Comments on: “Which footprint do we want to leave/live as leaders of the next decade?” http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2010/01/09/which-footprint-do-we-want-to-leavelive-as-leaders-of-the-next-decade%e2%80%9d/ Leadership Engagement Expert & Board Advisor Sat, 28 Aug 2010 02:18:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Gerald Bricker http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2010/01/09/which-footprint-do-we-want-to-leavelive-as-leaders-of-the-next-decade%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-137 Gerald Bricker Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:23:28 +0000 http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/?p=137#comment-137 The challenge of leadership is to get results through the people and the resources under our control that matche the Vision and Mission of the organization. If "maintenance" is required to do this then so be it. If the long term Vision requires "building" then that must be the way to go. There is no question that most businesses are seeking to grow and maintain a loyal customer base (Peter Drucker). Therefore, the mission of most business leaders will become "building". Business today is so dynamic that there truly is only one constant and that is "change." The challenge for the leader is keeping people and organizations moving ahead and managing change. Jack Welch said: "(As CEO) your constituencies are your people, your customers and your products." Your people develop new products and win new customers. So, enabling and challenging them becomes one of the critical activies of the leader. Building anything without them is very difficult. The challenge of leadership is to get results through the people and the resources under our control that matche the Vision and Mission of the organization. If “maintenance” is required to do this then so be it. If the long term Vision requires “building” then that must be the way to go.

There is no question that most businesses are seeking to grow and maintain a loyal customer base (Peter Drucker). Therefore, the mission of most business leaders will become “building”. Business today is so dynamic that there truly is only one constant and that is “change.” The challenge for the leader is keeping people and organizations moving ahead and managing change.

Jack Welch said: “(As CEO) your constituencies are your people, your customers and your products.” Your people develop new products and win new customers. So, enabling and challenging them becomes one of the critical activies of the leader. Building anything without them is very difficult.

]]> By: Didier Marlier http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2010/01/09/which-footprint-do-we-want-to-leavelive-as-leaders-of-the-next-decade%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-136 Didier Marlier Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:56:34 +0000 http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/?p=137#comment-136 Dear all, Thank you very much for very meaningful comments. I just read this morning an interesting column from Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8486284-fee9-11de-a677-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1) called bankruptcy could be good for America, suggesting and providing many historical examples when rebuilding courageously from scratch was what helped a country and establishment out of its lethargy. Have a great week Didier Dear all,
Thank you very much for very meaningful comments. I just read this morning an interesting column from Gideon Rachman of the Financial Times (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a8486284-fee9-11de-a677-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1) called bankruptcy could be good for America, suggesting and providing many historical examples when rebuilding courageously from scratch was what helped a country and establishment out of its lethargy. Have a great week Didier

]]> By: Ivo Knottnerus http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2010/01/09/which-footprint-do-we-want-to-leavelive-as-leaders-of-the-next-decade%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-135 Ivo Knottnerus Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:22:57 +0000 http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/?p=137#comment-135 Hi Didier, Thanks for your first posting of 2010, and I also wish you a very good 2010 for you and your loved ones. Let it be an inspiring year! I fully agree with your statement of ‘building leaders’ and I enjoyed your posting. It immediately triggered a memory in me that I see around me often. I am not sure whether you or any of the readers have the same, however I find that we are currently living in a world where people are too much trying to hold on to what they have got. Instead of going with the flow or universe or stars, or however you want to call it, I see people around me hanging on to the achievements from the past and not moving forward. Fighting against new things, or decisions, always arguing that ‘what we had in the past was better’, without giving the new or unexplored a chance. Indeed, I agree with you, should we save companies that are still under the same management as before the crisis or who enjoyed abundant government support but are still paying the same bonuses as before. I hope we have all learned from the recent events in the world as leaders, and that we can recognize that maintaining what we had ‘before’ will only set us back, not bring the world forward or build a new world. Have a great week ahead! Ivo Hi Didier,

Thanks for your first posting of 2010, and I also wish you a very good 2010 for you and your loved ones. Let it be an inspiring year!

I fully agree with your statement of ‘building leaders’ and I enjoyed your posting. It immediately triggered a memory in me that I see around me often. I am not sure whether you or any of the readers have the same, however I find that we are currently living in a world where people are too much trying to hold on to what they have got. Instead of going with the flow or universe or stars, or however you want to call it, I see people around me hanging on to the achievements from the past and not moving forward. Fighting against new things, or decisions, always arguing that ‘what we had in the past was better’, without giving the new or unexplored a chance.

Indeed, I agree with you, should we save companies that are still under the same management as before the crisis or who enjoyed abundant government support but are still paying the same bonuses as before. I hope we have all learned from the recent events in the world as leaders, and that we can recognize that maintaining what we had ‘before’ will only set us back, not bring the world forward or build a new world.

