01 Thursday Jun 2017
Senior management gets behind lots of things. There are plenty of culture change initiatives. Some of them are real. A few of them actually happen.
What is really important?
Look at the agendas for last 12 months of executive team meetings. If you a member of the C-Suite, take a hard look and say … Yes! That is what we want.
17 Friday Feb 2017
This is too good to ignore. I’m guessing we could replace the Chief Digital Officer title up top with others and get the same laugh. What about Chief Marketing Officer? How about Chief Information Officer? How about CEO?
Chief Digital Officer
23 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in Digital Business
Where did we go wrong in thinking that technology, in and of itself, would get us where we want to go? Could it be that we have forgotten the role of leadership?
Technology is important but without digital executives driving to transform the business into being a digital business, technology won’t get us where we want to go.
We need clear goals and strategies. We have to focus on the people that will get us there. We must enable processes that work.
AND then, technology will enable the transformation.
Companies routinely invest in technology, and too often feel they get routine results. Technology’s promise is not simply to automate processes, but to open routes to new ways of doing business.
via Embracing Digital Technology | MIT Sloan Management Review.
19 Friday Aug 2016
Posted in Customer Focus, Digital Business
Tags
What will the workforce of the future look like?
Great question. It will be the same and it will be different.
If the focus on the customer experience looses traction, a few companies who stay the course will dominate.
It is clear that great customer experiences pay off. That isn’t anything new. Employees and leaders who get that reap the gains.
What about those who don’t? A life as a cog in the machine. Not too exciting but it may pay the bills. We need people who want more than that.
Because customer experience initiatives continue to dominate the executive agenda, businesses often fail to nurture internal resources in pursuit of external gain. However, as consumer expectations evolve, so must company culture, for future employees will rely upon collaboration, adaptability, and purpose to further personal and enterprisewide success
via Spotlight | The Workforce of the Future.
02 Tuesday Aug 2016
Posted in People
What do you do if you currently work for a leader that isn’t helping you? That is a tough issue. It happens all the time. And, there is there is the question about who is really the problem. Are we expecting too much?
Michael Hyatt has some very insightful ideas. All five of these are spot on. 
But what if you are in that situation right now? Here are five ways to cope:
- Manage your expectations. When you read a lot of books and blogs about leadership, it is easy to become idealistic. If you are not careful, you can create a set of expectations that no one could possibly meet. You have to remember your boss is human—and fallen at that. He struggles with his own fears, wounds, and weaknesses. He has his own accountabilities and pressure. He will experience good days and bad.
- Evaluate the impact. What kind of effect is your boss having on you and your teammates? Is he over-bearing and abusive? Incompetent or careless? Or is he checked out or inaccessible? I have worked in all of these situations and each of them requires a different response. Some are easier to put up with and manage around than others.
- Consider your options. If the situation is bad enough, it may warrant your resignation. I have only been in one job where I did this, and frankly—knowing what I know now—I wish I had stayed. But your circumstances may be different. Most situations provide an opportunity to learn, if you are alert and teachable. Some of the best lessons I ever learned were from bad bosses.
- Be assertive. Bad bosses have a way of creating a culture of fear, where people are afraid to speak up. But this may be the perfect opportunity for you to become more courageous. This doesn’t mean you have to be disrespectful. Nor does it require that you become inappropriately aggressive. Being assertive means giving voice to your needs and establishing clear boundaries.
- Support him publicly. Someone once said, “public support leads to private influence.” I think that is exactly right. When I have been in these situations, I have refused to publicly debate my boss or to gossip about him behind his back. I looked for positive attributes (everyone has them) and publicly affirmed them. I was loyal when he wasn’t present. This gave me credibility when I needed it later.
28 Thursday Jul 2016
Today we focus of on “Implementation” the fourth and final key element in Nonprofit Leadership. While Vision, Constituencies, and Individuals get all the headlines, it is truly implementation that does all the work! So let’s dive in…
One of the common denominators for all nonprofits is the sheer volume of work that needs to get done. Unlike our for profit counterparts, we are not in an industry where we can just throw money at the problem, hire as many staff as we need, and sit back and watch all the results. The plus side of all this is that in my 34 years working for nonprofits, any job I was in always came with the promise, take care of the immediate work we hired you for and we’d be more than happy to give you expanded responsibilities (think—leadership opportunities).
Implementation therefore is the final step in the leadership process and by far the most important. You can have a great Vision with motivated Constituencies and clearly identified Individuals but mess up Implementation and the whole deck of cards comes tumbling down. The key is to have alignment, precision, and not be afraid of hard work.
There are some simple steps to follow:
So often we get distracted. Of course emergencies and curve balls come up. Of course we can get thrown off track. But we need a quarterly adjusted, weekly implementation plan to literally keep us on track. Without the plan your Vision stands no chance.
Let’s face it. There is little that is sexy about Implementation… it’s hard work! Often it is the manual labor that feels like grunt work. But Implementation can be oh so satisfying in our sector because it is the day to day work that literally leads to successes in everything from stellar fund raising campaigns to profound mission wins.
One last thought. The concept of Implementation when done right also comes with a healthy dose of humility. The reality is that we in nonprofit are above no duty, no task is too small. If it needs to get done and there is no one else to do it and/or one might inspire many others to do it also, then let’s roll up the sleeves and get the job done. And most importantly, if you came into this business looking for the credit, then you are in the wrong business. As you implement always be looking for those you can heap praise and credit on. In the end, humility in nonprofits borne out through disciplined implementation is the quickest route to leadership (and success!).
Mark currently serves as Chief Relationship Officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In his role, he provides strategic direction and overall leadership running the Field including the management and fiscal performance of the 56 Chapters as well as the development of key volunteer relationships on behalf of the society locally, regionally and nationally. Prior to the current position, served as Chief Development officer overseeing the Society’s donor development activities including major gifts, foundation giving, planned giving, corporate giving and outright/restricted gifts. Oversee all donor development activities at the national and chapter levels for LLS–the $300 million leader in blood cancer research.
Before LLS, Mark worked as first full time President of Autism Speaks–the largest autism science and advocacy organization in the world today. Merged three organizations into AS in 20 months. Raised over $60 million annually. Invested over $170 million into autism research. Passed national and state bills increasing funds for autism science while reducing out of pocket expenses for families. Helped make “autism” a household word through award winning Ad Council Campaign and the United Nation’s declaration of World Autism Awareness in perpetuity on April 2nd.
Prior to AS, Mark worked 20 years at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation in a series of progressive jobs. Turned around ailing flagship chapter doubling revenue. Oversaw all national fundraising leading the Foundation to record years in it’s signature March for Babies event. Earlier in career served as the Foundation’s head of communications. Prior to March of Dimes worked as Director of Public Relations at the New York Lung Association.
13 Wednesday Jul 2016
Posted in People
What do you do if you currently work for a leader that isn’t helping you? Michael Hyatt has some very insightful ideas.
All five of these are spot on.
But what if you are in that situation right now? Here are five ways to cope:
- Manage your expectations. When you read a lot of books and blogs about leadership, it is easy to become idealistic. If you are not careful, you can create a set of expectations that no one could possibly meet. You have to remember your boss is human—and fallen at that. He struggles with his own fears, wounds, and weaknesses. He has his own accountabilities and pressure. He will experience good days and bad.
- Evaluate the impact. What kind of effect is your boss having on you and your teammates? Is he over-bearing and abusive? Incompetent or careless? Or is he checked out or inaccessible? I have worked in all of these situations and each of them requires a different response. Some are easier to put up with and manage around than others.
- Consider your options. If the situation is bad enough, it may warrant your resignation. I have only been in one job where I did this, and frankly—knowing what I know now—I wish I had stayed. But your circumstances may be different. Most situations provide an opportunity to learn, if you are alert and teachable. Some of the best lessons I ever learned were from bad bosses.
