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| April 27, 2007 |
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| Now George Tenet, former CIA directory at the time President Bush decided to invade Iraq, says Dick Cheney pushed the U.S. into war without ever conducting a serious debate about the actual threat, if any, posed by Saddam Hussein. A couple things about this come to mind. First, there's nothing new about this. Anyone with a brain who read a modest amount knew there were no weapons of mass destruction and a minimal threat posed by Hussein. Second, it's just another in a seeming endless string of Bush administration officials, supposed lifelong leaders, who leave the administration and then criticize Bush and Cheney. If they were really leaders, they would have stood up and stated their opinions when it really took courage. When it went against what their peers and colleagues were saying and feeling. When it could have had a positive effect. It would be a joke but for the tens of thousands, and more likely hundreds of thousands of people who have died thus far in this conflict. |
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| April 25, 2007 |
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| Rush Limbaugh, Don Imus, Howard Stern, Rosie O'Donnell...all the talk show hosts on radio and television. No question, they entertain us. But are they leaders? Thought leaders? Or are they irrelevant as Arnold Schwarzenegger characterized Rush Limbaugh recently on The Today Show? If they are irrelevant, why was Imus fired for his racist behavior? Seems more likely that they are relevant in some way. But how? And to what degree? |
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| April 24, 2007 |
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I love the story Rich Karlgaard tells in the April 23, 2007 issue of Forbes. It actually is a story told to him by Nancy Ortberg who once was an emergency room nurse and went on to work under the great leader, Max De Pree, former CEO of Herman Miller. Late one night in the emergency room she witnessed something that astonished her. The room was a mess and she was finishing up some work on her chart before going home. The doctor with whom she loved working was debriefing a new doctor, who had done a very respectable, competent job, telling him what he’d done well and what he could have done differently.
Then he put his hand on the young doctor’s shoulder and said, "When you finished, did you notice the young man from housekeeping who came in to clean the room?" There was a completely blank look on the young doctor’s face. The older doctor said, "His name is Carlos. He’s been here for three years. He does a fabulous job. When he comes in he gets the room turned around so fast that you and I can get our next patients in quickly. His wife’s name is Maria. They have four children. Then he named each of the four children and gave each child’s age." The older doctor went on to say, "He lives in a rented house about three blocks from here, in Santa Ana. They’ve been up from Mexico for about five years." Then he said, "Next week I would like you to tell me something about Carlos that I don’t already know. Okay? Now, let’s go check on the rest of the patients." Ortberg recalls, "I remember standing there writing my nursing notes—stunned—and thinking, I have just witnessed breathtaking leadership."
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| April 19, 2007 |
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Margaret Wheatley is one of my favorite leadership authors. In Leadership and the New Science, she explains the "butterfly effect", a scientifically accepted principle that holds, for instance, that the flapping of a butterfly's wings in Brazil can cause tiny atmospheric changes that over a period of time can cause a tornado in Texas. This is just one of the realities of New Science that I find so compelling. Once we truly comprehend this, can we ever be unconscious again? Can we ever toss even the tiniest gum-wrapper on the ground again? Can we ever say something mean or condescending to someone again?
As a leader, realize that the smallest thoughts you have and actions you take, as well as those of your team, have the potential of creating huge effects. You assume the burden of that responsibility, but also the enormity of the opportunity.
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| April 17, 2007 |
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| In response to a April 16, 2007 Business Week reader's question about telecommuting, Jack and Suzy Welch replied that it’s great except where you have eyes on a leadership track. Simply put, it kills your climb. True connected communication, much like it implies, requires a complete connection, including a look-me-in-the-eye, read-my-body-language nexus. People need to see how you operate in person before you'll gain sufficient credibility to lead them effectively. |
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| April 13, 2007 |
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| That's the title of an article in the March 2007 Business 2.0 that describes the origination of Betty Beauty. Betty Beauty was founded by Nancy Jarecki, wife of the founder of Moviefone (which he sold to AOL for a fortune), after she noticed women in a beauty shop leaving their hair coloring appointments with a little bag of extra dye to "make the carpets match the drapes." She'll sell over $1 million this year, with the favorite color by a margin of 7-to-1 being a pink called "Fun Betty." Another example of the fact that ideas are all over the place. Our mission is simply to ground ourselves so that we can see them. |
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| April 10, 2007 |
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| I've long advocated paying our national legislators a huge annual salary, upwards of $5 million, even $10 million. The expense is a mere drop in the bucket of our national budget. The benefit, I believe, lies in the draw it will create for very talented people to join in our national leadership. Right now, many of our best and brightest look at what they can earn in the private sector and avoid public service because it pays a mere fraction of what they can earn in the private sector. Lest elected officials be insulted, I am not saying very talented and dedicated people are not already serving in public offices. I am saying that we would reap big benefits by having many more talented and dedicated people addressing our social needs. Our needs are huge; I’d like the best people from the largest, highest quality pool addressing them. |
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| April 9, 2007 |
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The controversy over executive pay continues. The media and shareholders begrudge corporate executives who earn tens, and sometimes hundreds, of millions of dollars in comp. So long as the pay is tied to shareholder value, there shouldn't be any controversy. If a company in which I own shares experiences a share price increase of $10, reflecting a $1 billion increase in market cap, I don’t see any reason why the person who led the effort shouldn't make 10% of that, or $100 million. This is a capitalist economy and everything, including the services of people, trade at fair market value. Restrict that leader’s pay, and she'll go elsewhere, where she will be paid fair market value. The company she leaves will have saved $100 million, but lost $1 billion in overall value.
