I found Louis Gerstner, Jr's Who Says Elephants Can't Dance to be one of the best books on leadership I've ever encountered. Gerstner clearly had a lot of obstacles and history to overcome in order to save IBM. When he left his post nine years later (the longest CEO tenure of any person that didn't have the last name Watson), he truly did leave the company better than he found it. While it was an interesting read all the way through, there were some parts that he put towards the end of the book that I found the most interesting, and will remember the most as I begin my foray into professional leadership positions.
By the way - Elephants can dance in a literal sense as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGSFJpFL8JY
I got the most out of the chapter where Gerstner talks about leadership being personal. He talks about how crucial it is to be visible. So many leaders fall into the trap of meetings and closed door sessions, that they forget to get up occasionally and check on the workers that are producing every day for the company. I like how he talks about rolling up your sleeves when things get tough, and not hiding behind the actions of other staff members. At the end of the day, everything falls on the CEO. It would be a bad idea to sink or swim as a leader without personally interacting with your subordinates every chance you get. And this extends not only to people in the company, but also your customers, competitors, and business associates.
The most important thing that was brought up is to lead effectively, "you must treat every employee as someone who deserves to understand what's going on in the enterprise" This means don't hide behind other people when the going gets tough. This means be as open and as transparent as possible (to an extent of course) and remember why you are in place to be the leader of the company to begin with.
Finally, I like how Gerstener talked about how important it is to have passion about your company. I learned here that this is truly the single most important thing in a leader. You can be book smart, street smart, a good negotiator, shrewd, ice in your veins, etc. Without having a passion for what you do and the company you work for, there is no chance of ever being a successful leader. I will take this lesson everywhere I go. Hard work and dedication is important. A mastery of your industry, as well as good people skills, are crucial to succeed. But without passion, you can't accomplish much as a leader. I never really thought of that until hearing it from Gerstner. As he said, we all want to win, win, win. Without the passion to be the best, it's hard to accomplish anything else as the leader of a company.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Failure = Not being able to change
There is no doubt that the key to a healthy and successful company is the ability to adapt and change when needed. Having the hubris to think that your company is on top and will always be on top is the biggest mistake the leader of a company can make. That type of arrogance is what lead to financial problems for IBM in the 1990's and the Big 3 Detroit automakers in the current economic climate. Leaders need to realize that past success does not guarantee future results.
It is fair to say that when a company fails, ultimately the blame of that failure falls on the CEO and Board of Directors. Those people are in place to lead the company, and when something goes wrong - regardless of any internal or external factors - the blame falls on them. The Process of Change is a vial, yet difficult path, that organizations must follow when things need to be altered for the overall health of the company.
There are different changes that need to be implemented based on if the problems are internal to the company, or part of the external environment. A good leader needs to be ahead of the curve when making these changes. I like how Louis Gerstner, Jr. told his employees at IBM that he wanted them to "Move fast. If we make mistakes, let them be because we are too fast rather than too slow." Granted Gerstner had to do that because he didn't have time to figure out everything in a slow and precise manor as IBM was hemorrhaging money, but I like that leadership model.
I think the hardest thing for a leader to recognize is when exterior factors are a problem for their business. A good leader can notice when problem are happening in-house; a great leader can sense the changing of the guard in the external market and quickly adapt to it before things spiral out of control for the company. In order to combat changing factors in the external climate, there are several things that are crucial, and the ones that I find the most important came from last night's Powerpoint presentation.
The first thing that needs to be done to create change is re engineering existing work processes. If the company is succeeding internally but there are obstacles in the external market, there is no reason to break up and change the company too much. However, it is important to restructure as needed to fend off the competition. Another thing that needs to be done is expanding (or contracting out) work locations. External factors are a good time to reevaluate how internal processes are working and being handled, and if there are some processes that would work better in another area (or eliminated all together). Finally, it is crucial for the leadership to stress integrating a customer-service based approach. Ironically, this rated the lowest when organizations responded how they handle the process of change. In my opinion having elite customer service is a great way to have differentiation in the market place. When external factors such as new competitors, new technologies, a recession, etc. occur, the one constant that a company can fall back on is having the best customer service in the industry. It might not be something to easily accomplish, but it is something that every company can strive to do to the best of their abilities.
