PrimeGenesis Blog
Choosing Between Henry VIII and Suleiman the Magnificent’s Approaches to Succession Management
Henry VIII and Suleiman the Magnificent were contemporaries that had dramatically different approaches to succession management. In theory, an English king had one wife whose first-born son would succeed the king. The rulers of the Ottoman empire had harems which included several concubines who could produce heirs.
The modern day business parallels are the organization that designates one successor to its leader versus the organization that nurtures several possible successors and lets the best successor emerge.
Proactively Converge and Evolve when Onboarding
Converging and evolving is almost always the right approach for a new leader. You must become part of the team before you can inspire and enable it to evolve. You must get the timing right so that you are converging as long as necessary - and no longer. ...
Leverage Interim or Temp Help to Bridge Gaps
Alex Raubitschek, Ortus Interim (Photo credit: Steve Bowbrick) Interim help can make the difference between failure and success. We've seen this over and over again. We've seen so many new leaders flailing around because there is so much...
Five Steps to Turn Wasteful Meetings into Drivers of Success
Five Steps to Effective Meetings
1. Context. Understand the meeting’s place in the broader journey. It’s not about the meeting itself, or even the meeting experience. It’s about how the meeting moves its participants forward along the path and fits with everything else.
2. Objective. Set an overall single objective for the meeting and clear expectations for learning, contributions, and decisions by agenda item and attendee in order to align with the single objective and with the meeting’s place in the broader journey. (Follow this link for more on the “learn, contribute and decide” model.
3. Prework. Make sure to get appropriate pre-work and pre-reading to people far enough in advance for all to learn/contribute to their fullest potential.
4. Delivery. Manage meeting participation and timing to optimize learning, contributions and action-oriented decisions.
5. Follow-through. Get meeting notes out promptly to memorialize decisions and actions, kicking off the preparation for the next meeting and implementation of decisions and actions.
Executive Onboarding: The Key to Accelerating Success and Reducing Risk in a New Job
The most effective executive onboarding includes:
Getting a head start.
Managing the message.
Setting direction and building the team.
Sustain momentum and deliver results.
Failures in new roles almost always come back to either poor fit, poor delivery or poor adjustment to a change down the road. Everyone involved tends to blame someone else.
Corporate Culture: The Only Truly Sustainable Competitive Advantage
In sustainable, championship cultures, behaviors (the way we do things here) are inextricably linked to relationships, informed by attitudes, built on a rock-solid base of values, and completely appropriate for the environment in which the organization chooses to operate. As Simon Sinek famously pointed out, most organizations think what – how – why. Great leaders and great organizations start with why (environment and values), then look at how (attitudes and relationships) before getting to what (behaviors).
Behaviors: What impact? Implementation.
Relationships: How to connect? Communication.
Attitude: How to win? Choices.
Values: What matters and why? Purpose.
Environment: Where to play? Context.
It’s the context that makes it so hard to duplicate a championship culture. Because every organization’s environment is different, matching someone else’s behaviors, relationships, attitudes, and values will not produce the same culture.
Rich Boughrum's Top 5 Books for Interview Preparation
Financial Executives Networking Group Newsletter February 5, 2012 - From Rich Boughrum, Charlotte NC Chapter, Rich writes: Hi Matt - Here is a short book review / recommended reading list for the newsletter based on my recent preparation for interviews. - I would like...
Following Gabrielle Giffords' BRAVE Leadership
This column highlights things leaders do well as examples for others to follow. Gabrielle Giffords’ resignation from congress is such a thing. It is a classic act of inspiration and enablement. We are witnessing an amazing tale of overcoming adversity unfolding in...
How Leaders’ Communication Styles Impact the Delivery of Results
I recently asked acoustics expert David Greenberg what the greatest concert hall is. He quickly replied, “For what?” He went on to explain that different venues are better for certain types of performances.
When you think about the best way to communicate with your team, ask yourself, “To do what?” Concert halls designed to accommodate every type of performance become mediocre for each. Similarly, leaders must abandon homogeneous communication strategies. In order to communicate effectively with team members unite them around your vision, analyze the purpose, constraints and potential solutions related to your team.
Following Gabrielle Giffords’ BRAVE Leadership
Giffords is not acting like a victim. She is demonstrating BRAVE leadership at its best:
She did not choose the context (environment) for her leadership. She did not choose to get shot. She did not choose the bipartisanship of the current Congress. But she is choosing to deal with them as best she can.
She has remained true to her core values, refusing to serve if she can’t serve 100 percent.
She is leading with a front foot attitude, not bemoaning what’s happened, but stepping out of the way now to come back stronger later.
She is treasuring and nurturing her relationships. Who else could get a bill passed unanimously by Congress these days?
Her behaviors are inspiring others and enabling them to continue where she left off – and setting her and all of us up for an exciting future.
Like Giffords, business leaders will face things that require taking a step back before moving forward. The lesson is to take that step back in a way that makes it easier to move forward later. Those that do an honest assessment of their environment, demonstrate their values, approach the event with the right attitude, strengthening relationships along the way with behaviors that make positive impacts turn temporary set backs into wins.