Pascoe's potshots
Latest
Subscribe
Or receive Pascoe's Potshots weekly by email
Recent
Search Pascoe's Potshots
Pascoe's Potshots search results ...
You searched for the string: "Monitor and shape change" found 24 results
(note: search terms must be more than four characters.
To search for a phrase like "road to success" enclose it in quotes as shown)
LEADERSHIP: WHAT IF THE WORLD ERUPTS?
published: 2008-07-21
The chameleon lizard changes colour with its environment. As a leader, you have to do much more. When the world changes, you have to transform your organisation and how it operates. Otherwise, it may fail. And, to start the organisational change, you have to change. New situations bring new leadership challenges.
LEADERSHIP: TWILIGHT OF THE GODS
published: 2009-03-09
Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle ends with Valhalla, the lofty abode of the gods, collapsing in flames into the rising tide of the River Rhine below. And the stolen gold, whose theft triggered the gods' downfall, sinks beneath the flood back into the hands of its rightful owners, the Rhine Maidens. It takes 15 hours (and four operas) to tell this story. And, it's all rather reminiscent of the recent boom and bust of the global financial system. Pride, dishonesty and rejection of basic good sense. So, how in our new and darker world of business leadership should we all behave?
LEADERSHIP: STAY AHEAD
published: 2008-11-10
If you can’t keep up, you're part of the problem not the solution. And, this is true for leaders, as for anyone else. If you don't understand how your business works today – the market trends, new technologies, economic drivers and so on – then, people won't want to follow you. As in a primitive tribe, they’ll leave you to die.
LEADERSHIP: SCALING THE CLIFF FACE
published: 2008-07-28
We've all seen the graph. Starting low at the left, it rises little over the centuries. Then, in the last hundred years, begins to rise at an alarming rate. And today, climbs almost vertically – whether plotting the number of patents, the sale of mobile phones or the growth of online commerce.
LEADERSHIP: ADAPT OR DIE
published: 2008-02-18
At university, a friend decided to compete in the Modern Pentathlon. He was a good athlete and swimmer. But, knew nothing of pistol shooting, fencing or show jumping. I was no sportsman, but had grown up with horses and done some fencing. So, he asked for tips. And, asked another friend about shooting. From these slim pointers, he worked with the team coach and became quite accomplished - and very quickly.
LEADERSHIP: BEAT THE BUST
published: 2008-10-28
The Sage of Omaha, Warren Buffett, says the downturn is going to be both deep and long. Global central banks have caught the falling knife of financial collapse. But, there's blood (and shredded reputations) on the floor. And now, the real economy is in for a bad time. Customers are already delaying purchases; banks are loathe to lend - even to good businesses; and, no-one knows what the next fright will be.
LEADERSHIP: SHARP TOOLS FOR HARD TIMES
published: 2008-12-07
What's the leadership equivalent of reaching for your Swiss Army Knife, and selecting the right blade? It's creating a plan, and populating it with appropriate leadership actions. Actions relevant to current challenges, not old ones. Actions that convince people and build commitment. Things that work, giving traction in this tough new environment.
LEADERSHIP: NEITHER BORN NOR BRED
published: 2009-04-06
What do Kim Jong-il, Margaret Thatcher, Bill Clinton, Carly Fiorina, Dick Fuld, Lakshmi Mittal and Conrad Black have in common. Yes, fame (or infamy). But, not necessarily life stories. For me, the link is their role as potential exemplars in the debate about leadership being either the result of "nature" or of "nurture". "Nature" being about genes, family and early life; "nurture" about job experience and training. So, which is the dominant driver of your leadership approach?
LEADERSHIP: G20, GEE PLENTY
published: 2009-04-08
Committees are often the worst way to get things done. Particularly in nervous times. And, the pre-G20 vibes were net nervous. There was positive energy (particularly from Barack Obama) about working together to restore financial and economic vitality. But, from others, finger-pointing - for example, at bankers and, more generally, those with "blue eyes". And, insistence (from Nicolas Sarkozy) that it would be his solution or none - with a walk-out threatened for good measure. And, as always, cries for legislation and regulation - noisily slamming stable doors after the credits have bolted. Sadly, it's often no different in business. When things go bad, there can be a rush to blaming - and backside covering. Also, pushing personal solutions. So, how have you and your people behaved in the downturn?
LEADERSHIP: HOW SERIOUS ARE YOU?
published: 2009-06-29
In the years before his conversion to Christianity, St Augustine of Hippo is quoted as having prayed: please make me virtuous but not yet. Similarly, many of us want to be better leaders but won't invest the effort and energy necessary to shift how we operate. So, let's check other areas in which we've all changed in recent years - and contrast these with how (if at all) we've upgraded how we lead those we rely on for the success of our projects.
LEADERSHIP: ARE THEY RIOTING IN THE STREETS?
published: 2009-06-22
Social networking sites and TV screens have been alight and aTwitter in recent times with voters rampaging through Teheran, Shiraz and Isfahan. These historic cities have been host to massive leadership disaffection and revolt against an apparently rigged appointment. Such disturbances have few parallels in business life. But, many appointments cause concern; and, often leaders lack full support. If we polled your team, how would you rate? What are early warning signs you should watch for?
LEADERSHIP: FOR SURVIVAL AND BEYOND
published: 2009-07-13
Apart from the paramedics, surgeons and undertakers of the business world, the rest of us are struggling. Only bankruptcy specialists and their like are thriving. Sadly, I'm not one of them. So, I keep fighting; but, I also focus on life beyond the slump. Why? Because we can all learn something from people who've survived gulags and similar camps. The secret is not strength or youth, but vision of a different and better future. So, would your staff say you think beyond surviving the current quarter? And, even if they're impressed with your "fire-fighting", do they sense you're leading them somewhere worth going in the future? From recent discussions, here are some pointers I've heard for leaders to consider.
LEADERSHIP: LESSONS FROM TIANANMEN SQUARE
published: 2009-07-06
Most of us would rate the Chinese Communist Party as both tough and inflexible. And, we'd be right about tough. But, wrong about inflexible. Reflecting on the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, here are some quotes from the May 30th edition of The Economist. "After the massacre, the Communist Party set about transforming itself." And, today, "the outcome is a wholesale reinvention." If colleagues reviewed your leadership over the last two decades, would they report "wholesale reinvention"? Or, more of the same? And, if the Chinese Communist Party can change so radically, what can you learn from it?
LEADERSHIP: FOR BOTH NOW AND LATER
published: 2009-09-21
Bad times are tough for everyone. Fewer sales, lower margins, cancelled contracts - and, yes, lay-offs. We're each under pressure - trying to find new customers, offer extra service, get bills paid, cut costs. In sum, improving our effectiveness (in achieving goals) and our efficiency (in delivering them). Doing more and doing it better - but with less! This is true whether we're an engineer, front-line salesperson or work in the canteen. But, it's doubly true for leaders. You have to inspire and motivate people more than ever. You've got to be a leader for today and tomorrow - not yesterday. Which are you? Here's how you can find out.
LEADERSHIP: BEING UPBEAT IS A CHOICE
published: 2009-10-12
"Today, it's all about confidence" is a comment I heard this week from a friend, who runs an industry association. And, he's right. More than ever, leadership is about having the courage to drive for success. Market signals are ambiguous. So, people's conclusions are driven by personal bias. Bears are super-bearish, and seeking a cave for the economic winter. While optimists see early signs of growth and are leading their cattle out to the new pasture. So, how would your team label you: an optimist or a pessimist? Are you seeking a cave or stepping out? And, if it's a question of attitude, what can you do?
LEADERSHIP: POWER AND PURPOSE
published: 2010-01-28
US decline and China's inexorable rise are much talked of. But, in a recent article, Josef Joffe* concludes his rebuttal thus. "Gainsayers will still dramatise China's growth rates as a harbinger of a grand power shift. But as the 21st century unfolds, the US will be younger and more dynamic than its competitors." Whether right or wrong, it's an important issue. And, his arguments have resonance for the durability of leaders, as well as nations. He stresses the requirement for "requisite power and purpose." If asked, would your colleagues say you still have these?
LEADERSHIP: FOR GOODNESS SAKE MOVE ON
published: 2010-02-01
As John Maynard Keynes so aptly put it "The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones." An example is how old technology always colonises the new. Initially, TV news was just talking-heads - radio newsreaders filmed reading the news. Until, of course, producers realised the new medium allowed them to cut away to the accident, political leader or fashion show being described. Today, many businesses struggle to reinvent themselves online and exploit its new and hugely different potential. Is the same true of your leadership? Are you stuck in old approaches - even some perhaps, which may never have worked all that well for you? Here are six things to check.
LEADERSHIP: YOUR KEY TO ORGANISATIONAL AGILITY
published: 2010-02-22
What would you give to achieve higher revenues, more satisfied customers and employees, improved operational efficiency and a faster time to market? That's what Donald Sull of McKinsey & Company offers if you achieve organisational agility. He defines it as identifying and capturing opportunities more quickly than your rivals. He quotes the heightened volatility of recent decades - and the acceleration during the GFC. But, what does this mean for you as a leader? Here are some thoughts.
LEADERSHIP: OLD LESSONS, NEW SETTINGS
published: 2010-04-12
I wrote recently about the Roman statesman, Cicero, highlighting his focus on principles, communication, courage and succession*. I've reflected further and identified five leadership lessons from the political world in which he lived (106-43 BC). The first resonates strongly with more recent events in the Iraq. Importantly, each has implications for business leadership today. So, if I interviewed your peers and staff, how would they rate you on each of the lessons? High, medium or low? What do you need to do to improve on each one?
LEADERSHIP: THE BLACK SWAN STRATEGY
published: 2008-01-14
Black swans don’t exist; only white ones. Or, that was the belief until European explorers found some swimming happily in Australia, that land of strange animals and even stranger people! John Stuart Mill picked up the conceptual possibilities in such evidence: the non-existent actually existing. And, Nassim Nicholas Taleb is the latest to popularise the implications of an unknown unknown coming to be known. And, one hopes Donald Rumsfeld has bought a copy of his book, The Black Swan. It might have helped.
LEADERSHIP: WHAT’S YOUR INNOVATION INDEX
published: 2008-02-18
The authors of an article in the December issue of Harvard Business Review assert that “five ‘discovery skills’ separate true innovators from the rest of us.” They list the usual suspects: Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Ratan Tata. And, as usual, it’s more about after-the-event generalisations than scientific deduction. But, that doesn’t stop us asking: what must I do to be more creative? Here are their five thoughts – and one I’ve added.
LEADERSHIP: PHYSICIAN HEAL THYSELF
published: 2010-05-10
The author of this article opens with an unbeatable leadership confession. He states that “The problem with health care is people like me.” He’s a doctor but the article equally applies if “doctor” is replaced by engineer (my training), actuary, lawyer or any other profession. By definition, leaders start with some specialisation – technical, social or commercial. And the better we perform, the more likely someone will appoint us to lead others – first in the same area and later across others. And the rot starts there – unless, like Thomas Lee, we recognise that changing roles requires changing priorities. Leadership is another profession. But we often fail to see that or we come to it after starting to lose our flexibility of thinking and behaviour. How well would your people say you’ve transitioned? High, medium or low?
LEADERSHIP: FOR BETTER CSR
published: 2010-05-17
It’s unusual to read something balanced and practical about CSR. Activists want business to carry the wrap for everything. Apologists limit it to immediate operating activities and what the law requires. True, the primary responsibility is to sell sound products that people want, employ and reward fairly and act honesty and responsibly. But, the authors of a recent HBR article offer an insightful approach to the boundary issue of what is and isn’t a company’s responsibility? They make this erstwhile no-man’s land a fertile ground for corporate creative thinking and commercial good sense.
LEADERSHIP: AVOIDING BLACK-SWAN DISEASE
published: 2010-07-26
Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the best-selling economist and author of The Black Swan, is famous for his arresting insights. His recent postscript to The Black Swan is no exception: presenting ten lessons from the Global Financial Crisis. Above all, he recommends learning from “Mother Nature” – by making our global financial system more robust via a series of simple but dramatic changes to our thinking and policies. However, his lessons apply way beyond finance and I’m going to apply some of them to leadership. How do you think colleagues would rate you on the issues below?