Picture the following scenario. You and your leadership team have seen the need for a change in your organisation. You create a compelling presentation and accompanying materials to engage your people. However, for some reason your people don’t buy in, and you’re left wondering, “Why won’t they just get on the bus?”
What do people say about your leadership when you're not listening? Would their assessment agree with yours? Perhaps it's a good idea to seek feedback. Honest feedback will help you keep your feet on the ground and defend you against hubris syndrome.
The traditional concept of frontline leadership conjures up images of a CEO rallying the troops and defending their competitive perimeter. However, the scale and pace of disruption that is now business as usual has transformed this concept to include anyone within an organisation that is managing a tactical response of some sort, whilst maintaining their day job.
Picture this - your team is gathered for the weekly progress update. There are positive reports from everyone, but suddenly from the back of the room someone drops an F-Bomb in their rundown. After gasps have fallen silent, everyone looks to you - their leader - to see your reaction. Will you make an example of them or will you let it slide? All too often in corporate land the F-Bomb no one wants to drop is not the one you think, but rather the word 'Failure'.
Every leader needs a secret weapon. One that motivates the people we lead, keeps our organisation on track and pushes us forward to new achievements. Have you ever considered that something as simple as storytelling could be your secret weapon?
Leaders are required to make decisions every day, and in a world that is constantly changing and increasingly complex making good decisions is harder than ever. There are competing priorities, multiple perspectives, a myriad of stakeholders, and conflicting demands when balancing short and longer-term interests.
25 years after they were introduced, integrated software systems run nearly everything in your business including customer service, governance, accounting, HR, production and distribution. This integrated suite of software is commonly referred to as an Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP system.
CEOs and their leadership teams bring a collection of skills and backgrounds to the decision-making table. However, C-suite executives and their Boards also have a range of legal and fiduciary duties including the duty to act bona fide in the best interests of the company or organisation and the duty to exercise powers for proper purpose.
Have you ever had a sudden solution to a complicated situation or a light-bulb moment? Do you know how this comes about? These are insight and they are important to creativity, problem solving, empowerment, and motivation and are valuable skills in leadership.
It was Dr Robert Cialdini's own experience of being easy picking to peddlers, fundraisers and operators that first drove him to write the 1984 classic; Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller answers the age-old question... 'What makes people say ‘YES?’
Seven direct reports to a senior leader is the magic number for design. It provides the ideal 'line of sight' and the voices at the table for effective decision making. Around seven is ideal (between 5 - 8 direct reports). Avoid deviating significantly from this principle as it could lead to dysfunction in the system. Organisations are complex enough without adding the burden of poor design.
Leaders are decision-makers. As soon as they walk into the office in the morning, they're bombarded with decisions to be made: "Can our business partner sell our product in that new market?", "Do you want to talk to the journalist?", "When should we share the new strategy?"; "Do we fight, or do we just let it slide?".
The phenomenal speed of change that got us to the 21st century's technological frenzy is not going to slow down any time soon - and it is creating an uncertain future on a global business level that is naturally demanding change. We are having to evolve how we operate so that what we do aligns with, and leads, the new paradigm. The ability to influence decisions, behaviour and strategy is critical to driving change.
We all negotiate. Each day involves negotiations with our family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances - even complete strangers. Because of this constant practice, it would be reasonable to assume that we become good negotiators - and many of us are. But there are very few great negotiators. What are the differences between good and great when it comes to negotiation?
There are a multitude of sins that plague humans when making decisions. We suffer from biases, fall in love with our own recommendations and focus on the exception rather than the rule when evaluating the best course of action. We need a robust decision-making process that levels the playing field, to move ourselves from Gut-Feel to Gut-Fact.
A Fresh Approach To Leading Today's Sales Teams
7 Types Of Self-care That Every Business Leader Should Be Mindful Of
Copyright © 2024 International Institute of Directors and Managers ABN 26 112 140 299. All rights reserved.