LEADERS MUST BE EXAMPLES OF EXCELLENT SERVICE.
At a leading hotel in London, the General Manager spends one day every three months dressed in a bellman's uniform and doing the
bellman's job. Here's what happens:
1. The General Manager meets customers in a completely different way. He asks real questions, and gets honest answers. The bellman
hears a lot of unvarnished feedback that guests may be reluctant to share with the General Manager.
2. The General Manager gets a first hand taste of what it's like to work on the frontline. He wears the uniform, stands by the
door, carries the bags, and eats in the staff cafeteria. This first hand experience means small things that might irritate
staff get noticed quickly, and fixed quickly.
3. Most of all, the hundreds of other staff working in the hotel see their General Manager doing frontline work with dignity and
respect for the customers, and their colleagues. This respect is returned with a shared dedication to providing superior service.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Talent , Keeping them
Retaining talent in the organisation by Jim Banks
From technical skills in disciplines such as finance and accounting to the budding leadership qualities of tomorrow's CEOs, employers are facing an uphill battle to get the best people with the right competencies into their organisations. And even those that manage to recruit good staff are finding that they face a new challenge – keeping them on board.
As the business environment becomes more global and demanding, the skills gap means it is a seller's market for candidates with the right experience and training. The pressure is on employers to understand how to target the right people and offer them the right rewards to stay and grow with the company.
The staff challenge
Many companies have taken the first step by raising the importance of talent management to the highest levels, realising the strategic importance of finding and keeping the best people. Companies taking a proactive stance towards HR are realising that creative thinking and concrete investment in long-term staffing continuity go hand-in-hand. The benefits may not make an immediate impact on the bottom line and so do not fit the paradigm of short-termism in which the evaluation of key staff, especially senior executives, takes place these days. For the long-term health of the business, however, they are invaluable. Changing demographics and increasingly global markets mean that companies must be far more selective about the talent pools they target to fill key posts, whether at junior or senior levels. First and foremost, this often means casting the net wider in geographic terms.
More than money
Having targeted specific talent pools, companies must then ensure that the individuals on which they come to rely are sufficiently rewarded and challenged to want to stay for the long-term. There was a time when this could be ensured by offering greater financial rewards, but those days are gone. Furthermore, the need to retain key staff has never been greater, so firms that find the right formula could create significant competitive advantage.
Kath Roberts, Managing Director at Michael Page International, a global specialist in mid-market and executive recruitment says: 'In a buoyant economy, employees take more risks in the knowledge that they can get another job. That is why retention is a massive issue in HR now. Research suggests that a 5% increase in staff retention can result in a 40% increase in productivity.'
Employees' newfound power in the marketplace means employers must understand their workers' changing values and provide the right environment for staff to develop and achieve their goals.
Roberts explains: 'The 1990s was a decade of cost-cutting and corporate scandals. Employees felt disenfranchised from their workplace. Generation Y people place greater importance on trust, ethics and pride. They do not believe in blind corporate loyalty. More often, they want to join smaller companies or start their own businesses. So employees prioritise work-life balance and the community values of their employer, not just job security.'
Kelvin Stagg, Group Financial Controller and Company Secretary at Michael Page International agrees: 'Such is the demand for what is an increasingly sparse population of skilled, competent and motivated people that simply improved remuneration packages just do not make the difference anymore. It takes an in-depth consideration of what the role and the company has to offer, married with a highly professional approach to career management, to secure the very best.'
Those companies that fail to develop such a professional approach will find that they incur not only the immediate costs of recruiting to fill vacant positions, but also a number of less tangible costs that, while less obvious, are just as harmful to the business.
Strategic staffing
If there is a single key to successfully overcoming the staffing challenge that will face every large company in the coming decade then it is to align staffing strategy with the overall goals of the business. This not only forces companies to clearly identify the skills they need in line with the long-term business plan, but provides the right environment for developing the leaders of tomorrow to ensure that succession problems do not weigh a company down.
To develop their top talent and prepare those who will eventually take over the reins, companies need to move individuals around the organisation so they can build a diverse set of skills and offer key people new challenges. This will help such companies groom successors from within by providing clear personal and career development plans. Most organisations, however, are lagging behind.
Roberts says: 'Many companies are still poor at training their own staff. The better companies are good at assessing potential and bringing it out through experience. They measure leadership potential, not just performance.'
