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Outsider Insights | You Built Something Different. Your Messaging Made It Sound the Same.
Outsider Insights
Across Chief Outsiders, we talk to hundreds of CEOs every month. In this series, we explore the trends and challenges we’re hearing from these discussions – and what you can do if you’re facing the same issues in your business.
Top 12 (Plus 1) Leadership Skills I Learned from Boy Scouts
Tue, Feb 2, 2016 — Robert Fulgrum reminded us that “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” when he published his book of the same name. We’re told that if we: Share Everything Play Fair Don’t Hit People… …along with 13 more basic principles we will surely have a successful life. Well, he didn’t exactly say that, but certainly he asserts our lives would be more peaceful and our society less caustic.
Outstanding CEOs Often Play It By Ear
Wed, Oct 16, 2013 — I did not like the Beatles when they first came to America, but I am a contrarian by nature. Today, John Lennon and Paul McCartney are music icons that created a legacy of sound and lyrics. The Beatles created some of the most recognized and memorable songs of today. "I don’t read music, you got a problem with that?" - said Paul McCartney. They created music from what came into their minds. How did they do this and become world renown? I suggest to you they “played it by ear.”
Most Leaders are Made Not Born—And They Need to be Developed
Sat, Sep 14, 2013 — Born leader or made leader—do they both exist? There is a world of difference between knowing about leadership and becoming an effective leader. I may be wrong about this, but from my reading and conversations with colleagues and clients, I get the impression that relatively few supervisors and managers and even fewer C-level executives, entrepreneurs and board members actively pursue disciplined professional leadership development. They read books, articles and blogs about leadership, and they attend workshops and seminars—so they know about leadership. But were they born leaders or are they made leaders?
Leading Out Loud!
Thu, Aug 22, 2013 — By now, anyone who reads this blog knows that we read a lot. And a book I recently read is Leading Out Loud: Inspiring Change Through Authentic Communications, New and Revised by Terry Pearce (February 2013). The main point of the book is that a leader must speak in an authentic voice to build loyalty, commitment and enthusiasm in his or her organization. Pearce doesn’t just write this. He provides a step-by-step process to help leaders find their authentic voice. It is not an easy journey, but it's one that is worthwhile. “People make commitments to causes they value and people they respect and trust.”
The Rise and Fall of Executives
Wed, Jul 24, 2013 — This blog is written by guest blogger Per Ohstrom. In my years in business, I have noticed how top executives often come out of Operations, which is a little counter- intuitive considering the number of highly trained Finance, Marketing or R&D managers there are in organizations. I have also seen execs crash and burn, who used to be well performing in a functional role. What’s going on? In a report from the Chally Group “Why Global Leaders Succeed and Fail”, published by Right Management, the researchers share some interesting findings.
8 Words to Help the CEO Create the Vision
Mon, Nov 5, 2012 — What would DaVinci’s vision be for three pieces of alabaster? Your most important activity as a CEO is to create the vision for success. I once worked for a CEO who was brought in to a struggling company and he only lasted 12 months. The team he was brought into manage correlated his vision to "arranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic." Was his vision flawed? If not, then what went wrong? Did he gain trust, agreement, readiness and shared consensus? Was there something wrong with his vision? How does your team rate you? Let’s think of some great visionaries and what they had in common. DaVinci, Edison, Einstein, Jefferson, Bell, Zuckerberg, Gates are considered great visionaries. They all focused on the result that their vision would achieve. They all created the vision. They all communicated the vision and they all kept trying. Once they created the vision they were single-minded in the mission and strategies to achieve their vision. Did their vision make them trusted leaders? Michael Gelb, NY Times best-seller list author and executive coach, writes in his Vision Crafting article (Executive Excellence Magazine, Jan 1996) on leadership techniques to create a winning vision. Gelb lists 8 key words to remember when crafting the vision. 1. “Juicy - inspiring, energizing, alive“ 2. “Original - a unique expression of you, your company or team” 3. “Succinct - every word packed with meaning” 4. “Inclusive - reflecting the concerns of all stakeholders” 5. “Positive-active - focused, and affirming” 6. “Memorable - everyone knows it by heart” 7. “Aligned - with universal principles and basic goodness” 8. “Integrated - into everyday behavior” Gelb goes on to recommend that the CEO use “Mind Mapping” techniques to craft visions, missions, strategies, and value statements, because the CEO must develop the ability to understand patterns of change and see the web of connections that underlie complex systems. Gelb goes on to state: “Outlining is a reflection of a hierarchical mind-set. Although valuable as a tool for presenting ideas in a formal, orderly fashion, it is useful only after the real thinking has been done.”