How Penguin Leadership Will Change Your Team Culture
This is a guest post by Sean Glaze, a team speaker and motivator. You can check out his blog, and follow him on Twitter. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
What do penguins have to do with leadership and changing your toxic team culture? More than you realize.
Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/mlenny
The power of a few can influence the behavior of many. Leadership, as John Maxwell suggests, is really nothing more than influence.
Margaret Mead wrote that we should “never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. Indeed, that’s all who ever have.”
But when handed the reins of leadership and asked to turn around an organization that has been suffering from toxic team culture, it becomes difficult to keep Mead’s words in mind.
Whether you are a coach taking over a perennial loser, a new principal at a troubled school, or a manager promoted to a new position over a group with low sales numbers, there really is hope!
While I could point to another dry study or survey as evidence, the best illustration of how to change your team culture can be found at the San Francisco Zoo. A few years ago, something remarkable happened there that carries a leadership lesson for all of us.
It involved the behavior of forty-six birds that had been long-time residents of the zoo and the impact that a few transplanted birds had on the original group after they arrived. It happened in 2003, and the birds were penguins.
Penguins are supposed to swim. In fact, those original forty-six penguins had been taking regular leisurely dips in the pool to cool off occasionally and make sure their feathers remained sleek. Life was easy and un-challenging.
Imagine the forty-six of them lying around, eating, swimming, resting, and then repeating the process at a comfortable pace every day of their existence. Perhaps, it sounds much like some of the people in the organization you are intent on turning around. But things changed dramatically when six new penguins moved in from Ohio.
The newcomers, upon their arrival, jumped into the pool and swam. And they swam. And swam some more. In fact, the six penguins from Ohio kept swimming laps all day long. Day after day.
The zookeeper didn’t notice them squawking at or fighting with or nagging the original residents to join them or change their attitudes—they just went about their business of swimming around the pool.
The newcomers started early each morning and kept swimming in circles until they would stagger out of the pool, exhausted, at dusk. What was most amazing, though, is that those six penguins soon convinced the original forty-six to change their leisurely lifestyle and join them.
Before the Ohio penguins arrived, the San Francisco penguins had been lazy and comfortable. Soon, they were busy swimming the whole day long. What was the secret to the impact the Ohio penguins had?
Sometimes, the shock of a new idea or way of doing things inspires people to live up to others’ expectations and levels of performance. Given the chance, all penguins want to show their abilities, leadership skills, and penguin-hood.
Those six penguins from Ohio changed the lifestyle habits of the other forty-six entirely. The zookeeper was even quoted as telling reporters, “We’ve completely lost control.”
The impressive point was not that the forty-six penguins learned to swim, which they had always done as a pastime, but that they so quickly would change and go into aquatic terminator mode. The Ohio penguins motivated them to change their toxic team culture—and left us a few lessons:
Be willing to try new ideas. This can shake up how people have done things in the past and lead to change.
Changing others’ behavior is more about showing than telling. Penguins (and people) are less open to advice and suggestions than you would like to think. They need to see it and be given a challenge to live up to in order to change.
Don’t give up. If six little penguins can turn a group of 46 lazy home-bodies into workout monsters, just imagine how you might influence the group that you have been assigned.
Leadership truly is influence, and sometimes the most influential thing we can do is roll up our sleeves and work as hard as we want others to. Spend time sharing your vision, building relationships, and “swimming your laps in the pool” at your zoo. Pretty soon others will rise to the challenge and join you.
One of the best ways to forge better relationships, clarify your team vision, and build leadership or communication skills is with a team-building event where your people have the time and opportunity to grow together and experience challenges that prepare them to collaborate and learn from each other.
If you are looking to change the toxic team culture in your organization, or if you just need to give your people a chance to turn address a teamwork issue, the answer is often found in taking responsibility for what you can control: your own effort end example.
Team motivation is often the result of one person being bold enough to shake up the status quo with an extraordinary work ethic or enthusiasm that spreads to the entire group.
