Posts

THE DREAMER, THE REALIST AND THE CRITIC -The Value Of Different Perspectives

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When a close colleague of Walt Disney’s was asked what he thought were the secrets of Walt’s success, he reportedly replied “There were actually three different Walts: the dreamer, the realist and the critic. You never knew which one was coming to your meeting.”

  • Walt the dreamer was optimistic – the creative, self-actualised, “big picture”, inventor of new ideas.
  • Walt the realist was the practical one – the planner, the organiser, the one focused on “getting stuff done”.
  • Walt the critic was skeptical – testing dreams and plans against reality, looking for gaps, obstacles and risks.

With the inclination and ability to look at a single issue from multiple perspectives, Walt Disney was able to creatively solve complex problems and consistently make sound decisions that ultimately led to his significant success.

Walt Disney was not alone in recognising the value of looking at things from different perspectives, and indeed Edward de Bono’s renowned Six Thinking Hats technique is all about using multiple points of view to improve problem solving and decision making. Read more →

HR Consulting

How Strong Are the Links in Your Management Chain?

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I’m sure we’ve all had the experience at one time or another of seeing apparently sound decisions fall apart at the point of implementation, or otherwise proceed but result in unintended consequences.

This can of course happen in connection with any type of decision, and staff-related decisions are certainly no exception. Indeed, training initiatives, recognition programs and performance review systems are classic examples of well-intended business improvement initiatives that can go awry.

Of the many possible reasons for things going off track (poor project management or inadequate resourcing, for example), one of the most common concerns the role of middle managers/supervisors. Read more →

Sales Consulting

Sales Leadership

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What does good leadership mean? Wayne gives his insight by explaining that”Leadership is the art of getting people to willingly strive to achieve team goals”.

View Wayne’s latest appearance on Strategic Selling Group for further insight on this subject or watch the video below:

 

 

Are You Prepared To Be Less Of A D*ckhead To Be A Better Leader?

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As usual, the annual Conference on Culture and Leadership presented by Human Synergistics Australia earlier this week delivered the goodies, with some great speakers sharing their personal leadership and workplace culture experiences with an enthusiastic Sydney audience.

One of the many things on the day that resonated strongly with me arose out of a performance piece by the talented corporate dramatists from Coup, which successfully highlighted the challenges and opportunities typically presented by leadership and workplace culture change.

In the piece, one of the dramatists playing the role of “the Ghost of Business Future” (with all due respect to Charles Dickens), asked the struggling CEO if he wanted to become a better leader in order to save the business from its projected downward spiral. Of course he said yes, to which the Ghost of Business Future responded quite simply “Great…. so are you prepared to be less of a d*ckhead?”

The laughs from the audience suggest that I wasn’t the only one for whom this comment resonated. As much as we might typically use more accepted corporate language, structured models and frameworks to diagnose and improve leadership effectiveness, I couldn’t help but think that this phrase, as undiplomatic as it might be, provides some fundamental truths. Read more →

Leader or Manager?

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To quote Peter Drucker, “Management is about doing things right, Leadership is about doing the right things”.
A leader provides direction (short and long range focus) and answers the “What and why?” (a manger answers the ‘how to’). Leaders provide the strategic direction of an organisation (where to play and how to win) and establish the all-important culture and environment of an organisation. Without direction, focus, clear communication and the right culture, businesses struggle to succeed in today’s market.
Throughout my career in sales, management and consulting, I have regularly witnessed examples of good and poor management; and I have also found all good leaders share similar traits. Good leaders are/have/do:
  • results oriented
  • not accepting of the status quo
  • strong inter-personal skills
  • know their own strengths and weaknesses
  • creative and innovative
  • set goals that are clear, challenging and realistic
  • empower others

Read more →