there.
Every leader I know is pursuing excellence in his or her arena. Consistent execution is the final hall pass on the path to greatness. Systems make excellence predictable. However, systems only work when we work them. Today’s question is from a leader who asked: “How do we make new systems stick?”
Today, I attended a Chess Not Checkers workshop with several hundred leaders. The content was strong, the communicator was phenomenal and the instructional design was engaging and highly interactive. At several points in the daylong program, the participants were asked to record questions that had come to mind during the previous sessions.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” I realize this is how I began last week’s post. However, the enormity of the task makes it a great way to begin Part 2 on this topic. As leaders, how we think about culture will be a chief factor in our future success, or lack thereof. Will the power of your culture be like light in a dark world or lightning, full of destruction and untapped potential?
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” That’s how Peter Drucker described the power of culture. Arguably, culture is stronger than vision, strategy, tenure, or even in some cases, it can be stronger than leadership.
Recognize and reward the behaviors you want to see repeated. This is a universal and timeless principle of leadership. Professor Michael LeBoeuf called it the “greatest management principle.” Maybe, maybe not, however it is an extremely powerful idea. Therefore, none of us were shocked when we discovered it as one of the best practices of High Performance Organizations. If you want to change a culture quickly, here’s how we say it… Honor Values in Action.
This post was originally published on December 16, 2011.
Can you remember going by car to some exciting destination when you were a child? Okay, maybe it wasn’t exciting, but you were in the car and you asked the question that kids have been asking since Henry Ford produced the Model T – “Are we there yet?”
Over the last year, I’ve had the privilege to speak to thousands of leaders. In virtually every setting, I asked them to send me their leadership questions. I am grateful hundreds have responded. Each week, I try to address at least one question I believe will have broad interest. Today, a question I’ve been asked repeatedly: How do I sell my ideas?
Author, consultant and former professor at Stanford, Jim Collins believes greatness is born of discipline. His prescription: disciplined people – disciplined thought – disciplined action. I agree with Jim. Recently, I received a question from a leader who asked, “How do you create organizational discipline?”