Leadership Quote: Vision Without Execution…

Leadership Quote: Vision Without Execution…

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

Business man cartoon character with road to successThis month’s leadership quote:  

Vision without execution is hallucination.

 — Thomas A. Edison

When leaders focus solely on vision and strategy and not on execution, put simply, nothing gets done. Successful leaders know that a vision is a destination that their team can rally around. They also know that while the vision is their job, it is a  team effort to develop a strategy for getting there.

At the same time, once the vision and strategy are defined, results only happen with implementation. And only succeed with the monitoring and evaluation that follows.

In my experience, leaders who see their only job as generating the big ideas and abdicate their leadership role when it comes to execution are suffering from the hallucinations Thomas Edison describes.  By avoiding learning about the people they lead, the technologies their companies use, the customers they serve, and numerous other crucial little things, they miss the key elements of execution.

This is why Vistage members share their vision, strategy and execution plans, are accountable to each other for all three and outperform their industry peers.

 

Elisa K. Spain

 

Leadership Development: Not Just For Women

Leadership Development: Not Just For Women

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

2013 06-03 Elisa Spain Women in Business Blog PictureLeadership Development: Not Just for Women

As part of our leadership development, my Vistage groups frequently select a book to read as a group. Recently, my Vistage Inside group chose the book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandburg.

 

On the day we discussed this book in my group, the first person to speak was a man. His comment was “This is not a gender issue. This book resonated for me and the challenges I have in my career”.

This book has garnered both praise and criticism and certainly puts to rest the question of whether a book can spark a debate.

The debate centers around two issues. First, given Sheryl’s wealth and position, is she truly able to advise young women? And, is she placing too much of the onus on women who are already struggling to fulfill impossible demands, and too little on government and employers to provide better child care, more flexible jobs and other concrete gains.

Having begun my career in the 1970’s, for me the book initially was a reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same.  While certainly gender neutrality has occurred in many jobs, the executive suite is one where the numbers say otherwise.

That said, I wonder, is the question really about gender neutrality or is it about the challenges that women and men face as they navigate the path to career advancement?

I wonder if the real questions that Sheryl is suggesting we, women and men, ask are:

  • What is the path to a “seat at the table”?
  • What risks must I take?
  • What personal choices must I make to achieve career success (i.e. choice of mate, where I live, who my friends are)?

And, finally the most key question,

  •  What must I give up, to get what I want?

For more on this topic, see previous post,  Laws of Success: Perfection of The Life or Perfection of The Work

 

Elisa K. Spain

 

Leadership Quote: The Art Of Being Wise….

Leadership Quote: The Art Of Being Wise….

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

i2013 07-28 Owl Stock_000002106217XSmallThis month’s leadership quote: 

The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.

 — William Jones

How many times do we notice something, point it out and then regret it later, wishing we had kept quiet. In our quest for excellence, sometimes we forget that perfection and excellence are not the same. Excellence sometimes is simply knowing what to accept as good enough and what to overlook.

Here’s an idea…

Today, instead of looking around your office, your plant, or the long to-do list and noticing what is missing:

  • What if you, instead, noticed a critical item that is working and gave someone specific positive feedback?
  • And, decided to overlook something less important, that may not be exactly what you wanted, but is really good enough?

Elisa K. Spain

 

Vistage Confidence Index: CEO Optimism Grows In Q2 2013

Vistage Confidence Index: CEO Optimism Grows In Q2 2013

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

chartQ2 2013The quarterly Vistage Confidence Index is now available.

CEOs held optimistic views about the overall economy as well as for their own firms in the Q2 2013 Vistage CEO Confidence Index. While there was a slight shift in their assessments of the economy, how CEOs viewed prospects for their own firms have been remarkably stable since the start of the year.

The Vistage CEO Confidence Index was 96.7 in the 2nd quarter 2013 survey, virtually unchanged from the 96.6 in the 1st quarter, and above the 92.8 in last year’s 2nd quarter.

Below are some key highlights from the Q2 2013 Vistage CEO Confidence Index (all members surveyed):

  • 62% of CEOs see rising home prices as a positive sign of overall improvement in the economy.
  • 30% of CEOs allow their staff to work from home at least one day a week.
  • 53% of CEOs believe economic conditions in the U.S. have improved compared with a year ago, while only 33% believe conditions will improve in the next year.

Elisa K. Spain

Leadership View #11: Hardest Task

Leadership View #11: Hardest Task

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

2013 06-23 iStock_000010450125XSmallLeadership View #11:

Hardest task – changing your leadership and management styles as your company grows or you go up the ladder. 

I often hear entrepreneurs say, “I don’t want to lose the culture as I grow this company” or “We are like a family, I want to keep this feeling as we grow”. And yet as the company grows the culture inevitably changes and the owner no longer knows the name and the family of every employee.

And, what the company needs as it moves from “go-go” to “prime” (to quote Vistage speaker Gerry Faust) is for the leader to change.

In the go-go period, everyone is equal and it is all about getting the job done, getting the orders out, meeting the customer needs. Typically the owner is the chief sales officer and innovator. And, then as a company adds more people and moves to prime, management becomes necessary and terms like “building a leadership team” come into play.

Suddenly the owner is thrust into a role of CEO and has people reporting to him or her who are focused on their own career path. These key executives want the opportunity to innovate and have an impact themselves. And, the CEO while still expected to define the vision, must also become a coach and mentor, allowing others to grow and develop as leaders.

At the same time, the folks who came to the company as experts and doers are often expected to become managers. And those that came to “manage” are expected to become leaders. The best operations manager who succeeded because he or she can implement processes must learn to think like an owner and take a broad view. These new roles and new ways of thinking require new behaviors as well.

Those that are able to change are those rare few that build and lead the less than 1% of companies >$100mm in revenue.

Elisa K. Spain

 

Leadership View #6: Some Problems Can’t Be “Solved”

Leadership View #6: Some Problems Can’t Be “Solved”

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

2013 05-12 Fresh PerspectiveiStock_000019408214XSmall Leadership View #6:

Some problems can’t be “solved” (and, hopefully, made to go away) – they must be managed and may require the leader’s repetitive attention and time.

As leaders and managers, we have been taught to find the root cause and fix the problem. This Leadership View seems to fly in the face of that.

What do you mean “some problems can’t be solved”?

For me the key word here is repetition. For anything to be sustainable, it must be repeated. We humans get distracted, forget what we learned and have to be reminded. This is what Vistage is all about. Our members hear from a speaker 8 times a year. Do you really think each speaker brings something new to the table? Rather, they often are reinforcing a similar message. And, we hear the message differently depending on where we are in our lives and our businesses at the time. An entrepreneur leading a start-up will hear a leadership message differently 10 years later when he or she is challenged with building a leadership team that will lead to a sustainable enterprise.

I asked one of our long term Vistage members recently if he had ever considered leaving Vistage. His answer was “never, I learn something at every meeting, every one-to-one.” He leads a highly successful, high growth business. My belief is he learns something new each time, because he comes with different ears each time.

The same is true for the people that work for us. Some problems can’t be solved, because things happen. Life isn’t static and our businesses and our processes aren’t static. Last year in a post entitled “Is Your Leadership Team Your Co-Advisor“, I talked about the DIME Method: Design, Implement, Monitor, Evaluate. For me the repetition speaks to the Monitor and Evaluate part of the continuum. As problems get solved and things change, we must monitor, evaluate and then design again.

As you mull over this idea that problems can’t be solved, I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions:

  • When was the last time we monitored or evaluated the systems we have in place?
  • Are we doing things, “because that’s the way we have always done it”?
  • What is the root cause of the problems that exist in my company today? Which of these require my repetitive time and attention?

Elisa K. Spain

 

Vistage Confidence Index: CEO Optimism Grows In Q1 2013

Vistage Confidence Index: CEO Optimism Grows In Q1 2013

by Elisa SpainNo Comments

chartThe quarterly Vistage Confidence Index is now available.

More than 1,500 Vistage members surveyed in the Q1 2013 Vistage CEO Confidence Index reported an improved economy and brighter prospects for their own firms despite recent cutbacks in federal spending.

Similarly, small business owners who took the March WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Survey reported growing strength in the overall economy and have become increasingly confident that their firms would continue to benefit from the ongoing economic expansion. The Vistage CEO Confidence Index was 104 in the March 2013 survey, up from 101.4 in February, reaching the highest level recorded since the survey began last June.

Below are some key highlights from the Q1 2013 Vistage CEO Confidence Index (all members surveyed):

  • 49% of CEOs think that economic conditions have improved compared with a year ago, up from 35% in Q4 2012.
  • 68% of CEOs anticipate their firm’s sales revenues will increase in the next 12 months.
  • Just 11% of CEOs found it easy to find people with the right skills to drive their business growth, while 75% found it difficult to find qualified talent.
  • 16% of CEOs believe the sequester will adversely impact their business.
  • 82% of CEOs expect U.S. fiscal uncertainty will continue throughout the year.

Elisa K. Spain 

Disappearing Jobs, Does It Matter?

Disappearing Jobs, Does It Matter?

by Elisa Spain2 Comments

Sign dollar and the books on scales. 3D image.Last month I attended the Vistage International Conference during which Michael Milkin presented the Milkin Institute research on the changing U.S. demographics.  I was struck by the data change in the number of unskilled jobs. In 1950 there were 3 unskilled jobs for every 1 skilled job. Today, there are 4 unskilled jobs for every 1 skilled.

Michael postulates that this is the reason why the American dream is dead – it used to be you work hard and you get ahead. Today while hard work still matters, education and skills come first.

In my opinion, this also explains the sticky unemployment numbers.  At the same time, my Vistage members tell me  finding talented people continues to be challenging. In short there is a war for talent, while millions remain unemployed.

You might ask, so what is the leadership question? Isn’t this a global problem, not a leadership topic?

Here are my leadership related wonderings:

  • At what point does it become cost effective for companies to create their own educational programs?
  • When and how will it become cost effective for small/mid-sized companies to provide training via entry level unskilled jobs?
  • As robots continue to replace workers, what will be the impact on small/mid-sized companies capital requirements?
  • As the mismatch between job opportunities and qualified employees grows, how might this impact both immigration and emigration?
  • As the world becomes less dependent on geography, how might employers match their jobs with qualified individuals worldwide?

 

Elisa K. Spain

 

Laws Of Success: Leadership Lessons From Grandma

Laws Of Success: Leadership Lessons From Grandma

by Elisa Spain4 Comments

Computer keyboard keys labeled LEARN and LEADLoved this leadership “poem” written by fellow Vistage chair, Greg Bustin‘s grandmother. She was the leader of her PTA and in going through his family records, Greg found this document that had been typed on his grandmother’s typewriter.

For me she sums up the challenges of leadership rather well,

“The Leader’s Easy Job”

Her job is something like a football in a big game;
First one side has it and then the other:

If she writes a postal, it is too short,
If she sends a letter it’s too long.

If she issues a pamphlet, she is a spendthrift,
If she attempts to safeguard the interests of the association she is trying to run things;
If she does not, she is allowing things to go to the dogs.

If she attends committee meetings, she is intruding,
If she does not, she is a shirker.

If the attendance is slim – well, nobody likes her anyway.
If she tries to help, she is a pest.

If the program is a success, the program committee is praised,
If not, it’s all the president’s fault.

If dues are called for, she is insulting,
If they are not collected, she is to blame.

If she is in a smiling mood, she is frivolous,
If she is serious, she is a sorehead.

If she seeks advice, she is incompetent,
If she does not, she is bull-headed.

If she mixes with the members, she is too familiar,
If she does not, she is too ritzy.

So, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,
If others won’t do it, the president must.

Here’s a link to Greg Bustin’s full blog from which this came.

Elisa K. Spain

 

 

Laws Of Success: 80% Is Showing Up

Laws Of Success: 80% Is Showing Up

by Elisa Spain2 Comments

Many open doors isolated on white background. 3D image“Eighty percent of success is showing up”, so says Woody Allen.

Sometimes it’s hard to show up when:

  • we would prefer to be someplace else
  • we are tired, or not at our best
  • we have been there before and got nothing out it
  • it’s out of the way, and it’s snowing
  • it was a long day at work, and we would rather go home

I am certain we could have a brainstorming session and make a long list of reasons not to show up.

What if, instead, we shared our stories of when we did show up and were surprised by what came from the experience?  Here’s a beginning list of a few of my ‘success’ stories:

  • I was invited to an event, I didn’t want to go because I knew no one. I went anyway and the result was a reconnection with an old friend and a business opportunity.
  • We were on our way home and my partner suggested we search for a place we heard about. Normally, I would resist, this time I said yes. We had a great experience and unexpectedly, we met the owner of the business who may well become a client.
  • 6 years ago, I was checking references on a prospective executive for a client. I got into conversation with the guy’s boss and ended up meeting him. Turns out he was a Vistage member, encouraged me to become a Chair and gave me the name of his Chair to call.  I made the call and the rest, as they say, is history.

What are your stories? Please share your comments.

Elisa K. Spain