As a leader, it's imperative to respond with the listed changes when your company is in need of re-inventing itself before things get too bad - and there is no company to lead anymore.
It is fair to say that when a company fails, ultimately the blame of that failure falls on the CEO and Board of Directors. Those people are in place to lead the company, and when something goes wrong - regardless of any internal or external factors - the blame falls on them. The Process of Change is a vial, yet difficult path, that organizations must follow when things need to be altered for the overall health of the company.
There are different changes that need to be implemented based on if the problems are internal to the company, or part of the external environment. A good leader needs to be ahead of the curve when making these changes. I like how Louis Gerstner, Jr. told his employees at IBM that he wanted them to "Move fast. If we make mistakes, let them be because we are too fast rather than too slow." Granted Gerstner had to do that because he didn't have time to figure out everything in a slow and precise manor as IBM was hemorrhaging money, but I like that leadership model.
I think the hardest thing for a leader to recognize is when exterior factors are a problem for their business. A good leader can notice when problem are happening in-house; a great leader can sense the changing of the guard in the external market and quickly adapt to it before things spiral out of control for the company. In order to combat changing factors in the external climate, there are several things that are crucial, and the ones that I find the most important came from last night's Powerpoint presentation.
The first thing that needs to be done to create change is re engineering existing work processes. If the company is succeeding internally but there are obstacles in the external market, there is no reason to break up and change the company too much. However, it is important to restructure as needed to fend off the competition. Another thing that needs to be done is expanding (or contracting out) work locations. External factors are a good time to reevaluate how internal processes are working and being handled, and if there are some processes that would work better in another area (or eliminated all together). Finally, it is crucial for the leadership to stress integrating a customer-service based approach. Ironically, this rated the lowest when organizations responded how they handle the process of change. In my opinion having elite customer service is a great way to have differentiation in the market place. When external factors such as new competitors, new technologies, a recession, etc. occur, the one constant that a company can fall back on is having the best customer service in the industry. It might not be something to easily accomplish, but it is something that every company can strive to do to the best of their abilities.
As a leader, it's imperative to respond with the listed changes when your company is in need of re-inventing itself before things get too bad - and there is no company to lead anymore.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
True leadership under fire
Often there is so much hyperbole thrown around in our everyday lives that go back to wars and battles. We take it for granted when we say we want to "kill the other team" or "I'm so mad I could shoot so-and-so in the face." Business leaders are guilty of these tactics too, talking about destroying the competition, taking suicide missions, etc.
One of the best examples of someone going too far is this rant from former Miami Hurricane player Kellen Winslow, Jr. in November of 2003 - the 8th month of the Iraq war and the second year of the war in Afghanistan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I82BPA5QAaQ
We like the idea sometimes of our sports stars or business leaders talking about "going to battle" and what type of leadership is needed to come out victorious. However, we sometimes forget that there are millions of Americans fighting for our freedom every single day, who truly need excellent leadership not only to win, but to stay alive every day. There might be no more important leader than a person commanding a military unit. The quick thinking, tough, and pressure filled decision making of these commanders can be the difference between life and death. Nothing is more serious than that.
My line of thought for this entry comes from an article in the Ocotber 10th Newsweek where Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, described how people constantly offer him ideas for fixing that country's problems. McChrystal is in charge of the command of operations in a war that is beginning it's 8th year this past week. In the article, McChrystal mentioned a strategy that people have asked him about called "Chaosistan". The definition of this according to McChrystal is that it's advised letting Afghanistan become a "Somalia-like haven of chaos that we simply manage from outside."