Andrew Jackson, our seventh president, is credited with saying, “One man, with courage, is a majority.” He became a national hero for his courage in the War of 1812, winning the battle of New Orleans despite being outnumbered and earning the nickname “Old Hickory” for his toughness.
Sometimes a country, team, or even a group of penguins find themselves in need of leadership that is willing to show the way instead of making demands.
By taking action and setting an example for others to emulate, you improve your culture, and give others permission to join the crusade, as well.
http://michaelhyatt.com/how-penguin-leadership-will-change-your-team-culture.html
Friday, March 23, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
MAKNA FILOSOFI DARI LAGU GUNDUL-GUNDUL PACUL
MAKNA FILOSOFI DARI LAGU GUNDUL-GUNDUL PACUL
Ternyata lagu gundul-gundul pacul mempunyai filosofi yang cukup mendalam, Lagu Gundul Gundul Pacul ini konon diciptakan tahun 1400-an oleh Sunan Kalijaga dan teman-temannya yang masih remaja dan mempunyai arti filosofis yg dalam dan sangat mulia.
'Gundul' adalah kepala plonthos tanpa rambut. Kepala adalah lambang kehormatan, kemuliaan seseorang. Rambut adalah mahkota lambang keindahan kepala. jadi 'gundul' adalah kehormatan tanpa mahkota.
'Pacul' adalah cangkul (red, jawa) yaitu alat petani yang terbuat dari lempeng besi segi empat. jadi pacul adalah lambang kawula rendah, kebanyakan petani.
'Gundul pacul' artinya adalah bahwa seorang pemimpin sesungguhnya bukan orang yang diberi mahkota tetapi dia adalah pembawa pacul utk mencangkul, mengupayakan kesejahteraan bagi rakyatnya/orang banyak.
Orang Jawa mengatakan pacul adalah 'Papat Kang Ucul' (4 yg lepas). Kemuliaan seseorang tergantung 4 hal, yaitu bagaimana menggunakan mata, hidung, telinga dan mulutnya, dengan makna sbb:
1. Mata digunakan untuk melihat kesulitan rakyat/masyarakat.
2. Telinga digunakan untuk mendengar nasehat.
3. Hidung digunakan untuk mencium wewangian kebaikan.
4. Mulut digunakan untuk berkata adil.
Jika empat hal itu lepas, maka lepaslah kehormatannya. 'Gembelengan' artinya besar kepala, sombong dan bermain-main dalam menggunakan kehormatannya.
Arti harafiahnya jika orang yg kepalanya sudah kehilangan 4 indera itu mengakibatkan hal-hal sbb:
1. GEMBELENGAN (congkak/sombong).
2. NYUNGGI-NYUNGGI WAKUL (menjunjung amanah rakyat/orang banyak).
3. GEMBELENGAN ( sombong hati).
4. WAKUL NGGLIMPANG (amanah jatuh gak bisa dipertahankan).
5. SEGANE DADI SAK LATAR (berantakan sia sia, tidak bermanfaat bagi kesejahteraan orang banyak)
Cukup dalem banget yah makna dan penjabaran dari lagu ini, patut untuk kita jaga dan lestarikan ke anak cucu sebagai warisan budaya lagu jawa. :))
Ternyata lagu gundul-gundul pacul mempunyai filosofi yang cukup mendalam, Lagu Gundul Gundul Pacul ini konon diciptakan tahun 1400-an oleh Sunan Kalijaga dan teman-temannya yang masih remaja dan mempunyai arti filosofis yg dalam dan sangat mulia.
'Gundul' adalah kepala plonthos tanpa rambut. Kepala adalah lambang kehormatan, kemuliaan seseorang. Rambut adalah mahkota lambang keindahan kepala. jadi 'gundul' adalah kehormatan tanpa mahkota.
