PrimeGenesis Blog
Communicating is a new world core leadership skill
"The news had somehow leaked out ahead of schedule—and in my opinion, the spin was unfair and inaccurate." Thus says Maclaren CEO, Farzad Rastegar in "Learning from a Recall" in the January/February 2011 issue of the Harvard Business...
What Daley Must Do First as Obama’s Chief of Staff
To tackle the responsibilities of his new role and ensure that better results are delivered faster, he will have to act quickly. It will be critical for him to get a head start, ensure clear communication and rebuild his team. And those are steps useful not only for Daley in his new position but for all recently appointed business leaders in corporate America.
To make the most of the very short window between an announcement and a formal start, leaders must always quickly discern what matters, who matters and what to communicate–and in what priority.
One of the most important things leaders must do early is clarify and establish their organization’s vision and values. In his new role Daley has a rare opportunity to help evolve the implementation of Obama’s vision, values and priorities to fit the new political landscape. He should get in sync with Obama and then articulate exactly what is now expected of the staff in terms of behaviors, relationships, attitudes, values and work environment.
Swim, Run, or Skate the Onboarding Handoff
Are you a swimmer, runner, or skater? Their different handoffs have different impacts. Swimmers pass in the night with no impact Standing start. Wall touch. The next swimmer is on his or her own, with absolutely no help from the previous swimmer....
Different First Impressions by Different Onboarding Doors
You're not going to change who you are when you join a new organization or team. Eventually, those that care will learn about the real you - the good, the bad and the ugly. There's not much you can do about that. What you can do is guide the...
Strategy is Triage
It was a drill. We all knew it was a drill. The accident had been staged so the Life Squad, Fire Department and Police Department could practice working together. We got to the scene to find a car in a ravine with victims spread around the car. We...
I Have a Dream
The thing about this vision thing is that it's not about your vision. It's about their vision. The great leaders over time have most certainly painted pictures of a brighter future. Those pictures have been ones in which their audiences could...
Building relationships when onboarding more important than being right
Early on, it's so tempting to impress everyone with how much you know. It's so tempting to secure your rightful place in the pecking order of intellectual capabilities, subject-matter knowledge, and relevant skills. It's so tempting to earn...
The Power of a Stretch Plan
In their imperative workshop, one new leader and his team developed hypotheses around how to grow. They tested those hypotheses and then, later, chose which efforts on which to focus. Now they were ready to share their new priorities with the company's...
Onboarding into Whitespace
In Adam Hartung's piece on Why Facebook beat MySpace, he describes how Facebook managed the whitespace by letting the market direct its actions, while MySpace's professional managers tried to direct the whitespace. We keep learning how right Darwin is that...
Top 10 Excuses for Onboarding Failures
#1 - "Didn't lose. Just ran out of time." #2 - Did not fit in #3 - Role different than expected #4 - Poor relationship with key ally #5 - Situation changed #6 - Division shut down #7 - Job too big for one person #8 - Job required different...