McChrystal doesn't truly believe in this line of reasoning, but has now become associated with it after mentioning it. That is what happens when you are a leader; any comment that you make and can be traced back to your name is part of your file of quotes or ideas. There is no off the record comments or brainstorming ideas when you are a leader, especially in the military. Every nuance or thought you have is scrutinized and dissected. This is also the case with the president of a country. Everybody wants to know what you think about everything and every moment. Every time you speak as a leader in that spotlight, your ideas and thoughts are out there for everyone to see.
For General McChrystal, his daily decisions affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of American service men and women. While the CEO of GM would be fired if sales slipped, and the politician that does a bad job could be voted out of office if there aren't desirable results, only a military leader truly has the day-to-day livelihood of their constituents to care over. That is why it takes a truly special leader, and a person, to be a military commander on the front lines every single day.
One of the best examples of someone going too far is this rant from former Miami Hurricane player Kellen Winslow, Jr. in November of 2003 - the 8th month of the Iraq war and the second year of the war in Afghanistan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I82BPA5QAaQ
We like the idea sometimes of our sports stars or business leaders talking about "going to battle" and what type of leadership is needed to come out victorious. However, we sometimes forget that there are millions of Americans fighting for our freedom every single day, who truly need excellent leadership not only to win, but to stay alive every day. There might be no more important leader than a person commanding a military unit. The quick thinking, tough, and pressure filled decision making of these commanders can be the difference between life and death. Nothing is more serious than that.
My line of thought for this entry comes from an article in the Ocotber 10th Newsweek where Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, described how people constantly offer him ideas for fixing that country's problems. McChrystal is in charge of the command of operations in a war that is beginning it's 8th year this past week. In the article, McChrystal mentioned a strategy that people have asked him about called "Chaosistan". The definition of this according to McChrystal is that it's advised letting Afghanistan become a "Somalia-like haven of chaos that we simply manage from outside."
McChrystal doesn't truly believe in this line of reasoning, but has now become associated with it after mentioning it. That is what happens when you are a leader; any comment that you make and can be traced back to your name is part of your file of quotes or ideas. There is no off the record comments or brainstorming ideas when you are a leader, especially in the military. Every nuance or thought you have is scrutinized and dissected. This is also the case with the president of a country. Everybody wants to know what you think about everything and every moment. Every time you speak as a leader in that spotlight, your ideas and thoughts are out there for everyone to see.
For General McChrystal, his daily decisions affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of American service men and women. While the CEO of GM would be fired if sales slipped, and the politician that does a bad job could be voted out of office if there aren't desirable results, only a military leader truly has the day-to-day livelihood of their constituents to care over. That is why it takes a truly special leader, and a person, to be a military commander on the front lines every single day.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Just Move Over Baby
I try and stay away from sports talk on this blog so people will realize that I have a deeper set of interests than just athletic related stuff. However, this seems like the perfect time to bring the sports world into some thoughts that I had. As talked about in class last night, there has been a lot of discussion at Florida State about replacing Bobby Bowden - the man who single handily took Florida State from a former all-girls school into an elite national program during his tenure. From 1987-2000, FSU finished the year as one of the top four football teams in the country every single year, which is an amazing feat. During that time the Noles won two national titles, played for several others, and would have played for even more if they could have recruited an average kicker that could hit a field goal against Miami. Bobby Bowden is Florida State football, and it could be argued, is Florida State University too.
When I got home last night I continued watching a five part series on the old AFL that is on Showtime. Last night's episode had a heavy feature on Al Davis, the charismatic owner of the Oakland Raiders.