Have a great week ahead!
Ivo

]]> By: Michael http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2010/01/09/which-footprint-do-we-want-to-leavelive-as-leaders-of-the-next-decade%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-134 Michael Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:45:51 +0000 http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/?p=137#comment-134 This reminded me strongly of the simple question that was, for me, the most pertinent and powerful part of Thomas Friedman's 'The World is Flat'. He asked "Do you spend more time with your memories of the past or with your dreams for the future?" Those who dwell on (or obsess about) what they used to have or be seem destined for disatisfaction or disappointment. Conversely, paying attention to possibilities and a having positive intent for the future can be highly liberating. I have revisited that thought over and over again since I read it, and have seen contrasting examples of attention to memories or dreams in people, teams, organisations, newspapers, nations, politics, causes and religions. Sadly, there are myriad examples where charismatic leaders have mobilized people around a collective 'rose-tinted' ideal of the past, apportioned blame to some present nemesis and stimulated destructive behaviour. I, for one, am spending this new decade paying even more attention to my dreams. Happy New Decade, Michael This reminded me strongly of the simple question that was, for me, the most pertinent and powerful part of Thomas Friedman’s ‘The World is Flat’. He asked “Do you spend more time with your memories of the past or with your dreams for the future?” Those who dwell on (or obsess about) what they used to have or be seem destined for disatisfaction or disappointment. Conversely, paying attention to possibilities and a having positive intent for the future can be highly liberating. I have revisited that thought over and over again since I read it, and have seen contrasting examples of attention to memories or dreams in people, teams, organisations, newspapers, nations, politics, causes and religions. Sadly, there are myriad examples where charismatic leaders have mobilized people around a collective ‘rose-tinted’ ideal of the past, apportioned blame to some present nemesis and stimulated destructive behaviour. I, for one, am spending this new decade paying even more attention to my dreams.

Happy New Decade,

Michael

]]> By: Juan M. Gallego http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2010/01/09/which-footprint-do-we-want-to-leavelive-as-leaders-of-the-next-decade%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-133 Juan M. Gallego Mon, 11 Jan 2010 06:21:43 +0000 http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/?p=137#comment-133 Hola Didier, This blog is very interesting! Of course, we all want to be building leaders! I don´t think that you would get to many people that would choose to be classified as Maintenance leaders, even though those type of leaders may have some very specific uses such as maximizing the life of "cash cow businesses" such as Ice making in the late 19th Century before refrigeration reached main street. I think that the biggest concern here is how the different leaders perceived the changes that need to happen for them to do the bulding that would be expected from them by stockholders, investors and employees. I am especifically thinking here on another Harvard Business Case on the steps that Canon took when they were faced with the digital photography era... of course, hind sight is 20/20 but I would question that their failed initial steps were probably taking as building steps... Basically, I think that the interpretation of change and the direction to take when one reaches a cross-road, will finally define a leader as Maintenance (I love that term btw) or building leaders. To fully focus on developing Building leaders would be therefore, from my point of view, extremely difficult as only the final results will judged if the decisions taking were truly resistive to change or promoted change. Of course, that´s just my opinion. Feliz Año Nuevo 2010! Juan Mª Hola Didier,

This blog is very interesting! Of course, we all want to be building leaders! I don´t think that you would get to many people that would choose to be classified as Maintenance leaders, even though those type of leaders may have some very specific uses such as maximizing the life of “cash cow businesses” such as Ice making in the late 19th Century before refrigeration reached main street.

I think that the biggest concern here is how the different leaders perceived the changes that need to happen for them to do the bulding that would be expected from them by stockholders, investors and employees.

I am especifically thinking here on another Harvard Business Case on the steps that Canon took when they were faced with the digital photography era… of course, hind sight is 20/20 but I would question that their failed initial steps were probably taking as building steps…

Basically, I think that the interpretation of change and the direction to take when one reaches a cross-road, will finally define a leader as Maintenance (I love that term btw) or building leaders. To fully focus on developing Building leaders would be therefore, from my point of view, extremely difficult as only the final results will judged if the decisions taking were truly resistive to change or promoted change.

Of course, that´s just my opinion.

Feliz Año Nuevo 2010!

Juan Mª

]]> By: Rosanna Cella http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/2010/01/09/which-footprint-do-we-want-to-leavelive-as-leaders-of-the-next-decade%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-132 Rosanna Cella Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:47:46 +0000 http://blog.enablersnetwork.com/?p=137#comment-132 Ciao Didier, I reply with a phrase that I repeat to myself when everything seems to be unclear....: "God, Give me the courage to change the things which should be changed, the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other." Having said this, I simply would like to say that I read with great interest and as much as I support the idea of the "building leaders" I am one of those who think that it is much easier to "build" than maintaining with the aim to keep evolving. Maintenance doesn't necessarily mean something stable/stuck. Maintenance can be a work done to ensure the good ground is kept in order to keep growing good stuff from it. It requires a continous selection to get rid of the bad seeds and being good at identifying and keep the good stuff. This is tough. So, I love the idea of the "building leadership" and I would like to share the thought that maybe it is not a "either/or" type of thing, but in some case we may need to use the "and" so to opt sometimes for maintenance...not everything is to be changed... We are not at December 21, 2012 yet :-) Happy new year! Rosanna Cella Ciao Didier, I reply with a phrase that I repeat to myself when everything seems to be unclear….:
“God, Give me the courage to change the things which should be changed, the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”
Having said this, I simply would like to say that I read with great interest and as much as I support the idea of the “building leaders” I am one of those who think that it is much easier to “build” than maintaining with the aim to keep evolving. Maintenance doesn’t necessarily mean something stable/stuck. Maintenance can be a work done to ensure the good ground is kept in order to keep growing good stuff from it. It requires a continous selection to get rid of the bad seeds and being good at identifying and keep the good stuff. This is tough.
So, I love the idea of the “building leadership” and I would like to share the thought that maybe it is not a “either/or” type of thing, but in some case we may need to use the “and” so to opt sometimes for maintenance…not everything is to be changed… We are not at December 21, 2012 yet :-)
Happy new year!
Rosanna Cella

]]>