Organisations that have recognised the need to address the strategic risk associated with the skills gap understand that the best practice is to focus on a more holistic, long-term view of staffing needs. They judge talent more on its potential than on quarterly results, and regularly review staff satisfaction to ensure that they are providing the necessary framework for personal development.
This can, in turn, create a virtuous cycle, where organisations that work hard to retain talent also develop as part of their brand the concept that they are good employers. This in turn comes to play an important part in attracting new people. The skills gap is not going to disappear overnight, so the onus is firmly on employers to develop talent for the future.
From technical skills in disciplines such as finance and accounting to the budding leadership qualities of tomorrow's CEOs, employers are facing an uphill battle to get the best people with the right competencies into their organisations. And even those that manage to recruit good staff are finding that they face a new challenge – keeping them on board.
As the business environment becomes more global and demanding, the skills gap means it is a seller's market for candidates with the right experience and training. The pressure is on employers to understand how to target the right people and offer them the right rewards to stay and grow with the company.
The staff challenge
Many companies have taken the first step by raising the importance of talent management to the highest levels, realising the strategic importance of finding and keeping the best people. Companies taking a proactive stance towards HR are realising that creative thinking and concrete investment in long-term staffing continuity go hand-in-hand. The benefits may not make an immediate impact on the bottom line and so do not fit the paradigm of short-termism in which the evaluation of key staff, especially senior executives, takes place these days. For the long-term health of the business, however, they are invaluable. Changing demographics and increasingly global markets mean that companies must be far more selective about the talent pools they target to fill key posts, whether at junior or senior levels. First and foremost, this often means casting the net wider in geographic terms.
More than money
Having targeted specific talent pools, companies must then ensure that the individuals on which they come to rely are sufficiently rewarded and challenged to want to stay for the long-term. There was a time when this could be ensured by offering greater financial rewards, but those days are gone. Furthermore, the need to retain key staff has never been greater, so firms that find the right formula could create significant competitive advantage.
Kath Roberts, Managing Director at Michael Page International, a global specialist in mid-market and executive recruitment says: 'In a buoyant economy, employees take more risks in the knowledge that they can get another job. That is why retention is a massive issue in HR now. Research suggests that a 5% increase in staff retention can result in a 40% increase in productivity.'
Employees' newfound power in the marketplace means employers must understand their workers' changing values and provide the right environment for staff to develop and achieve their goals.
Roberts explains: 'The 1990s was a decade of cost-cutting and corporate scandals. Employees felt disenfranchised from their workplace. Generation Y people place greater importance on trust, ethics and pride. They do not believe in blind corporate loyalty. More often, they want to join smaller companies or start their own businesses. So employees prioritise work-life balance and the community values of their employer, not just job security.'
Kelvin Stagg, Group Financial Controller and Company Secretary at Michael Page International agrees: 'Such is the demand for what is an increasingly sparse population of skilled, competent and motivated people that simply improved remuneration packages just do not make the difference anymore. It takes an in-depth consideration of what the role and the company has to offer, married with a highly professional approach to career management, to secure the very best.'
Those companies that fail to develop such a professional approach will find that they incur not only the immediate costs of recruiting to fill vacant positions, but also a number of less tangible costs that, while less obvious, are just as harmful to the business.
Strategic staffing
If there is a single key to successfully overcoming the staffing challenge that will face every large company in the coming decade then it is to align staffing strategy with the overall goals of the business. This not only forces companies to clearly identify the skills they need in line with the long-term business plan, but provides the right environment for developing the leaders of tomorrow to ensure that succession problems do not weigh a company down.
To develop their top talent and prepare those who will eventually take over the reins, companies need to move individuals around the organisation so they can build a diverse set of skills and offer key people new challenges. This will help such companies groom successors from within by providing clear personal and career development plans. Most organisations, however, are lagging behind.
Roberts says: 'Many companies are still poor at training their own staff. The better companies are good at assessing potential and bringing it out through experience. They measure leadership potential, not just performance.'
Organisations that have recognised the need to address the strategic risk associated with the skills gap understand that the best practice is to focus on a more holistic, long-term view of staffing needs. They judge talent more on its potential than on quarterly results, and regularly review staff satisfaction to ensure that they are providing the necessary framework for personal development.
This can, in turn, create a virtuous cycle, where organisations that work hard to retain talent also develop as part of their brand the concept that they are good employers. This in turn comes to play an important part in attracting new people. The skills gap is not going to disappear overnight, so the onus is firmly on employers to develop talent for the future.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Importance of Communication Skills
Why are Communication Skills Important?