Al Davis took over the Raiders after they went 9-33 over the previous 3 years (a 3-11 average record). His first year they went 10-4, and was named AFL coach of the year. As a coach, GM, and owner, Davis presided over three Super Bowl titles, and numerous successful years. Al Davis is the face of the Ra
iders more so than the me pirate logo they have on their helmets:
As a kid I never really warmed up to the Raiders, but I loved Florida State football. Deion Sanders was my favorite player in the NFL, and my uncle was an alum and used to watch games with me. Growing up in Long Island around a bunch of Notre Dame fans made me like FSU even more since it was different than everyone else. I will never forget watching this game in 1993 - this might be the best intro to a college football game ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cipJq3ZHuuQ
Now to my main point after a ramble about FSU and the Raiders. Both teams are nationally known and discussed. There is no gray area with these teams - people either love them or hate them ("Free Shoes University" is what rival coach Steve Spurrier called FSU after an incident at a Foot Locker). Florida State and the Raiders were both nothing before Bobby Bowden and Al Davis joined them. These men created a mystique and aura around both teams that can never be duplicated. However, both teams have fallen on hard times recently. FSU has lost five straight to rival Florida and has won the ACC once since the conference expanded in 2004. The Raiders lost the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, and have proceeded to have double digit losing seasons every year since.
How do you tell a legend it's time to move over? I don't know if you can. It's nice to have a succession plan in place for when production slips in any industry, but it seems a little harder in the sports world. Bowden has a successor in place, but he's not graciously passing the torch to him; Davis doesn't have a stated one. Bowden and Davis couldn't be more different on the surface. Davis was born into a wealthy Jewish family and lived in Brooklyn who has spent his entire adult life in California; Bowden was a sickly child raised in a devoutly Christian household in Birmingham and resides in Norther Florida. But these men share one common trait that most great leaders do. It takes a special person to be the CEO of a major company, or the head of a football team. The skill set that is needed to achieve at this high level includes a degree of narcissism and a bit of an inflated ego. Those characteristics are needed to achieve at the highest level.
When things are going well for a company or a football team, those traits are deemed as an asset. Being able to have surpreme confidence in your abilities and being able to tune out outside distraction is what makes a CEO or a football coach a great leader when things are rolling along nicely. However when some speed bumps or detours start to pop up and things begin to slide a little, those traits also make it hard for the leaders to recognize the current downfalls they are experiencing.
Another downfall when you've been on top for so long is that you always think you have time to turn things around. Davis turned 80 this past July 4, and Bowden will be 80 one month from today. The time isn't there for these two to just "weather the storm" and continue to lead once things improve. This is a what have you done for me lately society more than it has ever been before. Both Davis and Bowden would be fired by any peer teams for the results they've had for the past seven years. However, they both believe they've earned the right to leave on their own terms. It's hard to argue both men are excellent leaders at their profession. These men have both proven for decades just how truly great they are as leaders - but they both can't master the last thing they can truly do as a leader - gracefully stepping aside for the sake of the teams that they love. Unfortunately, I don't think either man will leave on their terms, which will make their ultimate dismissals that much more emotionally charged.
The next great leader of Florida State football and the Oakland Raiders will get an early test of how strong their mettle and convictions are. That is because that person will have the unenviable task of removing Bobby Bowden and Al Davis from the position of power they've had for decades, and are not ready to give up. That is because unfortunately neither man is likely to look themselves in the mirror and realize it's time for them to do the ultimate thing a leader can do, yet most aren't able to - walk away from the top of the mountain before being pushed down the side of it.
When I got home last night I continued watching a five part series on the old AFL that is on Showtime. Last night's episode had a heavy feature on Al Davis, the charismatic owner of the Oakland Raiders.
