February 6, 2012
It's All About Integrity by Gerald Meck
I recently read an article entitled “The Future of Business is Pure Chaos. Here’s how you can survive – and perhaps even thrive” by Robert Safian in the January 2012 issue of Fast Company. This article stimulated my thinking about what kind of leadership is needed at the board and executive level to guide an organization through an ever-changing and fast-paced marketplace.
As leaders in a constantly changing world, our ability to predict the future is difficult. The pace of change continues to accelerate. Just five years ago three companies controlled 64% of the smartphone market. These companies were Nokia, Research in Motion and Motorola. Today two different companies, Samsung & Apple, control the market. Online education programs are challenging our assumptions about what education looks like. The rise of Facebook, the fall of Blockbuster, the downgrading of the US credit rating, foreign government regime changes and rising unemployment all contribute to the difficulty in forecasting the future.
When leaders, including board members and executives, search for the right answers for the future, no clear road map or business model emerges. When I began as CEO/President of United Disabilities Services in 1983, I created a five year plan that guided the organization into the future. Today, however, a planning model needs to be a strategic thinking process that is flexible and adaptable to the fast-changing conditions of the business world. In the next decade or two, organizational planning will be defined more by its fluidity and flexibility than by a well-defined strategic direction for the future.
Most organizations are good at solving clear problems, even very complicated ones. But organizations have a difficult time solving ambiguous problems when leadership doesn’t know what it doesn’t know. Faced with ambiguity, organizations look for leadership that has developed a successful model which can be replicated. But in a world of flux, what has been successful for one organization will not necessarily work for another organization. Trying to replicate what worked yesterday will leave an organization vulnerable. Every organization needs to find their unique organizational structure, business model and culture that best allows it to stay flexible and competitive.
To survive in this climate of constant change and growing competition, leadership needs to be adaptable. Adaptability requires leaders who: a) work continually to be clear about the mission, b) embrace instability, c) enjoy recalibrating their business model, and, d) continually evaluate current assumptions. This approach of constant attentiveness to change will enable leaders to weigh the risks and opportunities and to make decisions that will position the organization for future sustainability.
As Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and face the challenge of change.”
October 20, 2011
Encouragement by Gerald Meck
Recently I was working at my desk preparing for a board meeting when one of the members came into my office, and began to talk to me. My first reaction was that I did not have the time to talk. Why was he disturbing me as I prepared for the meeting?
Since he did not have my phone number, the board member had come to the meeting early hoping I would be available because he had some ideas and comments to share with me. Feeling impatient, but also wanting to be respectful, I listened to what he had to say.
He stated that he thinks about me often as I navigate the difficult day to day challenges of the organization where I am serving as Acting Executive Director. He provided me with some suggestions about how to deal with staff morale and trust issues, and gave me a quote to read on the importance of being transparent when dealing with a difficult situation. He affirmed my leadership and thanked me for my service to the organization.
I felt my impatience melting away. I listened, no longer out of obligation, but because I welcomed his words of encouragement. This experience reminded me how important it is to take time to encourage and acknowledge others for their work.
As I reflected further on this conversation I was reminded of a quote from John Quincy Adams: “A leader leads by example, whether he intends to or not.”
This board member demonstrated leadership by example.
One of North Group Consultant’s leadership principles states: “Leaders have the ability to give encouragement, affirmation and challenge in appropriate amounts.”
Giving and receiving encouragement, affirmation and challenge are powerful tools for motivating and empowering ourselves and others. May we all demonstrate leadership in our ability to give and receive these building blocks of character in appropriate amounts.
We welcome your comments at blog@northgroupconsultants.com.
July 5, 2011
Every Day is a Gift by Gerald Meck
On Father’s day, as I was exercising at the Ephrata Recreation Center, I debated whether to write about the importance of leadership succession planning, servant leadership or managing by values.
While these thoughts were circulating through my mind, I was watching the US Open golf tournament. During the tournament NBC aired a segment on golf pro Ernie Els, telling the story of how Ernie and his family responded to the challenge of raising a child with Autism.
For several years Ernie and his wife hid the fact that one of their children had Autism. They wanted a “normal child” like the rest of their friends and golf peers. However, after hours of physical therapy, testing and medical treatment they finally came to terms with their son’s condition and began to embrace and celebrate his life.
As part of coming to terms with his son’s condition, Ernie established the Els for Autism Foundation in 2009 with the goal of funding an Autism Center of Excellence; the first in the world. Autism effects one in 110 children. Learning that a child has autism hits families hard. Ernie says “I will be fighting for the rest of my life to try and help others in the same situation.” The Center of Excellence will launch a global digital learning platform that will make best practices in education and therapy available to thousands of children on the Autism spectrum around the world. Ernie is now providing the leadership to assist other children and their families in dealing with the challenges of Autism.
This story reminded me of a leadership theme during my 26 years as President and CEO at United Disabilities Services (“UDS”). My theme was “Every day is a Gift.” There were challenges, disappointments, times when things did not go as planned. We needed to find ways to turn those challenges and disappointments into opportunities.
Ernie Els is a wonderful example of how an individual turned a challenge into an opportunity for thousands of other people. As a leader I asked myself each day “What am I going to do with the gift of this day?” At UDS, I asked our 400 employees what they were planning to do with this gift of a day, to write it down and share it with me. I was amazed at the creative and thoughtful responses I received.
What are you going to do with the gift of this day?
We welcome your comments at blog@northgroupconsultants.com.
