Session 1- Introduction and Chapter 1
The emphasis in the first session, covering the Introduction and Chapter 1 focused on discussing the 3 core processes mentioned in the book: People, Strategy, and Budgeting/Operations and the role of the leader in each of those processes. The authors state that often leadership views execution as something to be delegated, which is the case, in their opinion for the lackluster performance of many organizations and the ousting of many leaders. Bossidy and Charan state that lack of execution is the single biggest obstacle to success most of the time and that one of the Leaders major roles is to instill and practice a culture of execution.
Questions:
- Have you ever experienced the effects of a lack of execution from leadership and what effect did that have on you personally and the organization?
- Discuss the significance of the Leader’s investment in picking the right people, setting (and communicating) the strategic direction, and involvement in operations. How balanced are these from your previous experience and where do you personally need to focus for improvement?
- What is MBWA and why is it important – how does it contribute to a culture of execution?
1.) My previous employer provided me the opportunity to experience a "lack of execution". As a front-line manager, this was especially difficult because my employees were depending on me, and I could do little but depend on higher level managers during a difficult change process. Although the situation was challenging, it was a blessing. I gained knowledge that only comes from experience. The skills, understanding and abilities I gained were tremendous. Unfortunately, the organization continued to fail in execution of their plans and has since been bought by another company. The company's constant inability to follow through with change, ultimately lead to the demise of their leadership team and the organization as a whole. I, however, learned my lesson and am a better manager as a result. I learned from others mistakes.
ReplyDelete2.) Selecting the right people is essential to the success of an organization. One thing to consider, however, is that we tend to select other leaders that are similar to ourselves. Although we must have a common vision, the organization is more likely to thrive when diversity is created. If we weren't challenged, we wouldn't grow. So, we must carefully select our people, but we must also value their differing opinions, ideas, strategic plans, etc.
3.) Management by walking around! MBWA allows a manager the opportunity to build rapport with their staff/clients, to know what's "going on" from a front-line prospective and to create a prescence in the workplace. Too often, we get stuck behind piles of paperwork and forget to get out from behind our desks and do what matters most... build releationships! The quality and success of our organization depends on the strength of the releationships within it.
Nicole you make a great point about the tendency to hire others of similar personalities as ourselves, or those who we feel less threatening. I have seen this over and over again, usually with the one who challenges assumptions quietly (or not so quietly) pushed out because it made others on the team uncomfortable. In my last position I had such an employee and protected that employee's place on the team even though it created some friction because of the value I felt was added to the institution. I learned shortly after I left that this individual was released. Conformity sounds good but it can be damaging if we're not careful.
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