Al Davis took over the Raiders after they went 9-33 over the previous 3 years (a 3-11 average record). His first year they went 10-4, and was named AFL coach of the year. As a coach, GM, and owner, Davis presided over three Super Bowl titles, and numerous successful years. Al Davis is the face of the Ra
iders more so than the me pirate logo they have on their helmets:As a kid I never really warmed up to the Raiders, but I loved Florida State football. Deion Sanders was my favorite player in the NFL, and my uncle was an alum and used to watch games with me. Growing up in Long Island around a bunch of Notre Dame fans made me like FSU even more since it was different than everyone else. I will never forget watching this game in 1993 - this might be the best intro to a college football game ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cipJq3ZHuuQ
Now to my main point after a ramble about FSU and the Raiders. Both teams are nationally known and discussed. There is no gray area with these teams - people either love them or hate them ("Free Shoes University" is what rival coach Steve Spurrier called FSU after an incident at a Foot Locker). Florida State and the Raiders were both nothing before Bobby Bowden and Al Davis joined them. These men created a mystique and aura around both teams that can never be duplicated. However, both teams have fallen on hard times recently. FSU has lost five straight to rival Florida and has won the ACC once since the conference expanded in 2004. The Raiders lost the Super Bowl after the 2002 season, and have proceeded to have double digit losing seasons every year since.
How do you tell a legend it's time to move over? I don't know if you can. It's nice to have a succession plan in place for when production slips in any industry, but it seems a little harder in the sports world. Bowden has a successor in place, but he's not graciously passing the torch to him; Davis doesn't have a stated one. Bowden and Davis couldn't be more different on the surface. Davis was born into a wealthy Jewish family and lived in Brooklyn who has spent his entire adult life in California; Bowden was a sickly child raised in a devoutly Christian household in Birmingham and resides in Norther Florida. But these men share one common trait that most great leaders do. It takes a special person to be the CEO of a major company, or the head of a football team. The skill set that is needed to achieve at this high level includes a degree of narcissism and a bit of an inflated ego. Those characteristics are needed to achieve at the highest level.
When things are going well for a company or a football team, those traits are deemed as an asset. Being able to have surpreme confidence in your abilities and being able to tune out outside distraction is what makes a CEO or a football coach a great leader when things are rolling along nicely. However when some speed bumps or detours start to pop up and things begin to slide a little, those traits also make it hard for the leaders to recognize the current downfalls they are experiencing.
Another downfall when you've been on top for so long is that you always think you have time to turn things around. Davis turned 80 this past July 4, and Bowden will be 80 one month from today. The time isn't there for these two to just "weather the storm" and continue to lead once things improve. This is a what have you done for me lately society more than it has ever been before. Both Davis and Bowden would be fired by any peer teams for the results they've had for the past seven years. However, they both believe they've earned the right to leave on their own terms. It's hard to argue both men are excellent leaders at their profession. These men have both proven for decades just how truly great they are as leaders - but they both can't master the last thing they can truly do as a leader - gracefully stepping aside for the sake of the teams that they love. Unfortunately, I don't think either man will leave on their terms, which will make their ultimate dismissals that much more emotionally charged.
The next great leader of Florida State football and the Oakland Raiders will get an early test of how strong their mettle and convictions are. That is because that person will have the unenviable task of removing Bobby Bowden and Al Davis from the position of power they've had for decades, and are not ready to give up. That is because unfortunately neither man is likely to look themselves in the mirror and realize it's time for them to do the ultimate thing a leader can do, yet most aren't able to - walk away from the top of the mountain before being pushed down the side of it.
Friday, October 2, 2009
False Start - 5 yard penalty?
When people think of hip, hot technology, Apple appliances usually are at the forefront of those things being discussed - iPhones, iPods, Mac workbooks, etc. It wasn't all that long ago that Dell was the leader in computer sales in this country and at the forefront of people's minds when thinking of technology.
Who can forget these annoying, yet addicting commercials - "Dude, You're Getting a Dell..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spa_l_12cIw
Dell has been dying a slow death in the last few years. In the recent Forbes magazine (Oct 5 issue) there is a story about how Dell is fighting its reputation as a maker of bland utility computers. Dell is not at the forefront of most people's minds when they are trying to buy a fun and exciting computer. The company abandoned it's desktop computer factory in Round Rock, TX in 2008; this was after Dell lost 15% of its worldwide share after having 18% of the worldwide personal computer business in 2004.