Communication is the heart of every organisation. Everything you do in the workplace results from communication. Therefore good reading, writing, speaking and listening skills are essential if tasks are going to be completed and goals achieved. As you develop your career you will find various reasons why successful communication skills are important to you, for example:
To secure an interview. You will need good communication skills to make sure your application letter is read and acted upon.
To get the job. You will need to communicate well during your interview if you are to sell yourself and get the job you want.
To do your job well. You will need to request information, discuss problems, give instructions, work in teams, interact with colleagues and clients. If you are to achieve co-operation and effective teamwork, good human relations skills are essential. Also, as the workplace is also becoming more global, there are many factors to consider if you are to communicate well in such a diverse environment.
To advance in your career. Employers want staff who can think for themselves, use initiative and solve problems, staff who are interested in the long-term success of the company. If you are to be seen as a valued member of the organisation, it is important not just to be able to do your job well, but also to communicate your thoughts on how the processes and products or services can be improved.
Benefits of effective communication
The most successful organisations understand that if they are to be successful in today's business world, good communication at all levels is essential. Here is a useful mnemonic to remember the benefits you and your organisation can achieve from effective communication:
Stronger decision-making and problem-solvingUpturn in productivityConvincing and compelling corporate materialsClearer, more streamlined workflowEnhanced professional imageSound business relationshipsSuccessful response ensured
REMEMBER: Today's workplace is constantly changing, so learning more about effective communication helps us all adapt to our changing environments
Monday, June 22, 2009
Psychology at work
Pep talks don't motivate staff; then what can?
Psychology At Work - By Dr Goh Chee Leong
MORALE among the staff team is low. Productivity is low. Management decides that something needs to be done and quickly. So they get a trainer to give a “motivational talk”.
“Just come over”, they say, “give them a two-hour pep talk” and the expectation is that all of them will be inspired and motivated.
We want instant solutions for long-term problems.
If only life were so simple. If only leadership were so simple.
Don’t get me wrong. Words are powerful and when delivered by a skilful orator, they have the potential to exert an incredible amount of influence on a whole mass of people.
A good motivational talk certainly can lift the spirits for a moment, but therein lies the problem. Its effects are temporary at best.
The reality is that to boost motivation levels in the organisation on a more permanent basis, there needs to be more a fundamental change taking place in the organisation.
Research in organisational psychology has identified numerous organisational factors that contribute to workers’ motivation levels.
I have attempted to synthesise the various variables into four elements that, in my opinion, characterise the organisational culture of a highly motivated team.
Empowerment
People are motivated when they are given room to take ownership of their work process.
Read any management guidebook and it’ll tell you the same thing: Choose people who have the ability to get the job done. Set them clear targets and give them room to work.
Avoid micro-managing. Where possible give them freedom to make decisions about their work environment and their work processes. There are always boundaries and limits to freedom and decision-making rights of course, but the principle should be to give as much space as possible.
This is particularly important when you are dealing with your “top performers” and “high potentials”. These people are usually highly intelligent, highly motivated and full of ideas about how to get the job done. Nothing de-motivates them more than being straight-jacketed.
Sometimes as supervisors we make the mistake of over-managing perhaps, because they are trust issues.
Some organisations are overly bureaucratic, creating so much red tape that staff lose any incentive to implement improvements because it’s just too much trouble to change anything.
Some organisations regulate their processes and SOPs (standard operating procedures) to the point that staff no longer have any room to make any decisions or to exercise any discernment which makes the organisation rigid, inflexible and clumsy.
The danger about all this over-regulation is that it takes away a sense of control and ownership from the worker and this is de-motivating.
Growth
People are motivated when they perceive that the organisation is facilitating their growth and development.
Research seems to indicate that this is as important as financial remuneration especially for younger workers. They need to see that the current challenges they face are part of a personal development process for them. “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”
Good organisations have transparent career development pathways for their staff and they communicate these regularly so that everyone is clear about what level they are at and what level they can aspire to.
Good organisations also provide the means for staff to make this leap. Talent management has become less of a buzzword and more of an operational necessity at many organisations that wish to compete at a global level.
The bottom line is that people are motivated when there is something to aspire to in their careers and it’s got to be more than just the money. Most “top performers” and “high potentials” are driven people who have relatively strong ambitions. Show them how their current “suffering” is going to help them get to where they want and they’ll be motivated to climb mountains and swim oceans for you.