'Pacul' adalah cangkul (red, jawa) yaitu alat petani yang terbuat dari lempeng besi segi empat. jadi pacul adalah lambang kawula rendah, kebanyakan petani.
'Gundul pacul' artinya adalah bahwa seorang pemimpin sesungguhnya bukan orang yang diberi mahkota tetapi dia adalah pembawa pacul utk mencangkul, mengupayakan kesejahteraan bagi rakyatnya/orang banyak.
Orang Jawa mengatakan pacul adalah 'Papat Kang Ucul' (4 yg lepas). Kemuliaan seseorang tergantung 4 hal, yaitu bagaimana menggunakan mata, hidung, telinga dan mulutnya, dengan makna sbb:
1. Mata digunakan untuk melihat kesulitan rakyat/masyarakat.
2. Telinga digunakan untuk mendengar nasehat.
3. Hidung digunakan untuk mencium wewangian kebaikan.
4. Mulut digunakan untuk berkata adil.
Jika empat hal itu lepas, maka lepaslah kehormatannya. 'Gembelengan' artinya besar kepala, sombong dan bermain-main dalam menggunakan kehormatannya.
Arti harafiahnya jika orang yg kepalanya sudah kehilangan 4 indera itu mengakibatkan hal-hal sbb:
1. GEMBELENGAN (congkak/sombong).
2. NYUNGGI-NYUNGGI WAKUL (menjunjung amanah rakyat/orang banyak).
3. GEMBELENGAN ( sombong hati).
4. WAKUL NGGLIMPANG (amanah jatuh gak bisa dipertahankan).
5. SEGANE DADI SAK LATAR (berantakan sia sia, tidak bermanfaat bagi kesejahteraan orang banyak)
Cukup dalem banget yah makna dan penjabaran dari lagu ini, patut untuk kita jaga dan lestarikan ke anak cucu sebagai warisan budaya lagu jawa. :))
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
10 Leadership Tips For First-Time Managers
10 Leadership Tips For First-Time Managers
Posted by Jeffrey Meyers on Thu, Dec 01, 2011
When the time comes to promote strong, capable individual contributors into their first role as a manager, how do you prepare them? Although their performance has been good and you’ve assessed that they are a fit for the job, leading others will be an adjustment for most. Don’t assume that an effective worker will automatically become an effective manager – especially if he’s to manage a group of his peers. Here are 10 leadership tips to help your first-time managers succeed and avoid failure:
1. Accept that you still have much to learn. You will have worked hard for your promotion and have ample expertise in your chosen field, but you may find that you lack self-confidence in your ability to lead. Be prepared to learn from others – including your new team.
2. Communicate clearly. Always keep your team fully informed of project goals, priorities, and those all-important deadlines. Effective communication will be essential in both establishing your credibility and gaining the support of your team, so be sure to provide clear direction and always welcome questions and feedback from others.
3. Set a good example. Demand from yourself the same level of professionalism and dedication that you expect from others. If you expect the team to be upbeat and friendly, then make sure you are! If you expect written reports to be error free, then double check your own work!
4. Encourage feedback. Sometimes employees are unwilling to speak up about certain issues unless they are prompted. Canvass for opinions on issues such as support, training, and resources while maintaining an open-door policy so that your team knows that you are willing to listen to their concerns and ideas as well as help provide solutions to any problems.
5. Offer recognition. By publicly recognizing the efforts and achievements of your team, you not only build up their confidence, but also encourage future contributions and effort. Praise does not always have to be formal – praising employees can be part of your day-to-day communication with your team. In the video below, Ken Blanchard suggests that managers take an extra minute to offer praise, criticism, or make sure that instructions are understood.
Ken Blanchard discusses the concept of the "Extra Minute Manager."
6. Be decisive. A quality leader needs to make decisions and stick to them. People do not feel comfortable with someone who changes his or her mind on a whim. You only have to look at public opinion of government U-turns to see how easily confidence in a leader can be weakened or lost altogether.