Stephen F. Schuckenbrock (wow that must have been a hard last name to learn to spell in elementary school) is the president of Dell's large enterprises division. He is working with company founder Michael Dell (who returned to the CEO role in 2007) on the Latitude Z, a slick and hip business laptop aimed at business executives, lawyers, and other upper class clientele. Dell is plunging into the high end laptop production line after laptop sales recently surpassed desktop sales, and are banking that corporations are ready to spend money again, hopeful that the recession is over.
I like the leadership idea Dell and Schuckenbrock are taking. They need to take calculated risks to turn around Dell. I like that they are establishing their brand identity with the high end segment of the market. They know this recession can't last forever, and when it is over, corporations will be the first ones to start spending. They are hopeful that time is now, and I like how they are gambling on this to reinvent the company. However, I wonder if there is some recklessness to this idea. To me, this seems like a prime example of anchor leadership. Adaptive work does demand experimentation. Nobody has thought yet to market laptops with all the bells and whistles the upper middle class business person will have no problem paying for.
The leadership at Dell is looking at themselves to see what they can do to bring the company back to the front-burner in people's minds, and are trying to make the proper changes to survive. Some might say this is a ready-fire-aim approach; I would agree that it is. The leaders at Dell believe the recession is over, and they are ready to aggressively offer their new line of laptops. They want to be the first to the marketplace with this technology, and aren't really interested in making sure that the recession is over before doing this. I like the guts and fortitude it takes to make a decision like this. Time will tell it it was the right one to save Dell.
If Dell is wrong, this quick jump on the market might result in the company retreading anymore - just like the offensive linemen who sets his team back 5 yards when he is in such a rush to move to block the on-coming pass defender.
Who can forget these annoying, yet addicting commercials - "Dude, You're Getting a Dell..."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spa_l_12cIw
Dell has been dying a slow death in the last few years. In the recent Forbes magazine (Oct 5 issue) there is a story about how Dell is fighting its reputation as a maker of bland utility computers. Dell is not at the forefront of most people's minds when they are trying to buy a fun and exciting computer. The company abandoned it's desktop computer factory in Round Rock, TX in 2008; this was after Dell lost 15% of its worldwide share after having 18% of the worldwide personal computer business in 2004.
Stephen F. Schuckenbrock (wow that must have been a hard last name to learn to spell in elementary school) is the president of Dell's large enterprises division. He is working with company founder Michael Dell (who returned to the CEO role in 2007) on the Latitude Z, a slick and hip business laptop aimed at business executives, lawyers, and other upper class clientele. Dell is plunging into the high end laptop production line after laptop sales recently surpassed desktop sales, and are banking that corporations are ready to spend money again, hopeful that the recession is over.
I like the leadership idea Dell and Schuckenbrock are taking. They need to take calculated risks to turn around Dell. I like that they are establishing their brand identity with the high end segment of the market. They know this recession can't last forever, and when it is over, corporations will be the first ones to start spending. They are hopeful that time is now, and I like how they are gambling on this to reinvent the company. However, I wonder if there is some recklessness to this idea. To me, this seems like a prime example of anchor leadership. Adaptive work does demand experimentation. Nobody has thought yet to market laptops with all the bells and whistles the upper middle class business person will have no problem paying for.
The leadership at Dell is looking at themselves to see what they can do to bring the company back to the front-burner in people's minds, and are trying to make the proper changes to survive. Some might say this is a ready-fire-aim approach; I would agree that it is. The leaders at Dell believe the recession is over, and they are ready to aggressively offer their new line of laptops. They want to be the first to the marketplace with this technology, and aren't really interested in making sure that the recession is over before doing this. I like the guts and fortitude it takes to make a decision like this. Time will tell it it was the right one to save Dell.
If Dell is wrong, this quick jump on the market might result in the company retreading anymore - just like the offensive linemen who sets his team back 5 yards when he is in such a rush to move to block the on-coming pass defender.
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