Clarity
People are motivated when they are clear about the goals, missions and objectives.
Good leaders are great at communicating the vision, mission and direction in a way that is both clear and inspiring. They are constantly “defining the mountaintops”.
High potentials like challenges. They want to be stretched. They seek a sense of achievement and accomplishment. That is why clarity of the mission is so important to them. Like soldiers in the battlefield, they want clear targets, clear objectives, clear victories.
Some organisations are poor at communicating expectations to their staff. As a result, workers have no sense of their performance indicators, their monthly targets, their scope of responsibilities. This ambiguity can be de-motivating.
Equity
People are motivated when they perceive that they are being treated fairly.
Nothing turns off a “high potential” more than the perception that “performance doesn’t really matter in this organisation”.
This is a problem that plagues organisations the world over. People feel that it’s all about office politics. It’s all about who you know rather than what you do. “As long as you’re close with the boss, they’ll let you get away with murder.”
In this kind of work culture, workers become experts at “managing” and “handling” their bosses, rather than improving their actual work performance. The name of the game becomes how to impress the boss rather than how to get things done. Once the worker sees a disconnect between his/her effort and the reward, you can forget about motivation, where the real work is concerned.
The solution of course is to put into place a comprehensive and well-executed performance management system that has clearly defined and measurable hard targets. I like the use of hard targets because it minimises manipulation.
The system needs to be fair and it needs to be seen to be fair.
Psychology At Work - By Dr Goh Chee Leong
MORALE among the staff team is low. Productivity is low. Management decides that something needs to be done and quickly. So they get a trainer to give a “motivational talk”.
“Just come over”, they say, “give them a two-hour pep talk” and the expectation is that all of them will be inspired and motivated.
We want instant solutions for long-term problems.
If only life were so simple. If only leadership were so simple.
Don’t get me wrong. Words are powerful and when delivered by a skilful orator, they have the potential to exert an incredible amount of influence on a whole mass of people.
A good motivational talk certainly can lift the spirits for a moment, but therein lies the problem. Its effects are temporary at best.
The reality is that to boost motivation levels in the organisation on a more permanent basis, there needs to be more a fundamental change taking place in the organisation.
Research in organisational psychology has identified numerous organisational factors that contribute to workers’ motivation levels.
I have attempted to synthesise the various variables into four elements that, in my opinion, characterise the organisational culture of a highly motivated team.
Empowerment
People are motivated when they are given room to take ownership of their work process.
Read any management guidebook and it’ll tell you the same thing: Choose people who have the ability to get the job done. Set them clear targets and give them room to work.
Avoid micro-managing. Where possible give them freedom to make decisions about their work environment and their work processes. There are always boundaries and limits to freedom and decision-making rights of course, but the principle should be to give as much space as possible.
This is particularly important when you are dealing with your “top performers” and “high potentials”. These people are usually highly intelligent, highly motivated and full of ideas about how to get the job done. Nothing de-motivates them more than being straight-jacketed.
Sometimes as supervisors we make the mistake of over-managing perhaps, because they are trust issues.
Some organisations are overly bureaucratic, creating so much red tape that staff lose any incentive to implement improvements because it’s just too much trouble to change anything.
Some organisations regulate their processes and SOPs (standard operating procedures) to the point that staff no longer have any room to make any decisions or to exercise any discernment which makes the organisation rigid, inflexible and clumsy.
The danger about all this over-regulation is that it takes away a sense of control and ownership from the worker and this is de-motivating.
Growth
People are motivated when they perceive that the organisation is facilitating their growth and development.
Research seems to indicate that this is as important as financial remuneration especially for younger workers. They need to see that the current challenges they face are part of a personal development process for them. “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”
Good organisations have transparent career development pathways for their staff and they communicate these regularly so that everyone is clear about what level they are at and what level they can aspire to.
Good organisations also provide the means for staff to make this leap. Talent management has become less of a buzzword and more of an operational necessity at many organisations that wish to compete at a global level.
The bottom line is that people are motivated when there is something to aspire to in their careers and it’s got to be more than just the money. Most “top performers” and “high potentials” are driven people who have relatively strong ambitions. Show them how their current “suffering” is going to help them get to where they want and they’ll be motivated to climb mountains and swim oceans for you.
Clarity
People are motivated when they are clear about the goals, missions and objectives.
Good leaders are great at communicating the vision, mission and direction in a way that is both clear and inspiring. They are constantly “defining the mountaintops”.
High potentials like challenges. They want to be stretched. They seek a sense of achievement and accomplishment. That is why clarity of the mission is so important to them. Like soldiers in the battlefield, they want clear targets, clear objectives, clear victories.
Some organisations are poor at communicating expectations to their staff. As a result, workers have no sense of their performance indicators, their monthly targets, their scope of responsibilities. This ambiguity can be de-motivating.
Equity
People are motivated when they perceive that they are being treated fairly.
Nothing turns off a “high potential” more than the perception that “performance doesn’t really matter in this organisation”.
This is a problem that plagues organisations the world over. People feel that it’s all about office politics. It’s all about who you know rather than what you do. “As long as you’re close with the boss, they’ll let you get away with murder.”
In this kind of work culture, workers become experts at “managing” and “handling” their bosses, rather than improving their actual work performance. The name of the game becomes how to impress the boss rather than how to get things done. Once the worker sees a disconnect between his/her effort and the reward, you can forget about motivation, where the real work is concerned.
The solution of course is to put into place a comprehensive and well-executed performance management system that has clearly defined and measurable hard targets. I like the use of hard targets because it minimises manipulation.
The system needs to be fair and it needs to be seen to be fair.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
How true !
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She reduced altitude and spotted a man below.
She descended a bit more and shouted: 'Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am.'
The man below replied, 'You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.'
'You must be an Engineer,' said the balloonist. 'I am,' replied the man, 'how did you know?' 'Well,' answered the balloonist, 'everything you have told me is probably technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information and the fact is, I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip by your talk.'
The man below responded, 'You must be in Management.' 'I am,' replied the balloonist, 'but how did you know?' 'Well,' said the man, 'you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.'
She descended a bit more and shouted: 'Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I don't know where I am.'
The man below replied, 'You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.'
'You must be an Engineer,' said the balloonist. 'I am,' replied the man, 'how did you know?' 'Well,' answered the balloonist, 'everything you have told me is probably technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information and the fact is, I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip by your talk.'
The man below responded, 'You must be in Management.' 'I am,' replied the balloonist, 'but how did you know?' 'Well,' said the man, 'you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault.'
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Power of Recognition
Tapping into the Power of Recognition
There’s certainly no shortage of research and expert opinion on the positive impacts of recognition in the workplace. Studies continually show that recognition fosters job satisfaction, builds self-esteem, and reinforces desired performance. It supports quality, strengthens trust and loyalty, and helps shape a “magnetic” culture that attracts and keeps the very best people. Yet, despite these (and a lot more) widely accepted and well-documented benefits, too many recognition opportunities are being missed in too many organizations, every day.
Here’s a short, two-question survey that you’ll probably be able to answer without much thought:
Ever feel unappreciated or under-recognized for the good work you do?
Ever miss opportunities to recognize people reporting to you for the good work that they do?
If you’re like most folks, there’s a good chance your two answers were DUH! and OOPS! (a.k.a., yes and yes). Of course, all of us occasionally feel taken for granted. We know firsthand how lousy that feels. And when we fail to give recognition to our employees, we pass along that same lousy feeling. We do it not because we’re bad people, but because we’re human … and we sometimes lose sight of what’s truly important. But as a leader, you have an opportunity to change that. In fact, you have an obligation to change that. You owe it to your team members … you owe it to your organization … and considering the benefits to be gained, you owe it to yourself.
Recognition is about acknowledging good results and reinforcing positive performance; it’s about shaping an environment in which contributions are noticed and appreciated. And that’s a responsibility shared by leaders at ALL levels.
Fact is, we’re all creatures of habit. Repeat an action enough times and it becomes habitual … it becomes an unconscious, ongoing behavior. So, here’s a worthwhile habit to work on developing: Each day, “catch” at least one person on your team doing something good – and praise him or her for it. Over time, you’ll acquire a natural tendency to focus on the “good stuff!” And you’ll likely find that even more of that “good stuff” will come your way. When that happens, EVERYONE WINS!_____________________________________________
There’s certainly no shortage of research and expert opinion on the positive impacts of recognition in the workplace. Studies continually show that recognition fosters job satisfaction, builds self-esteem, and reinforces desired performance. It supports quality, strengthens trust and loyalty, and helps shape a “magnetic” culture that attracts and keeps the very best people. Yet, despite these (and a lot more) widely accepted and well-documented benefits, too many recognition opportunities are being missed in too many organizations, every day.