- Be assertive. Bad bosses have a way of creating a culture of fear, where people are afraid to speak up. But this may be the perfect opportunity for you to become more courageous. This doesn’t mean you have to be disrespectful. Nor does it require that you become inappropriately aggressive. Being assertive means giving voice to your needs and establishing clear boundaries.
- Support him publicly. Someone once said, “public support leads to private influence.” I think that is exactly right. When I have been in these situations, I have refused to publicly debate my boss or to gossip about him behind his back. I looked for positive attributes (everyone has them) and publicly affirmed them. I was loyal when he wasn’t present. This gave me credibility when I needed it later.
21 Tuesday Jun 2016
Posted in Customer Focus, Nonprofit
Welcome back to the fourth in the series of blogs on Nonprofit Leadership namely Vision, Constituencies, Individuals and Implementation. Today the focus is on Individuals.
Perhaps in no other industry is the power of one so self evident. Every movement, crusade, event and innovation in our sector has been begun with an individual. From the curing of polio to the moonshot for cancer, to the invention of walkathons, endurance events, red nose days and ice bucket challenges. All started by someone with an idea who had the ability to work with and through a nonprofit for the greater good. No patents have been given. No one has become a billionaire. Yet so many nonprofits and in fact all of society has benefited so well.
Individuals are everywhere in our sector. They come as staff, volunteers and in constituencies. Their ideas range from the conventional to the unconventional. They come with ego and agenda and often passionately compete, collude and collide. It is the role of the leader to establish an atmosphere that allows the very best of individuals and their ideas to rise to the fore in benefit of the mission and vision of the organization. Not an easy task!
Creating such an atmosphere starts with staff. Key leaders in key positions who understand as individuals it is not about them. It is about the mission and it is about the volunteers. It is about attracting those with leverage–leverage to raise dollars, leverage to advocate for mission, leverage to deliver programs. Recruiting strong, selfless staff that get and put volunteers first is imperative.
It is then about attracting volunteers. Volunteers with an interest (for whatever reason) and ultimately a passion for your cause. Volunteers who are smarter, wiser, and stronger than you are. The trick is not to be afraid to embrace someone who can figure out how to do this better than you can.
Next it is about setting guidelines. Guidelines that point toward a vision and a purpose but leave room for interpretation, innovation, creativity, collaboration and ownership. Guidelines that are flexible enough to allow for individuals to bring their own unique ideas and skill sets to fill in the details. We need a new event…we want to raise money through social media…we want to cure cancer.
As a nonprofit leader the ability to see a direction, recruit individuals, and then let go takes strength. It takes restraint. It takes trust. It takes leadership.
Next up in the series, Implementation. See you next month.
Mark currently serves as Chief Relationship Officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In his role, he provides strategic direction and overall leadership running the Field including the management and fiscal performance of the 56 Chapters as well as the development of key volunteer relationships on behalf of the society locally, regionally and nationally. Prior to the current position, served as Chief Development officer overseeing the Society’s donor development activities including major gifts, foundation giving, planned giving, corporate giving and outright/restricted gifts. Oversee all donor development activities at the national and chapter levels for LLS–the $300 million leader in blood cancer research.
Before LLS, Mark worked as first full time President of Autism Speaks–the largest autism science and advocacy organization in the world today. Merged three organizations into AS in 20 months. Raised over $60 million annually. Invested over $170 million into autism research. Passed national and state bills increasing funds for autism science while reducing out of pocket expenses for families. Helped make “autism” a household word through award winning Ad Council Campaign and the United Nation’s declaration of World Autism Awareness in perpetuity on April 2nd.
Prior to AS, Mark worked 20 years at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation in a series of progressive jobs. Turned around ailing flagship chapter doubling revenue. Oversaw all national fundraising leading the Foundation to record years in it’s signature March for Babies event. Earlier in career served as the Foundation’s head of communications. Prior to March of Dimes worked as Director of Public Relations at the New York Lung Association.
09 Thursday Jun 2016
Posted in Digital Business
Tags
We can agree that transformation is mission critical. Our business survival may depend on it.
Where does it all start?
If starts with me as a leader. I must transform myself and my approach. Not much will happen without that.
Let’s face it. Your organization is not going to transform unless you transform as its leader. Your personal transformation will affect the way you spend your time and what you talk about. You must develop a laser-like focus on speed, flexibility, and customer obsession. And these tenets will also change the way you lead.
Source: Why Digital Transformation Must Begin with You
25 Wednesday May 2016
Posted in Digital Business, People
Tags
Are we our own worst enemy? As we build a digital business, what is a very important people issue not to ignore? Accountability.
We must build accountability into how we and our teams function. Accountability starts with ourselves as leaders. Are we holding ourselves accountable? Once we are there, we can focus on our team.
As leaders, we get the behavior we tolerate. When it comes to holding people accountable, we are often our own worst enemy. Instead of practicing accountability, we practice avoidance. That was certainly the case with me. Along the way, I learned 3 valuable lessons:
1. Clear expectations must be established.
2. Bad news does not improve with age.
3. It’s not personal.
I learned these lessons the hard way. I figured there’s got to be a better way to build and sustain a culture where accountability is part of the DNA of high-performing organizations.
19 Thursday May 2016
Posted in Digital Business, Technology
This is a very interesting suggestion that the CFO owns enterprise analytics and data. My sense, while it is well meaning, is that it is misplaced. Many will argue their function should own it. This article eventually argues it should be the CIO.
My suggestion?
How about the CEO?
Who else owns “the enterprise”?
My thought is that this is too important to delegate to a department and have one more siloed activity. Only the CEO can get everyone pulling in the same direction. Only the CEO can provide the leadership that is needed so desperately.
18 Wednesday May 2016
Posted in Customer Focus, Nonprofit, People
Constituencies
Welcome again to our ongoing series on the Four Keys to Nonprofit Leadership namely, Vision, Constituencies, Individuals and Implementation. This in our third in a series of monthly posts, each focusing on one of the key elements. Today we continue with Constituencies.
Of the four keys, Constituencies is perhaps the most complex and potentially perplexing. All missions and causes are accomplished through others. In the case of nonprofits it’s groups of others. Boards, chapters, departments, volunteers, fundraising participants, donors—and that’s just for starters. Each of these Constituencies has further breakouts: national Boards v. local Boards, West Coast chapters v. East Coast chapters, fundraising departments v. program departments, walkers v. runners, million dollar donors v. $10 donors, etc. One thing all these Constituencies have in common is that they tend to be very passionate.
The role of the leader is to align Constituencies to the Vision while being cognizant of the reality that 100% alignment on any given day on any given topic can be near impossible. The trick, make that the art, is to know when you have aligned enough Constituencies to move decisively. Communication is key. Political judgment and wisdom are a must.
One need not look far in our industry to see where this has been done well and where it has been done poorly. The Komen/Planned Parenthood controversy from four years ago is the perfect example. Ignore for a minute, the politics of the controversy. Instead focus on the Constituencies. One nonprofit misjudged their constituencies completely while the other knew exactly how to ignite theirs. One clearly had a better grasp of the feelings of their local boards v. their national, their small donors and their large donors, you can pretty much run down the list of key Constituencies and get the same result.
Before making a big decision, it is imperative to think through your key Constituencies gauging potential reaction audience by audience. Determine what channels their passion and see how that can align with your vision. Not sure of a Constituency? Make a couple of phone calls (few in the nonprofit space are shy about sharing their opinions!).
The other tricky thing about Constituencies is that they are fluid by nature. Some more important one day, others the next. Prioritizing Constituencies on key decisions is critical. Who does a new direction affect more than others? Are there ‘must haves’ for a particular decision in your Constituency matrix? Who needs to be brought in to hear it from you directly? It is paramount to determine what Constituencies are most important in what situations. This is where judgment and wisdom really matter.
No matter what your leadership role in nonprofits, we all have Constituencies. Take a moment. Write yours down. Your internal groups. Your external groups. Keep the list next to you. The next time you need to make a big decision, go through your matrix. Tailor your message. Work your Constituencies. And see what a difference it will make.
Next month’s topic, Individuals. Speak with you then…
Mark currently serves as Chief Relationship Officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In his role, he provides strategic direction and overall leadership running the Field including the management and fiscal performance of the 56 Chapters as well as the development of key volunteer relationships on behalf of the society locally, regionally and nationally. Prior to the current position, served as Chief Development officer overseeing the Society’s donor development activities including major gifts, foundation giving, planned giving, corporate giving and outright/restricted gifts. Oversee all donor development activities at the national and chapter levels for LLS–the $300 million leader in blood cancer research.
Before LLS, Mark worked as first full time President of Autism Speaks–the largest autism science and advocacy organization in the world today. Merged three organizations into AS in 20 months. Raised over $60 million annually. Invested over $170 million into autism research. Passed national and state bills increasing funds for autism science while reducing out of pocket expenses for families. Helped make “autism” a household word through award winning Ad Council Campaign and the United Nation’s declaration of World Autism Awareness in perpetuity on April 2nd.
Prior to AS, Mark worked 20 years at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation in a series of progressive jobs. Turned around ailing flagship chapter doubling revenue. Oversaw all national fundraising leading the Foundation to record years in it’s signature March for Babies event. Earlier in career served as the Foundation’s head of communications. Prior to March of Dimes worked as Director of Public Relations at the New York Lung Association.
17 Tuesday May 2016
Posted in Digital Business, People
Tags
I am an advocate for transformation. I am also an advocate for speed.
There is work to be done that can’t wait for the culture to change.
What about that website that isn’t mobile friendly and sucks from a customer experience point of view? Should that really wait? NO. It shouldn’t.
And there are a 100 more things like that we some urgency around to change. They need to change now. They need to change fast. We need to urgent and agile.
We know those will be consistent with transformation change. Move ahead and move on in peace.
It needs to change now. We need agile transformation.
So … it isn’t either / or. It is yes / and.
In the world of business technology, speed is huge. Executing is huge. Results reign supreme. Experiments are the norm. We ought to obsess about the customer and sweat the details about executing what helps them.
We should keep moving and never stop thinking of what the customer experience is like. No stone should be left unturned in our pursuit of amazing customer service. It is in fact the small courtesies that great an emotional connection to our products and services. Is every contact with us memorable? Did we add value?
Are we doing it? Are we getting it done today?
We have a strategic plan. It’s called ‘doing things.” —Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines CEO and Founder
I don’t think I would advocate not having a strategic plan but they probably could be simpler than we make most of them. Regardless of what you call it, the focus should be on getting the right things done fast. The focus should be execution.
16 Monday May 2016
Posted in Digital Business, People
Teamwork is essential in business. Volumes have been written on it. There is current a dearth of digital leadership due to the fast paced nature of this business change. How do we move ahead without talent to draw from?
Intel when faced with extremely rapid growth and new markets some ten, or more years ago, used to describe their management style as ‘Two in the Box’, meaning in their case the experienced leader would manage with their likely replacement in duopoly slowly taking responsibilities. One leader, one mentor and team of really sharp staff.
How would you frame this up?
04 Wednesday May 2016
Posted in Digital Business, People
Tags
The CEO has to lead the way on this. The CEO has to build the culture. Silos always exist. There has to be a relentless focus on unifying. Leadership is critical. Otherwise, it isn’t transformation.
According to a new report, 43 per cent of companies feel their digital transformation efforts are being hampered by competing departments wanting to ‘own digital.’
The ‘Leading Digital Business Transformation’ study conducted by Forrester Consulting – on behalf of SugarCRM and Squiz – analysed how organisations with a mature digital strategy define and manage their “digital business transformation.”
The report found that 94 per cent of digitally mature businesses plan to transform systems and processes in order to address the threat of digital disruption, with respondents believing that CEOs should be the ones driving new initiatives forward by setting the overall vision (41 per cent) and supporting the digital strategy (59 per cent).
Source: Competing departments are holding back digital transformation | ITProPortal.com
02 Monday May 2016
Posted in Customer Focus, Digital Business, People
Tags
We have a lot to do. Our plate is full. Who needs one more thing on the list?
My guess is, I need one more thing on the list.
Change isn’t easy. Culture is in many cases undefined but well understood. Spending time understanding how employees and customers actually see it is instructive. Doing the tough things to make it what I want is worth it.
29 Friday Apr 2016
Posted in Digital Business
Tags
The broker was dumbfounded. “You don’t have an email, and yet have succeeded in building an empire. Can you imagine what you could have been if you had an email?,” he exclaimed.
Well, the man knew the answer. Please read the story. Well worth the couple of minutes. A great story of how we learn and lead.
18 Monday Apr 2016
Posted in People
Tags
Although it began as a onetime event 32 years ago, the annual TED convention has grown into a global enterprise that turned the spotlight on 70 memorable speakers this year. Were you unable to attend the sold-out event? Are you searching for brilliant advice that will make you a better leader?
These four TED talks will give you a unique and important view of leadership, with actions that you can begin using immediately.
Source: The 4 TED Talks That Leaders Need to Watch
13 Wednesday Apr 2016
Last month we spoke about the Four Keys to Nonprofit Leadership namely, Vision, Constituencies, Individuals and Implementation—how each is uniquely entwined in our industry. This blog will begin a series of four monthly posts, each focusing on one of the key elements. Today we start with vision.
I’m not that smart! I remember the first time I was in a position that demanded I had a vision and being terrified. I was 29-years-old and the newly appointed Vice President of Communications for the March of Dimes. Surely I thought someone much older and wiser than me should come up with a vision! At the time I was in charge of a brand where 9 out of 10 Americans knew our name but less than 3 out of 10 actually knew what the March of Dimes did. We were way too busy putting together public service campaigns, contacting the media, writing press releases, producing videos, creating fundraising materials—the list was endless—who had the time to come up with a vision!?
The question of vision was first proposed by one of my direct reports. I soon found the same question coming out of the Board room, on visits to local Chapters, from my peers. Everywhere I turned someone seemed to be asking ‘What’s the vision?’ and all I kept thinking was—if we all just do the work, won’t the vision take care of itself?
I posed that question to a wonderful mentor who so understood the nonprofit landscape. He helped me see that leadership in nonprofits without vision is like asking people to run a race without knowing the distance. He talked about why a vision is necessary to motivate and sustain staff (underpaid) and volunteers (work for free). And while the responsibility for a vision existed with me, the answers I was looking for would come from the very staff and volunteers I was looking to motivate.
It was a lesson in humility and constituencies. I began to speak and listen to the staff and volunteers in a new way. Their words, their dreams, their hopes, their fears. No one person had the vision, but discussing widely and listening carefully, there were dots to connect. The vision was there all the time and it was my responsibility to hear it, define it and steward it forward.
It’s the headline stupid! In the end, the vision was no more complicated than the headline to my March of Dimes elevator speech. Something short, simple, to the point, enough to get someone’s attention if they cared to ask. Interestingly, today whenever anyone asks what the litmus test of a good vision is, I always say “would it work as the opening line of your elevator speech?” But I also know behind that vision is a lot of probing of key constituencies, getting their opinions and a lot of listening. There is also much work to be done once the vision is stated communicating the details and work behind the headline to the very constituencies and individuals who helped create it in the first place.
So here is the vision I helped create working with the staff, volunteers, scientists, students, corporate executives, who made up the March of Dimes a quarter century ago. Turns out the best place to start was answering the original question, “I know the March of Dimes name but what is it they actually do?”
At the March of Dimes, we save babies lives.
Next month the leadership topic we will be Constituencies. Talk to you then…
Mark currently serves as Chief Relationship Officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In his role, he provides strategic direction and overall leadership running the Field including the management and fiscal performance of the 56 Chapters as well as the development of key volunteer relationships on behalf of the society locally, regionally and nationally. Prior to the current position, served as Chief Development officer overseeing the Society’s donor development activities including major gifts, foundation giving, planned giving, corporate giving and outright/restricted gifts. Oversee all donor development activities at the national and chapter levels for LLS–the $300 million leader in blood cancer research.
Before LLS, Mark worked as first full time President of Autism Speaks–the largest autism science and advocacy organization in the world today. Merged three organizations into AS in 20 months. Raised over $60 million annually. Invested over $170 million into autism research. Passed national and state bills increasing funds for autism science while reducing out of pocket expenses for families. Helped make “autism” a household word through award winning Ad Council Campaign and the United Nation’s declaration of World Autism Awareness in perpetuity on April 2nd.
Prior to AS, Mark worked 20 years at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation in a series of progressive jobs. Turned around ailing flagship chapter doubling revenue. Oversaw all national fundraising leading the Foundation to record years in it’s signature March for Babies event. Earlier in career served as the Foundation’s head of communications. Prior to March of Dimes worked as Director of Public Relations at the New York Lung Association.
22 Tuesday Mar 2016
Tags
Communicate, Goals, Harvard Business Review, Leadership, Srini Pillay, Strategies, Visualization
One of the core characteristics of the customer obsessed digital executive is purposeful leadership. This leadership is both purposeful and intentional.
The idea of visualization seems very powerful as a part of how leaders get great results. It is very hard to reach our goals if we can’t visualize them.
Equally important, we need to help others visualize it as well. Effective communication and stories will compel employees and customers to engage with our mission.
Here are the key ideas:
Warren Bennis, one of the most respected authorities on leadership in the world, said: “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” On the surface, this sounds perfunctory. But when we examine this more deeply, several important implications arise. If leadership is the ability to translate vision into reality, what is the method to do this? One way, according to the latest research, is to use our brains to optimize our chances of success.
There is now incontrovertible evidence that imagining a movement will stimulate the movement areas in the brain. This technique has been used when helping people with stroke to begin moving and to help elite athletes optimize their pre-competition training. The recent example of the detailed visualization of Mikaela Shiffrin leading to a gold medal in the Olympic slalom is one such case in point. This evidence suggests that to reach your goals first write them down, and then determine different possible ways of achieving them. Then, close your eyes and imagine yourself following those paths. Imagination “warms up” the action brain and “jump starts” your brain. This technique can be especially helpful if you are procrastinating or stuck.
Source: To Reach Your Goals, Make a Mental Movie – Srini Pillay – Harvard Business Review.
21 Monday Mar 2016
Recently much has been written about the coming Tsunami of baby boomers turning over in leadership positions as well as the perceived void of nonprofit professionals ready to take the helm. Consequently we are seeing these positions filled more and more by for profit professionals as well as academics. Sadly, no sooner are these positions filled by ‘outsiders’ then they seem to turnover again with Boards often citing fit as a reason those hired did not work out.
Nonprofit leadership is its own unique brand comprised of four key elements. Our field would be best served if any professional—nonprofit, for profit, academic—truly understood these core components before taking on a C-Suite role. All four are deeply entwined and not stand alones—it is the nuanced integration of all four that makes nonprofit leadership unique.
Vision: The ability to see and articulate a mission based narrative. All nonprofits are on a crusade. A future state that is aspirational and attainable needs to be bought into across all key constituencies.
Constituencies: The ability to clearly identify and functionally work with groups of internal and external audiences essential to the vision. Constituencies are fluid, some more important one day, others the next. Constituencies are also made up of key individuals whose relationships need to be valued and harnessed.
Individuals: The ability to not only embrace key staff but especially key volunteers. They come in a wide variety of skills, abilities and personalities. Weaving a consistent tapestry of individual contributions, inside a changing priority of constituencies, serving a nonprofit’s vision is both the magic and frustration of the nonprofit world.
Implementation: The ability to get things done. Staying disciplined to the vision amongst competing constituencies and individuals is much easier said than done. By their nature all nonprofits are emotional organizations. Effective leaders in this space must separate their own feelings from concrete action delivering implementation true to the vision, endorsed by competing constituencies and delivered by key individuals.
Over the next four months, one by one, we will give additional time to each of these four elements. They truly are the keys to successful leadership in the nonprofit field.
Mark currently serves as Chief Relationship Officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In his role, he provides strategic direction and overall leadership running the Field including the management and fiscal performance of the 56 Chapters as well as the development of key volunteer relationships on behalf of the society locally, regionally and nationally. Prior to the current position, served as Chief Development officer overseeing the Society’s donor development activities including major gifts, foundation giving, planned giving, corporate giving and outright/restricted gifts. Oversee all donor development activities at the national and chapter levels for LLS–the $300 million leader in blood cancer research.
Before LLS, Mark worked as first full time President of Autism Speaks–the largest autism science and advocacy organization in the world today. Merged three organizations into AS in 20 months. Raised over $60 million annually. Invested over $170 million into autism research. Passed national and state bills increasing funds for autism science while reducing out of pocket expenses for families. Helped make “autism” a household word through award winning Ad Council Campaign and the United Nation’s declaration of World Autism Awareness in perpetuity on April 2nd.
Prior to AS, Mark worked 20 years at the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation in a series of progressive jobs. Turned around ailing flagship chapter doubling revenue. Oversaw all national fundraising leading the Foundation to record years in it’s signature March for Babies event. Earlier in career served as the Foundation’s head of communications. Prior to March of Dimes worked as Director of Public Relations at the New York Lung Association.
04 Friday Mar 2016
Posted in Customer Focus
Customer experience does matter. It isn’t easy to get there but a road-map does exist.
Temkin Group’s research shows that companies evolve through six stages of CX maturity, but the higher levels of maturity take a significant jump in focus and commitment. What does that path look like? Take a look at this infographic.
Source: Customer Experience: The Path From Fluff to Tough (Infographic) | Customer Experience Matters®
29 Friday Jan 2016
Posted in Customer Focus
Leadership
CustomerThink has identified seven principles of simple, powerful, natural gifts that we’ve all been given should be our standard to elevate customer experience to a higher plane.
These make great sense.
Source: 7 Wonders of Effective Customer Experience Leaders | CustomerThink
28 Monday Dec 2015
Posted in Digital Business, People
Tags
Transformation isn’t easy and many times it fails. There are a variety of reasons. It isn’t easy and it won’t happen overnight. It is hard. It takes time and commitment.
It is worth figuring out in advance, if you will be in it for the long haul. Some questions to think through are:
Driving large and horizontal transformations for almost a decade has taught me three things.
1) Transformations are hard, and most of them fail.
2) There are not many transformation best practices.
3) No matter how small a company, there is no such thing as a quick transformation.
Yet, most of us are in the middle of a transformation of some sort in our organizations and for many of us, in our lives. How can we ensure that we transform? Successfully!
via Five Lessons for Successful Transformations | Constellation Research Inc..
22 Tuesday Dec 2015
Posted in Customer Focus
Business Strategy
CRM systems have been around a long time. Companies have had more failures than successes but the systems keep getting upgraded or replaced. They do a lot of things well. It is, however, not about the technology. What is generally missing is a great customer experience strategy, compelling leadership and culture change, along with standard processes that can be replicated.
What does a modern CRM system do once you have customer experience strategy, compelling leadership and culture change, along with standard processes that can be replicated?
The key to all of this is about strategy and people. Not being clear about this can kill any great technology initiative. We should all refuse to implement any technology where this is well thought out. Why flush millions of dollars down the toilet? No reason that I know of.
How do you modernize your CRM?
1) Align your CRM strategy with your customer experience strategy. Uber does this right. Their customer experience is journey is streamlined for minimum friction. For example, when you sign up, your payment information is accepted by a quick scan of a credit card. When you requests car service, the driver and car details are displayed, and progress can be tracked via GPS. Transactions are effortless as no money change hands. And when you need customer service, its effective and personalized.
2) Focus CRM outcomes on revenue uplift, not operational efficiencies. Don’t focus on intricate cost-based justifications for CRM – focus on business outcomes which quantify the value of driving higher levels of revenue and company profitability through winning, serving, and retaining customers and enabling the workforce to be more productive and aligned to customer strategies.
3) Leverage CRM to support the end-to-end customer journey. Customers are increasingly impatient as they engage with companies. They want to use multiple communication channels and touchpoints in the course of a single interaction, and not have to repeat their situation every time they switch channels. For example, they want to start a return process online, and drop the merchandise off in a store; or they want to purchase merchandise online, and pick it up in a store. You must elimitate points of friction in your customer journeys.
4) Deeply personalize engagement. Customer experiences must be deeply personalized, based on explicit and implicit feedback about customer needs and preferences, and must be delivered in the moment, taking into account a person’s current state and location. Weight Watchers does this well, tracking member online and offline behavior to tailor plans that can transform their health.
5) Extend CRM by leveraging integrations. Welcome to the Internet of Things. With modern services and standardized APIs, it’s easy to use lighter-weight CRM solutions, or best-in-breed applications, allowing organizations to purchase just what they need and integrate it into a larger technology ecosystem, rather than trying to purchase a massive application that covers every eventuality. A great example is New England Biolabs, a supplier of specialized enzymes and reagents for DNA research, who connects freezers in scientist labs to the internet to track inventory, and product usage. They use this information to better tailor formulas to scientists specific needs.
6) Engage users simply. Face it, most people hate using CRM, as data entry and retrieval is hard to do. CRM success demands role-based, simplified user interfaces. User experiences should be task-based and map to common processes, which proactively display relevant information such as the products that the customer owns, the services they subscribe to, and what customer tier they’re in.
21 Monday Dec 2015
Posted in People
Tags
I have long admired John Wooden but had never heard this story. I think this is a must read. What was it about Wooden that produced such extraordinary success as a player and coach?
There is an old saying that great leaders care about people and lead with skillful hands. This describes Wooden. 
Most people know John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach, for the 10 college basketball championships (including four perfect seasons) his UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team won while he was head coach from 1948 until 1975.
Many people also know Coach Wooden was inducted twice into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and as a coach. Some know Wooden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor.
Few, however, know about the event that constitutes his greatest contribution to the game of basketball.
On June 5, 2010, Coach Wooden died. He was 99 years old. His legacy lives on in the countless lives of those he served whether it was through standing up against prejudice nearly two decades before the Civil Rights Act or through the life lessons he taught and walked.
As a leader, you will have a legacy to be proud of if you follow coach Wooden’s example by: 1) Caring for the people you lead; 2) Teaching and developing their character and competence; and 3) Maintaining the attitude that a life not lived for others is a life not lived.
16 Wednesday Dec 2015
Posted in Customer Focus, Digital Business
Digital business transformation is about making fundamental changes in how business is conducted in order to help cope with a shift in environment. The shift has occurred. The shift is becoming a digital business. The approach should be about transformation.
What is happening in many cases is that we are adding racing stripes to a 20 year old Chevy and think we now have a race car. We don’t have a racecar. We still have a 20 year old Chevy that looks fast but isn’t.
The first thing is to recognize is that there is a “burning platform”. This is a decision by the CEO and the C-Suite that the business must be different to survive. Without that fundamental vision at the highest level, complete transformation can’t occur. Incremental gains can be made by others but true transformation has to be owned by the most senior of senior management.
Your company is likely to face an extinction event in the next 10 years. And while you may see it coming, you may not have enough time to save your company.” ~~Nigel Fenwick, “The Future of Business is Digital”
17 Tuesday Nov 2015
Posted in Digital Business
We all know it is true. We hate to be micromanagers. We hate to be micromanaged. And yet, do we need a 12 step program for this?
Now is a time to learn how to lead.
People don’t leave bad companies. They leave bad bosses. They don’t leave flawed organizational structures and abandon lousy products and technology. They leave flawed leadership.No matter how brilliant a company’s products and/or services may be, if management is dysfunctional, that company will have serious problems. It may not be immediate, but it’s nearly a guarantee that it will happen. This concept may sound like a no-brainer, but it continues to happen across all companies and industries, both big and small.
via Micromanagers: Flushing Companies Down the Toilet, One Detail at a Time | LinkedIn.
03 Tuesday Nov 2015
Posted in Digital Business
Tags
CIO, CMO, Digital Transformation, HBR, Leadership, Strategy, Trust
Companies that embrace new digital skills and technologies are more likely to experience higher profits and revenue growth, according to new research by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. They are also likely to have a CIO taking a leadership stance in digital transformation.
The research revealed the top seven strategies of CIOs within companies that HBR called “Digital Leaders,” organizations strong in both digital leadership and management.
Source: Infographic: 7 strategies CIOs are using to drive digital transformation | The Enterprisers Project
16 Wednesday Sep 2015
Posted in Digital Business, People
Tags
Leadership
Here are three great ideas about what is important to leadership.
Remember, integrity is powerful stuff. When you walk the talk, over and over again, you grow your credibility. In so doing you create a profound reservoir of trust and belief in your ability.
08 Tuesday Sep 2015
Posted in Digital Business
Tags
Is disruption on your agenda today? How much time will you devote to it? How many meetings do you have where that is to top item on the agenda? Are you leading the charge as the Chief Disruption Officer?
To say that the role of a CIO (chief information officer) has become more complicated and challenging today is an understatement, to say the least. Everything in our business space is changing at a mind-boggling speed.
Organizations are embracing more agile and nimble business practices. The combined forces of cloud, mobile, big data, analytics, and IoT—as well as many other trends—are bringing transformations we’ve never before experienced, never mind worked through. There’s mounting pressure on CIOs to capitalize on these emerging digital innovations, while, at the same time, keeping their IT operations running smoothly and securely.
The age of CIOs that believe in controlling their turf is practically over. We are witnessing the rise of a new breed of CIO—the disruptive one.
Source: What does a disruptive CIO look like in the age of digital transformation?
01 Tuesday Sep 2015
Posted in Strategy
Tags
Heart
There is a lot to be said about authenticity and a leader who has real passion. Matters of the heart matter. Mind numbing corporate speak shatters our commitment.
Can we articulate, in real human language, why what we are suggesting matters?
If not, give it some thought. It will pay off. What is in the heart matters. That is where we connect.
The genius of leadership is its humanness and heart, ~Lolly Daskal
21 Friday Aug 2015
Leadership
I am a big fan of list of things “to stop” doing. We all have “to do” lists but we all need more “to stop” lists. Here is a good one for transformative nonprofit leaders.
Which is your favorite?
Out: Micro-management, or the need to control every aspect of your nonprofit. In: Empowerment, the ability to give your people some rope–even rope to make mistakes without blame.
Out: Management by walking around the office; it is no longer enough to be visible. In: Leadership by watching and listening, engaging in conversation, implementing the ideas presented to you, and distributing the results.
Out: Pretending you know everything. You don’t have all the answers, so why try to make people think you do? In: Knowing your leadership team members and trusting them. Choose great people who have the right skills and fit the culture. And get out of the way.
Out: No mistakes, or a “no tolerance policy” some still think works. In: Learning from mistakes, or being the first to admit an error.
Out: The balance sheet drives the nonprofit, and informs all other decisions. In: People drive the nonprofit, boosting donor loyalty, and profit.
Out: Job competency is sufficient. Do the job asked, and you’ll survive. In: Recruit “A” players who will go the extra mile. They’re out there.
Out: Invest in technology to increase productivity. In: Invest in people.
Out: Demand change; be very specific about what you want and when. In: Nurture change; your people can come up with the best ideas and you can give them credit for it.
Out: Fried food in the cafeteria. In: Wellness in the workplace.
Out: Incentives; pay employees more money and they’ll do more. In: Rewards; being valued matters more than money.
11 Tuesday Aug 2015
Posted in Digital Business, Strategy
Tags
Agile and speed
It has never been easy to be a leader. Maybe it is tougher now than before and maybe it isn’t.
It is a fact that we have to faster than we ever have been before. The pace of disruption in the digital world is a radical reality to deal with. Someone is gunning to disrupt your business model. We may not see it and we many not know it but it is a reality. Knowing it, as a leader, gives us an advantage.
Are we measuring the cycle time from idea to execution? Do we have strategies to increase our speed of delivery? Are we fostering a culture of agility? Do we reward speed? Do we hire for speed?
We are up to the challenge. We need to focus on becoming more digital everyday. We need to focus our resources on accelerating that capacity. We can’t afford to let up.
Good leaders have always stepped out of their comfort zones, but converging global megatrends are putting more pressure on those at the top to navigate a faster, more complex, more integrated, and more transparent business world.
10 Monday Aug 2015
Posted in Digital Business, People
Tags
Nail
We have all seen the nail sticking up. We all, pretty much, do the same thing. Our instinct is to get our hammer and nail it down.
Leadership is about avoiding that tendency. Leadership is about asking, is there a reason the nail is sticking up.
Leadership is about a lot of things. Leadership is not about being a hammer.
We all know what happens to the nail that sticks up – it gets hammered down. And nobody wants to be that nail.
There are several flavors of fear that cause us to drive over cliffs. Here are some examples:
- Fear of Ridicule – if everybody else is going along with an idea, it must be because they’re smarter than you. No one wants to be called out as the idiot who can’t understand how brilliant the idea is.
- Fear of the Unknown – We all know what happens when we follow along, but what will happen if we object to the idea is anyone’s guess. We’re pretty sure it’s bad, though.
- Fear of Isolation – The team is all standing over there. Why should I stand over here by myself? Being the nay-sayer can be a lonely role, and I might find myself exiled to a radar station in the Aleutians.
via The Importance of the Nail That Sticks Up | Fortium Partners Blog.
03 Friday Jul 2015
Posted in Digital Business
Social Media
As a digital nonprofit executive, you’ve decided that communities and social media are an important strategy. With so much to do, where do you begin?
Here are four key steps.
This is a case where many hands make light work.
When it comes to building community and increasing brand awareness, some organizations hire communications, marketing, and engagement staff to handle these activities. And that makes sense — someone needs to be charged with keeping a close eye on the organization’s community growth.
Jamie Millard and Lori L. Jacobwith also suggest that building awareness for your important work in an increasingly cluttered space can’t be the responsibility of just one person or even a department. When an organization embraces the culture of creating and empowering all staff to become “brand ambassadors,” authentic and exponential growth starts to happen.
More here: Ctrl+Alt+Delete: Rebooting Your Digital Community Building | NTEN.
23 Tuesday Jun 2015
Tags
Leadership
Any great leader faces a multitude of challenges every day. Whether it’s communicating strategy, helping people through change, holding on to excellence in the face of compromise, or just navigating the leadership environment, there is no shortage of development opportunities lurking in each day’s schedule.
Les McKeown has worked over the years with leaders on all of the challenges above–and many, many more. But surprisingly, the skill that he sees more leaders struggle with more than any other is relatively mundane (but very important): the ability to work with their team as an equal. To be “merely” a resource, rather than the team leader.
As we’ve seen, many leaders can only operate in one of two modes–in charge, or not there. In other words, once they join their team (virtually or otherwise), the team instantly defers to them, and they take the lead.
Truly great leaders have a third mode: The ability to sit with their team without needing to be in charge, using their subject matter knowledge just the same way as anyone else around the table would.
What do you do if you currently work for a leader that isn’t helping you? Michael Hyatt has some very insightful ideas. All five of these are spot on.
But what if you are in that situation right now? Here are five ways to cope:
- Manage your expectations. When you read a lot of books and blogs about leadership, it is easy to become idealistic. If you are not careful, you can create a set of expectations that no one could possibly meet. You have to remember your boss is human—and fallen at that. He struggles with his own fears, wounds, and weaknesses. He has his own accountabilities and pressure. He will experience good days and bad.
- Evaluate the impact. What kind of effect is your boss having on you and your teammates? Is he over-bearing and abusive? Incompetent or careless? Or is he checked out or inaccessible? I have worked in all of these situations and each of them requires a different response. Some are easier to put up with and manage around than others.
- Consider your options. If the situation is bad enough, it may warrant your resignation. I have only been in one job where I did this, and frankly—knowing what I know now—I wish I had stayed. But your circumstances may be different. Most situations provide an opportunity to learn, if you are alert and teachable. Some of the best lessons I ever learned were from bad bosses.
- Be assertive. Bad bosses have a way of creating a culture of fear, where people are afraid to speak up. But this may be the perfect opportunity for you to become more courageous. This doesn’t mean you have to be disrespectful. Nor does it require that you become inappropriately aggressive. Being assertive means giving voice to your needs and establishing clear boundaries.
- Support him publicly. Someone once said, “public support leads to private influence.” I think that is exactly right. When I have been in these situations, I have refused to publicly debate my boss or to gossip about him behind his back. I looked for positive attributes (everyone has them) and publicly affirmed them. I was loyal when he wasn’t present. This gave me credibility when I needed it later.
19 Friday Jun 2015
Posted in Digital Business
Tags
Social Media
Is Twitter and social media just for people who like to say what they ate for lunch? Is it a useless tool for self gratification?
I don’t think so. Here is a great resource on who to follow for leadership ideas. Tom Peters is one of my favorites but there are some others I wasn’t familiar with that have great insights.
Mary Jo Asmus @mjasmus Mary Jo is a great sharer. Following her will not only give you her insights, but will point you to great ideas and insights of others as well. She, like several others on this list, is a jump start to finding the best new leadership thinking online.
Wally Bock @WallyBock I’ve known Wally a long time (and not just on Twitter!). He is an early leadership Twitter adopter and uses it in a powerful way to share his ideas and others. Watch for his Boss’s Tip of the Day!
Lolly Daskal @LollyDaskal Lolly started the #leadfromwithin Twitter phenomenon. If you know Twitter, search on that hashtag and you will see what a reach and influence she has. If you don’t, following her stream will give you a great sense of how developing yourself plays an important role in your ability to lead others.
Mike Henry @MikeHenrySr Mike, like Lolly, leads a movement that has a place on Twitter. He is the founder of the Lead Change Group, and very active in Twitter-land. He shares his insights, links to other great resources, quotations, and more. A must-follow if you want to get connected to great leadership thinking.
Michael Hyatt @MichaelHyatt Michael is the former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing. This gives his tweets in many cases a different perspective and the nature of his experience provides ideas and concepts that are different from many others. He is one of my favorite people to read — both his Twitter feed and his blog <- http://michaelhyatt.com/ .
Steve Keating @LeadToday Steve’s Twitter profile says it all. “Builder of People, Improving the Sales Profession, Developing the Next Generation of Leaders, Not selling a thing on Twitter, only giving back.” Here’s proof. When looking at his feed as I wrote this, I retweeted two of his recent posts. GREAT stuff always. And he gives back a lot – with over 43,000 tweets (and over 255,000 followers) at this writing.
Michael McKinney @LeadershipNow Mike is a great blogger and does Twitter right. A blend of his stuff and that of others. He even tweets me sometimes! There is no question that Mike belongs on this list.
Mike Myatt @mikemyatt Mike Myatt is one of the smartest and most thought provoking people online. He consults and coaches CEOs and writes for Forbes (among much more), and fewer than 10,000 people follow him. He is a gem. Follow him.
Dan Rockwell @leadershipfreak Dan is prolific, smart and a consummate sharer. This is another guy that had to be on this list. In fact, he is the first name Becky and I mentioned when we started the list.
Jesse Lyn Stoner @jesselynstoner Jesse is a smart consultant, speaker and author. Her book Full Steam Ahead (with Ken Blanchard) came out in a second edition this year. You don’t do second edition of books that didn’t sell well. Jesse’s Twitter feed is full of great insights for leaders, especially about her expertise on vision.
http://blog.kevineikenberry.com/leadership/top-leadership-tweeters/
21 Tuesday Apr 2015
Posted in Strategy
Change
Everybody is on the innovation bandwagon. It is the “buzzword” of the year. Unless what we are talking about is disruptive, we are probably talking about monumental change and change management.
This may be the “elephant in the C-Suite” but it is an elephant none the less. Innovation is great but it may not be what is really necessary. Change is important and done well it will be very disruptive.
Got innovation? Just about every company says it does.
Companies throw the term “innovation” around but that doesn’t mean they are actually changing anything monumental. Leslie Kwoh reports on digits.
Businesses throw around the term to show they’re on the cutting edge of everything from technology and medicine to snacks and cosmetics. Companies are touting chief innovation officers, innovation teams, innovation strategies and even innovation days.
But that doesn’t mean the companies are actually doing any innovating. Instead they are using the word to convey monumental change when the progress they’re describing is quite ordinary.
17 Friday Apr 2015
Posted in Strategy
Tags
Here is a pretty good list. I enjoyed the movie “Men in Black 3” a lot. Who knew I would also get leadership lessons. But I did.
1. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.” Agent K. || Think about this quote, lots to ponder here.
2. “Do you know what the most destructive force in the Universe is? Regret!” ~Agent K. || Sentences beginning with “If I had only” “What if I” “I should have…” Regret eats people alive, it forces people to live in past.
3. “A miracle is what appears impossible, but happens anyway.” ~Griffin || Miracles do happen, nothing is impossible, believe, believe, believe.
4. “The bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie.” ~Griffin || This is something that we learn as a very young child… Always tell the truth.
5. “We’re running out of time, we’re running out of clues, and there’s an invasion coming, so really we need to go right now!” ~Agent J. || I’ll allow you to get creative with this one. Think, Think, Think.
6. “Where there is death, there will always be death.” || There is lots of metaphoric truth here… where there is darkness, there will always be darkness.
7. “There are things out there you don’t need to know about.” Agent K. || Truth for all ages.
via 7 Life and Leadership Lessons From Men In Black 3 | Big Is The New Small.
01 Wednesday Apr 2015
Posted in Digital Business
Business Transformation
As digital executives, we need the courage to lead a digital transformation and we need the wisdom to listen to our customers. This is the age of the customer. The customer is in control. For the customer, you are who they see and connect with digitally. If you are not digital, you are increasingly become irrelevant for most customers. That may be painful to hear but it is reality. There is good news. You can transform your business. In the age of the customer, business is digital.
In a world where technology is empowering customers like never before, you can help them discover your company, explore who you are, buy from you and engage with your brand and products. It is clear that the speed in which consumers are embracing this world is one of a dizzying pace. It is easy to feel like you are woefully behind. We all feel like we are struggling to keep up with the pace of change.
As digital executives, we must lead our companies into this new world. We can’t delay. We must have a sense of urgency. We must transform, not evolve. We can’t afford to be the dinosaur.
We must embrace the challenge of engaging the digital customer. Their experience of us is the only thing that will matter to us in the long term. We must drive agility. A slow pace will kill us. We also must drive efficiency through digital operational excellence.
This is a clearly a challenge. It is a tall order. It is hard stuff to be sure. Rest assured there is help to make this journey.
The Bottom Line: Digital Darwinism Is Unkind To Those Who Wait – Disruption is waiting around the corner. Speed is of essence. Delay is not useful. Now is the time to have a sound, effective and speedy digital strategy. Transformation is essential. Read more here …
Transformational leadership is needed and it is needed now – Leadership in the digital transformation world is purposeful in its approach to creating a long term sustainable change. Change efforts will be designed in a top-down approach in some cases. And they will be constantly refined from the bottom-up. Employees are not expected to conform as much as they are expected to be involved and engaged. The communication approach of digital executives is more like a campaign rather than a carefully refined command and control approach. Change activities are more likely to be a refine and reinforce approach. Read more here …
Do you have an innovators heart for your company mission? Where is the sense of urgency? – There is a gap that is growing in your company. It is the gap between the connected customer, their expectations and the programs, products and services you are offering. 80% of the U. S. adult population uses the internet. Most of them have smart phones or will soon. Most of your customers are constantly connected from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep. As companies, our reality is a digital world. And so do you have a sense of urgency to bridge the gap? What does it take to compete for the hearts of your connected customers? Do you have a plan? Is that plan funded? Read more here …
Do I have enough courage to be a digital executive? – We live in a digital world. Our business is essentially “eBusiness”. If not so much today, then surely soon. The alternative is probably to be out of business. Some great questions to think of:
More than all of these things, we need courage. The road isn’t always easy. We have a vision and can marshal the resources. Can we be bold enough to see it through to the end? Read more here …
“Companies who are not thinking hard – across the executive suite – about how they will position themselves in the digital landscape may find themselves woefully unprepared for the next ten years.” ~Lindsey Anderson – Many of us face an interesting question. Who will lead the digital charge in our company? Why is that important? Read more here …
How to be ready for digital disruption and the rough road ahead – A central question to answer as a digital executive is “Is my company ready to be disrupted?” Critical to this question is the premise that you are going to be disrupted fairly radically if you don’t get ready. Do you personally believe a “radical change” is happening now? Of course, if you don’t believe that, no need to ask the question. Read more here …
Digital transformation is turning every business into a tech business – Disruption is here or at least on the horizon. The cost to start up and create new models of business have come way down. Some aspect of your business that should be digital right now or soon needs to be transformed. Maybe it is your whole business model. Trust that someone else out there is already doing it or will be soon. Now is the time. Today is the day. Embracing digital transformation is a key initiative for every executive. Customers get to decide. They are in control. Are they happy or about to jump ship? Read more here …
30 Monday Mar 2015
Posted in People
Tags
Leadership
I have seen several variations on what this article calls a “leadership brand”.
The statement is phrased as “I want to be known for being ______________ so that I can deliver __________.”
The author (Norm Smallwood co-founder of The RBL Group) makes it a little more complicated than that (it has five steps) but has some good thinking about it if you want more detail.
What do you want to be known for?
05 Thursday Feb 2015
Posted in Strategy
Tags
Dallas, Guest Blog, iPhone, Leadership, Open source, Operating system, Ubuntu, Vinay, Vinay Nadig, YouTube
Vinay Nadig is my guest blogger today. Vinay’s mission in life is to help people practice leadership as a daily behavior and enable themselves and their teams to achieve exceptional outcomes. 
Vinay has spent more than 2 decades building companies, delivering value, serving clients, sometimes failing and ultimately succeeding on his own terms. From a serial entrepreneur, to the leader of a business unit in a corporation, and entrepreneurial positions in technology startups, Vinay constantly “lives leadership daily.” Vinay is usually engaged with a select group of client companies, doing meaningful work to help them grow the next generation of leaders. On occasion, he works with motivated individuals who wish to take their performance to the next level and live exceptional lives. He enjoys speaking at conferences and company events and discussing his opinions on his blog.