7. Help your team see the ”big picture.” Take time to explain to your team how their assignments and projects fit into the company’s larger goals and overall objectives. This will help demonstrate that every task they complete can have an impact on the company’s reputation, success, and bottom line.
8. Create an environment of constant learning and development – and include yourself in this process. Encourage your team to explore new methods for reaching their individual goals and those set by the company. Allow them to make – and learn from – mistakes and be sure to reward new and innovative ideas.
9. Provide professional guidance. A good manager and leader will also be a mentor. Make yourself available to staff members and show interest in their career development within the company. Don’t overlook the motivational power of positive reinforcement – your staff will appreciate your commitment to their progress.
10. Be patient with yourself. Developing strong managerial skills takes time – especially as you adjust to your new position. Seek guidance from colleagues, your line manager, or your professional network when you need it. In doing so you will enhance your leadership abilities and make strides toward becoming a great manager.
While this list is intended for new managers, you could likely share these tips with your seasoned managers to remind them of the basics and help them avoid derailing. As is true with most things, the longer the person stays in a role, the more set in his ways he becomes. Reminders such as these might help to give them a new focus or outlook on their daily job, which will not only improve their own effectiveness, but increase the performance of those whom they lead.
Dario Priolo contributed to this article.
http://info.profilesinternational.com/profiles-employee-assessment-blog/bid/80101/10-Leadership-Tips-For-First-Time-Managers
Posted by Jeffrey Meyers on Thu, Dec 01, 2011
When the time comes to promote strong, capable individual contributors into their first role as a manager, how do you prepare them? Although their performance has been good and you’ve assessed that they are a fit for the job, leading others will be an adjustment for most. Don’t assume that an effective worker will automatically become an effective manager – especially if he’s to manage a group of his peers. Here are 10 leadership tips to help your first-time managers succeed and avoid failure:
1. Accept that you still have much to learn. You will have worked hard for your promotion and have ample expertise in your chosen field, but you may find that you lack self-confidence in your ability to lead. Be prepared to learn from others – including your new team.
2. Communicate clearly. Always keep your team fully informed of project goals, priorities, and those all-important deadlines. Effective communication will be essential in both establishing your credibility and gaining the support of your team, so be sure to provide clear direction and always welcome questions and feedback from others.
3. Set a good example. Demand from yourself the same level of professionalism and dedication that you expect from others. If you expect the team to be upbeat and friendly, then make sure you are! If you expect written reports to be error free, then double check your own work!
4. Encourage feedback. Sometimes employees are unwilling to speak up about certain issues unless they are prompted. Canvass for opinions on issues such as support, training, and resources while maintaining an open-door policy so that your team knows that you are willing to listen to their concerns and ideas as well as help provide solutions to any problems.
5. Offer recognition. By publicly recognizing the efforts and achievements of your team, you not only build up their confidence, but also encourage future contributions and effort. Praise does not always have to be formal – praising employees can be part of your day-to-day communication with your team. In the video below, Ken Blanchard suggests that managers take an extra minute to offer praise, criticism, or make sure that instructions are understood.
Ken Blanchard discusses the concept of the "Extra Minute Manager."
6. Be decisive. A quality leader needs to make decisions and stick to them. People do not feel comfortable with someone who changes his or her mind on a whim. You only have to look at public opinion of government U-turns to see how easily confidence in a leader can be weakened or lost altogether.
7. Help your team see the ”big picture.” Take time to explain to your team how their assignments and projects fit into the company’s larger goals and overall objectives. This will help demonstrate that every task they complete can have an impact on the company’s reputation, success, and bottom line.
8. Create an environment of constant learning and development – and include yourself in this process. Encourage your team to explore new methods for reaching their individual goals and those set by the company. Allow them to make – and learn from – mistakes and be sure to reward new and innovative ideas.
