'...teach your children well...'

 

Throughout much of our working history one of the key aspects of leadership has been the successful transfer of knowledge.  There were ‘tried and true’ methods to perform specific functions. The best companies were able to refine these methods and ensure that each new generation learned and then further fine-tuned these processes.

We commonly promoted those individuals who best grasped and implemented our ‘ways’.  At the top of the hill was the fount of all knowledge and we deferred to HIS decisions and directions.

But as sure as winter turns to spring, these norms are being turned on their heads.  It started 20-25 years ago as computers became more fundamental to our daily routines.  And as the complexity of business intensified, the process only accelerated.

Leaders were no longer the repository of all knowledge.  In fact, those who held firm to that misconception were now more of a hindrance than a help.  Because they did not have an appreciation of the power that technology offered, they were not able to harness its’ benefits.  Whether as a result of fear or ignorance or both, they failed in their duties.

We used to say that ‘…that train has left the station…”  But trains don’t travel at the light speed of today’s changes.

Let me offer a singular example.  It is representative of what effective leadership looks like in the 21^st century.

When the Covid pandemic started about a year ago, a key to confronting the disease was identifying its spread.  One of the largest political jurisdictions in North America turned to a major consulting firm for answers.  While the CEO of that firm negotiated the terms of the agreement, he was in no position to lead the implementation of a solution.  Instead, it fell to a brilliant twenty something and his team to use technology to analyze the situation and then develop and deliver a solution. 

Dealing in uncharted waters, within weeks a testing program was created and rolled out across a broad geographic territory.  Following expected initial hiccups, the testing soon delivered, and continues to deliver, tens of thousands of results each day. This information allows the medical community to respond to the changing dynamics of this plague and offers some hope to defeating it.

There was nothing in that CEO’s playbook or personal experience that would have allowed him to affect a plan.  He understood that the best…the only…option was to defer to some of the youngest members of his organization because it was there that the union of intelligence and technology resided.  Experience was not critical to the process because there was none to lean on.

You see, knowledge was now being passed up the chain of responsibility, not vice versa.

As a leader, have you empowered your organization with the vitality of technology?  And with the vitality of those who truly understand the impact it can have on your business? 

The best ones have. If you missed the boat…good luck…

Do you have the emPHAsis on the correct syllABle?

 Throughout my career the primary performance measurements have revolved around the sales and profitability of the products and/or services that were being offered.  Whenever we considered an acquisition of a competitor, we focused on the level of additional positive impact that purchase would make to these two components.

Investors typically focus on the ROI and growth potential of targeted companies.  The financial analysis drives the price that the investor is willing to pay or the value of the share price.

Virtually everyone in a role that earns a bonus it tasked with achieving certain financially based objectives.  Stock options for executives are likewise driven by the achievement of these goals.

The reason for the reliance on these types of performance metrics is because they are: a) easy to establish and measure and b) something that is objective, and not subjective.  It becomes a binary discussion.  Either you met/exceeded the goal or you did not. Hence the saying ‘…take care of the nickels and dimes and the dollars take care of themselves…’

I want to propose an alternative PRIMARY focus. Let’s change the emPHAsis to a different syllABle.

First allow me to rephrase our old saying to ‘…take care of the ladies and gents and the results take care of themselves…’

For too long we have neglected to have a ‘people first’ mentality.  The assumption has been that if we have a viable product and a great strategic plan, the rest is simply implementation.  And with a work force to choose from that is in the tens of millions, how difficult is it really to find the needed resources?

But the best companies have recognized that the primary emphasis must be the people it employs.  They have adopted the motto ‘…doing the right thing by the people is doing the right thing for the company…’

These companies have invested as much in culture as they have in research and development.  They value the recruiting, training and retention of the best people on an equal footing with product marketing. They understand that growth flows from within the creativity of the workforce at least as much as the foresight of the CEO.

A quick analysis of the Fortune 500 shows that 60% of the top 50 companies in 2000 no longer occupy that spot.  In fact, several of them no longer exist.  The products and services that they offered are still being successfully sold by others.  Is it possible that the people in the ‘survivors’ are the principal reason for their success?

As we gradually return to ‘normal’ in a post pandemic world, does your culture need a vaccine as well?  Should you look the change the emPHAsis to ensure that your focus is on your people more than the numbers? It may take a leap of faith on your part…

Let me assure you that it can’t hurt and that the change may be far more productive than you assume!