Here’s a short, two-question survey that you’ll probably be able to answer without much thought:
Ever feel unappreciated or under-recognized for the good work you do?
Ever miss opportunities to recognize people reporting to you for the good work that they do?
If you’re like most folks, there’s a good chance your two answers were DUH! and OOPS! (a.k.a., yes and yes). Of course, all of us occasionally feel taken for granted. We know firsthand how lousy that feels. And when we fail to give recognition to our employees, we pass along that same lousy feeling. We do it not because we’re bad people, but because we’re human … and we sometimes lose sight of what’s truly important. But as a leader, you have an opportunity to change that. In fact, you have an obligation to change that. You owe it to your team members … you owe it to your organization … and considering the benefits to be gained, you owe it to yourself.
Recognition is about acknowledging good results and reinforcing positive performance; it’s about shaping an environment in which contributions are noticed and appreciated. And that’s a responsibility shared by leaders at ALL levels.
Fact is, we’re all creatures of habit. Repeat an action enough times and it becomes habitual … it becomes an unconscious, ongoing behavior. So, here’s a worthwhile habit to work on developing: Each day, “catch” at least one person on your team doing something good – and praise him or her for it. Over time, you’ll acquire a natural tendency to focus on the “good stuff!” And you’ll likely find that even more of that “good stuff” will come your way. When that happens, EVERYONE WINS!_____________________________________________
Monday, June 8, 2009
Great Vision
GREAT VISION PRECEDES GREAT ACHIEVEMENT
"Every team needs a compelling vision to give direction. A team without vision is, at worst, purposeless. At best, it is subject to the personal (and sometimes selfish) agendas of its various teammates. As the agendas work against each other, the team's energy and drive drain away. On the other hand, a team that embraces a vision becomes energized, and confident. It knows where it's headed and why it's going there."
John Maxwell - The 17 indisputable Laws of teamwork.
"Every team needs a compelling vision to give direction. A team without vision is, at worst, purposeless. At best, it is subject to the personal (and sometimes selfish) agendas of its various teammates. As the agendas work against each other, the team's energy and drive drain away. On the other hand, a team that embraces a vision becomes energized, and confident. It knows where it's headed and why it's going there."
John Maxwell - The 17 indisputable Laws of teamwork.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Leaders in crisis times
The other day, I was reading the online Fortune magazine and I came upon an interview the magazine did with Michael Collins (the writer of 'Good to Great' and 'Built to Last') in regards the current economic crisis. One particular phrase caught my eye, when he said, "People who take credit in good times and blame external forces in bad times do not deserve to lead". I could not help but smile wryly at the situation as I agree wholeheartedly with the statement.
Leaders take responsibility both in good as well as bad times!
Every day, when I read the papers and magazines, I see many so called 'leaders in the corporate world' blaming the current economic crisis for all their organisation's woes. Let me make one thing clear from the start and that is I do not deny that the economic situation has affected business especially in certain industries.
However my point is, 'Isn't it the job of senior management to prepare for bad times during good times and to prepare for good times when times are bad"? And if they want to take credit during good economic times when sales were soaring, surely they should also take responsibility when the negative economy affects company's performance?
The bottom line is 'Leaders should take responsibility both in good as well as bad times'. That's why they were put into that position in the first place. The time now is not to play the blame game or to moan and groan, but to go about tackling the problem effectively and efficiently.
My view is that in good times 'anybody' can be the CEO of an organization. It is in bad times that we see their true mettle. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I do hope all of you will have a great month ahead. Take care!
Leaders take responsibility both in good as well as bad times!
Every day, when I read the papers and magazines, I see many so called 'leaders in the corporate world' blaming the current economic crisis for all their organisation's woes. Let me make one thing clear from the start and that is I do not deny that the economic situation has affected business especially in certain industries.
However my point is, 'Isn't it the job of senior management to prepare for bad times during good times and to prepare for good times when times are bad"? And if they want to take credit during good economic times when sales were soaring, surely they should also take responsibility when the negative economy affects company's performance?
The bottom line is 'Leaders should take responsibility both in good as well as bad times'. That's why they were put into that position in the first place. The time now is not to play the blame game or to moan and groan, but to go about tackling the problem effectively and efficiently.
My view is that in good times 'anybody' can be the CEO of an organization. It is in bad times that we see their true mettle. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I do hope all of you will have a great month ahead. Take care!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)