9. Provide professional guidance. A good manager and leader will also be a mentor. Make yourself available to staff members and show interest in their career development within the company. Don’t overlook the motivational power of positive reinforcement – your staff will appreciate your commitment to their progress.
10. Be patient with yourself. Developing strong managerial skills takes time – especially as you adjust to your new position. Seek guidance from colleagues, your line manager, or your professional network when you need it. In doing so you will enhance your leadership abilities and make strides toward becoming a great manager.
While this list is intended for new managers, you could likely share these tips with your seasoned managers to remind them of the basics and help them avoid derailing. As is true with most things, the longer the person stays in a role, the more set in his ways he becomes. Reminders such as these might help to give them a new focus or outlook on their daily job, which will not only improve their own effectiveness, but increase the performance of those whom they lead.
Dario Priolo contributed to this article.
http://info.profilesinternational.com/profiles-employee-assessment-blog/bid/80101/10-Leadership-Tips-For-First-Time-Managers
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success [Hardcover]
Kerry Patterson (Author), Joseph Grenny (Author), David Maxfield (Author), Ron McMillan (Author), Al Switzler (Author)
Amazing Book! Truly Gives You Practical Skills to Change Your Life, April 11, 2011
By
Fr. Charles Erlandson (Tyler, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success (Hardcover)
"Change Anything" comes with a risky and audacious promise: if you apply the principles of this book to your life you will produce sustainable change in your behavior that will noticeably improve your life! To make such a huge claim about a topic of such immense practical importance is, indeed, audacious.
So does "Change Anything" live up to its claim? Yes, and No.
YES
The fact that I think this book lives up to anything even approaching its bold claim is a high recommendation for this book. Here's what the book delivers that makes me believe that if you actually understand and faithfully use the principles of this book that you can, indeed, change many of your behaviors for the better.
First, the authors free us from a powerful mind trap: the simplistic belief that if only we had more willpower we'd succeed in changing our lives. The reality the authors argue for (persuasively) is that while willpower is still important, changing behavior turns out to be as much about "skill" as it is about "will." And the truth is that certain skills for changing our behaviors can be taught. The authors also point out that that often (for example when you go to Las Vegas into a casino) you can't see what's controlling. However, "If you can see it, you can change it." "Change Anything," then, is a book about seeing the hidden influences in our lives and using them to change our behaviors from ones with negative to ones with positive consequences.
The book opens with a series of fascinating experiments on children that provide evidence for all that the authors will present. Throughout, what the authors teach is supported by research experiments that are not only enlightening but also entertaining.
So why do we fail at personal change? We don't have enough influences working for us and working all together.
It turns out that there are 6 sources of Influence in our lives. These same 6 sources of influence can be used to either promote a healthy or unhealthy behavior.
1. personal motivation - tap into your existing desires and wants
2. personal ability - learn new skills to promote change
3. social motivation - turn accomplices into friends that help you make positive changes
4. social ability - use confederates to enable good choices
5. structural motivation - directly link short-term rewards and punishments to your new habits
6. structural ability - change your environment to one more likely to promote the change you want
For each of these 6 sources of influence, the authors provide specific strategies for change that will use this influence to help you change your behavior to something positive instead of the default negative behavior. Their identification of the 6 sources of influence, combined with their chapter-long discussion of strategies to change each of these influences, is an impressive accomplishment.
I don't want to give away too much of their work, but when I looked at the chapter on the first factor, which I thought might be one of the weakest areas, I was surprised to find the authors advocating that it is, in fact, possible to learn to love what you hate. If someone can change this, then change is very, very possible.
The remainder of the book, after describing each influence and its attendant strategies in detail, applies these 6 sources of influence and change to key areas of our lives that are what most of us care most about: career success, weight loss, financial fitness, addiction, relationships, and how to change the world.
This is an impressive book that has brought together in one place a simple, powerful, and reasonable means of changing our lives.
NO
After such a glowing report, why do I say that the authors don't completely live up to their promise? