How often do you hear ads or marketing campaigns refer to “in these economics times” or other such down type messaging? We all know that Wall Street and consumer confidence are emotionally driven, momentum based indices. Despite an overall bullish economy, we are acting bearishly. Anything that goes wrong – Toyota, BP, Greece/PIIGS etc. – sets us back weeks on the optimism scale. It is hard for folks to have faith when all we hear about, incessantly on cable, are the headlines touting gloom and doom.
It seems that we as a people have lost the ability to dream and believe, so it takes something really special, unique and original to move us as a society. Obama ‘08 clearly tapped into an emotional vein of optimism and potential – “Yes We Can” and the results are proof. Even those who did not vote for him admired him and were motivated, at least until the first 100 days of his presidency ended.
Leadership and vision are themes and topics I return to often, as I have always believed that one of the primary and most important roles of senior management is the responsibility to create an environment that inspires and lifts the staff to do great things. They also have to create an organization and structure that prepares, enables and allows staff the resources and opportunity to believe in their dreams and act on them. Of course there are other tasks and roles, but my emphasis here is on the inspiration aspect.
Below are some customs that can be enacted in any organization to help foster forward thinking…and actions to make it real.
See the Future – Businesses are too often more effective at responding or capitalizing upon unexpected challenges or problems. So, build in processes to plan changes by asking “what if” questions regularly and then act on the ideas. They key is asking BIG, complex and scary “what ifs” that push you into awkward and uncomfortable places.
Trail Blazers, NOT Trekkers - Look to attract and promote folks who lead by example, not managers of process. Reward those with courage, motivation and vision, who don’t seek the easy answers.
Reward Innovation – Expect new ideas, thinking and approaches from EVERY employee. Ensure that your talent acquisition, training and rewards systems adequately address it. Reinforce the need for innovation in communications and action. Of course this means that you must be expect and tolerate failures and mistakes, employees must have a safety net that allows them reasonable risk taking.
Take Time To... – read, think, meet customers, get out of your walls, look at other companies and industries. Do this regularly and intentionally. Technology and the pace of global business have diminished time to dream, evaluate and ponder. We are prone read, react and move on, as business is done in BlackBerry dimensions – instantaneously on a 3” X 3” screen. You know this is not a sustainable way of leading the business.
Bring Your Ecosystem With You – We all know it’s less scary to go out in the dark with a group. So bring your employees, channel partners, suppliers and customers with you. You are all mutually invested, so you should leap into the future together.
No doubt these are indeed challenging times, but they are getting better and momentum is gathering. Achieving the incredible business opportunities that await will not be done in the usual measured way.
Those willing to take bold, aggressive leaps will benefit most. But this will require some risk, faith and imagination that unleash the power of inspired human spirit.
As the old axiom goes...."What am I willing to let go of, to get what I want?"
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