The cases where shareholders should be enraged are where no value is added to the company. Run a company for five years, leave it with a share price lower than when you started, and you shouldn't be earning the big bucks.
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| April 6, 2007 |
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With Nancy Pelosi's visit to the Mid East, and the White House's cries of protest, I am reminded of the vacuum that exists amidst failed leadership. Nature, of course, abhors a vacuum and fills it immediately. In this case, frustrated with the complete lack of progress, indeed the deterioration, in the Mid East, Pelosi and her delegation decided to step in and see if they could provide some positive leadership to the situation. Sure, you can argue that the President is the commander-in-chief in times of war and there is never an excuse for interfering with his leadership in such times. But several important facts make this a specious position. First, the President misled us and Congress in instigating the Iraqi conflict in the first place. Second, war has never been declared; the President never sought, nor did he receive, a declaration of war from Congress. Thus, we are not technically at war and the President should not have the unfettered discretion of a commander-in-chief at war. Third, if he ever had any credibility (and he must have, given he was able to convince Congress to authorize the military action in 2003), it is long gone. His deception preceding the conflict has now become abundantly clear. He prematurely declared victory four years ago, and our position has diminished greatly since, notwithstanding his constant positive affirmations in the face of a worsening disaster.
The vacuum is operating in other areas as well. In the face of Bush’s incredible denial of global warming and its effects, Al Gore and a host of others have stepped in and taken leadership on environmental issues. Frustrated with inattention to the health care crisis, California Governor Schwarzenegger initiated his own plan for universal coverage for Californians.
Vacuums are a fact of life when something or someone that occupies a place or performs a function fails. Complain all you want about Pelosi, but if not her, it would be someone else filling the leadership void we are now experiencing.
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| April 5, 2007 |
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I still hear a lot of corporate executives grousing about message boards, blogs, and online communities. They are uncomfortable about their company and, indeed, their performance as leaders being discussed so openly. They tell me, "There are always unreasonable consumers and disgruntled employees out there. They tend to be a lot louder than those singing praise. Their bad-mouthing could drive potential employees and consumers away from us."
Phooey! The world has changed. Radically and permanently. Transparency is the hallmark of the new millennium. The only rational response is to open up, let it flow (the good, bad, and ugly), and trust. Trust that those who are wrong in their negative spewing will be discounted by the rest of the audience and, ultimately, ignored. Trust that the negativity that doesn’t go away has a real source and you need to address it quickly. Trust that you are learning more about your customers than you ever dreamed possible and that knowledge will allow you to address their needs better than your competitors who are not so open-minded and trusting.
Rich Karlgaard addresses this issue in the April 16, 2007 issue of Forbes. He writes about the vibrant online community – independent of the company - of Cirrus Design pilots and owners. A lot of hiss and venom is thrown around, but if Cirrus is smart (and trusting and patient), they will mine gold out of this site. |
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| April 4, 2007 |
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| Winston Churchill, in a short essay entitled The Scaffolding of Rhetoric, outlined what he considered four keys to effective communication. First, use correct diction, and as few words as possible. Second, employ a cadence and rhythm, which makes what you say much more listenable. Third, develop an argument, bringing forward a series of facts all pointing in the same direction, so that the end is in view before it is reached. Fourth, use analogies liberally. Finally, put it in writing, but remember the first point about brevity. Although he doesn’t mention empathy, it appears that was a given in everything Churchill did. He was amazingly open. He changed political parties twice and changed his mind about a number of important issues. This openness allowed him to understand the feelings of those he led, and lead accordingly. |
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| April 2, 2007 |
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| Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon, had it great for a while. Six years of strong earnings growth and stock gains up to 2005. And then earnings and the stock price plummeted. Jung rolled up her sleeves and went deep to figure out what had gone wrong. After 18 months, her hard work is beginning to pay off. She rebuilt the company's structure into one that is much more responsive to markets across the globe. She eliminated seven layers of management (yes, seven!), terminated 25% of her managers, and implemented systems to ensure the company stays very much in tune with all the forces driving its business. Today, the stock is up nearly 40% since last summer, and revenues are again climbing. Congrats to Ms. Jung! It ain't easy steering a big ship and she seems to be doing it well. |
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