Coaching Team Newsletters

A Leadership Map for the Future

“…Keeping up, staying up and getting ahead are now more difficult than we have previously imagined. There is no turning back, but there is turning forward.” Mike Jay,

Predictions for the future can be stimulating and challenging, especially if one is a top executive in a business enterprise attempting to make strategic decisions. Our rapidly changing global environment presents problems never before encountered. No one knows what will be required of leaders in the future, but some speculation is worthy of our attention.

Predictions from experts in their fields have not always been accurate. Here are a few examples:

In 1899 the U.S. Commissioner of Patents, Charles Duell, declared, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.”

In 1905, President Grover Cleveland prophesied, “Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.”

Follow the Leader? It’s a New Game!

“Leaders rarely use their power wisely or effectively over long periods unless they are supported by followers who have the stature to help them do so.” – Ira Chaleff, The Courageous Follower, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2003

Organizations are successful or not partly on the basis of how well their leaders lead, but also in great part on the basis of how well their followers follow. Surely improving the performance of followers should be worthwhile. What is the role of the follower and how does it affect leadership behavior and effectiveness? How can members of the executive team participate more effectively to create a truly dynamic partnership relationship with their leader?

When there is a crisis, when a company fails or commits some malfeasance, everyone cries out: “How could that have happened here? How come nobody said anything?” Followers have a responsibility to speak up.

No matter how much partnership and empowerment there is, the CEO has ultimate authority and responsibility. But what about the responsibilities of the CEO’s followers? The most capable team members fail when they gripe about their leader but do not say or do anything to help him or her improve or get back on track. This requires courage and skill.

What distinguishes an effective follower from an ineffective one is intelligent, responsible and enthusiastic participation in the pursuit of an organizational goal, according to Robert E. Kelly (Harvard Business Review, Nov.-Dec. 1988).

The movement away from command and control leadership has brought new leadership styles that are more democratic and coach-like. The terms “shared leadership,” and “servant leader” are used to describe some of these new ways of interacting. There are also new ways of interacting in the follower role. Setting aside possible aversion to the term, the new flatter business organization requires more responsible followers.

Managing the Boss

Flipping the Coin for Talent: How Well Are You Hiring?

“Having the most talented people in each of our businesses is the most important thing. If we don’t, we lose.” ─ Jack Welch while CEO of GE

How do great leaders of successful companies spend half of their time? They spend it on people: recruiting new talent, picking the right people for positions, grooming young stars, developing global managers, dealing with under-performers, and reviewing the entire talent pool.

Everyone agrees that talent is an important competitive advantage, but surprisingly, three out of four companies do not have as priority a talent management program. Hiring processes often are random and decisions often are based on intuition. In many cases, hiring decisions have success rates similar to flipping a coin!