Vinay lives in the Dallas, TX area with his wife and two children. Here are his thoughts.
i.e. Your Core Operating System – the “software” that helps your leadership behavior…..
No, I don’t mean your version of Windows or Macintosh or Ubuntu. I am listening to Daniel Pink’s Drive on audio, and he talks about the “operating system” for motivation (and the fact that it is outdated to fit today’s workplace). It is fascinating and provoked me to apply it to the area of my particular passion – that of daily leadership behavior.
I believe that each of us has to design, build and polish our Cores – and the concept of Operating Systems (OS) fits right into this! What kind of Core have we built? Do we think it is sufficiently refreshed to keep us relevant today? Are there parts missing? To wit:
So, take a few minutes and reflect on your Core. You will be able to figure out that “upgrade path” as the technology mavens are always talking about – only this time it is your own internal “software”………
02 Friday Jan 2015
Posted in Customer Focus, Digital Business
Wheel of Disruption
Brian Solis nails it. This isn’t time to react. This is the time to lead.
Now is the time to decide you are going to be a digital executive.
Now is the time to decide you are going to be a digital business.
Now is the time to not be disrupted.
Now is the time to connect people.
Tomorrow will have you left behind both personally and corporately. Disruption is around the corner.
Now is the time!
Most businesses are merely reacting to the rapid evolution of technology rather than trying to create engaged customer experiences throughout the life-cycle.
In a world where screens and real-life moments define the impressions and resulting actions of customers, businesses need to rethink their approach. Smartphones, laptops, tablets, smart watches, Google Glass et al., it’s not slowing down. Technology and innovation is only accelerating.
Via Brian Solis
26 Friday Dec 2014
Posted in Strategy
Tags
Compassion is a huge thing as a leader. That it is lacking in so many cases today is stunning.
We hear a lot about freedom to make mistakes but what is the response if someone makes one, admits it and learns from it? As a leader, what is your response? Think about it.
So, what is courage? Can you lead from the heart? Do you have courage to forgive?
Courage is about connecting to reality and suspending judgement. As a leader, courage is about love. That is our mission. That is how we serve others.
“Without courage, compassion falters. Without compassion, courage has no direction.” ~ Eric Greitens
12 Friday Dec 2014
Posted in Strategy
Tags
Leadership, Management, Management by wandering around, Micromanagement, Time management, Workplace wellness
I am a big fan of list of things “to stop” doing. We all have “to do” lists but we all need more “to stop” lists. Here is a good one for leaders.
Which is your favorite?
Out: Micro-management, or the need to control every aspect of your company. In: Empowerment, the ability to give your people some rope–even rope to make mistakes without blame.
Out: Management by walking around the office; it is no longer enough to be visible. In: Leadership by watching and listening, engaging in conversation, implementing the ideas presented to you, and distributing the results.
Out: Pretending you know everything. You don’t have all the answers, so why try to make people think you do? In: Knowing your leadership team members and trusting them. Choose great people who have the right skills and fit the culture. And get out of the way.
Out: No mistakes, or a “no tolerance policy” some still think works. In: Learning from mistakes, or being the first to admit an error.
Out: The balance sheet drives the business, and informs all other decisions. In: People drive the business, boosting customer loyalty, and profit.
Out: Job competency is sufficient. Do the job asked, and you’ll survive. In: Recruit “A” players who will go the extra mile. They’re out there.
Out: Invest in technology to increase productivity. In: Invest in people.
Out: Demand change; be very specific about what you want and when. In: Nurture change; your people can come up with the best ideas and you can give them credit for it.
Out: Fried food in the cafeteria. In: Wellness in the workplace.
Out: Incentives; pay employees more money and they’ll do more. In: Rewards; being valued matters more than money.
08 Saturday Nov 2014
Tags
Why is important. It is in fact the starting point. Without it, our business, is just another commodity. Plenty of companies do what we do. Some do it how we do it. It will be rare that any can beat us at the why.
Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question “Why?” His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers … (Filmed at TEDxPugetSound.)
Simon Sinek
How do you explain when things don’t go as we assume? Or better, how do you explain when others are able to achieve things that seem to defy all of the assumptions? For example: Why is Apple so innovative? Year after year, after year, after year, they’re more innovative than all their competition. And yet, they’re just a computer company. They’re just like everyone else. They have the same access to the same talent, the same agencies, the same consultants, the same media. Then why is it that they seem to have something different? Why is it that Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights Movement? He wasn’t the only man who suffered in a pre-civil rights America, and he certainly wasn’t the only great orator of the day. Why him? And why is it that the Wright brothers were able to figure out controlled, powered man flight when there were certainly other teams who were better qualified, better funded … and they didn’t achieve powered man flight, and the Wright brothers beat them to it. There’s something else at play here.
Golden Circle – Why, How and What
About three and a half years ago I made a discovery. And this discovery profoundly changed my view on how I thought the world worked, and it even profoundly changed the way in which I operate in it. As it turns out, there’s a pattern. As it turns out, all the great and inspiring leaders and organizations in the world — whether it’s Apple or Martin Luther King or the Wright brothers — they all think, act and communicate the exact same way. And it’s the complete opposite to everyone else. All I did was codify it, and it’s probably the world’s simplest idea. I call it the golden circle.
Why? How? What? This little idea explains why some organizations and some leaders are able to inspire where others aren’t. Let me define the terms really quickly. Every single person, every single organization on the planet knows what they do, 100 percent. Some know how they do it, whether you call it your differentiated value proposition or your proprietary process or your USP. But very, very few people or organizations know why they do what they do. And by “why” I don’t mean “to make a profit.” That’s a result. It’s always a result. By “why,” I mean: What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organization exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care? Well, as a result, the way we think, the way we act, the way we communicate is from the outside in. It’s obvious. We go from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. But the inspired leaders and the inspired organizations — regardless of their size, regardless of their industry — all think, act and communicate from the inside out.
07 Thursday Aug 2014
Linda A. Hill and Kent Lineback, authors of “Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader,” describe the three types of networks you need to succeed.
A very honest conversation about politics in organizations and why it is important not to ignore it. You may be a CIO or a part of the C-Suite, a VP, a Director, a manager or team player. Should you ignore the politics of relationships?
A great lesson for sure.
09 Monday Jun 2014
Posted in Customer Focus, Digital Business
Unified Customer Experience
If your company has more than 1 department then the reality is that you have silos. The larger you grow the more that is your reality. The more that is your reality, the more likely it is that the customer experience is fragmented and frustrating to your customers.
You also know that customers don’t relate to departments. Customers see you as a company and don’t care about the silos. In fact, when they encounter silo-ed behavior, they might just get angry.
That makes the case for unifying your customer experience. When approached from a department’s point of view, the department may sub optimize what should be a unified customer experience.
Someone needs to take leadership of the unification process for your customer’s experiences with your company. Someone has to champion the whole experience.
Will it be you? If not, why not?
03 Tuesday Jun 2014
Posted in Digital Business, Technology
Against the Grain
I am a big fan of the work that Constellation Research does. We have lots of lists that writers develop of things “to do”. Richie Etwaru a Constellation Orbit author and Group Vice President, Clouding and Digital Innovation at Cegedim Relationship Management has developed a list of things CIO’s shouldn’t do. The list is from over two decades of his observations in first, second and third person. Before publishing he asked over 50 Fortune 1000 CIOs and CTOs to review and comment; their feedback is included.
At the core of everything below is going against the grain and the herd, and embracing counter intuition. Whether you embrace counter intuition systematically, or selectively, most of the items below are suggesting in their cognitive DNA counter-intuitive thinking. via 10 Things Most Exceptional CIOs Never Do | Constellation Research Inc..
The list below is from over two decades of observations from Rithie. At the core of everything below is going against the grain and the herd, and embracing counter intuition. Some of these make sense. Some I admit I need to think about more. Challenging the status quo is a good thing.
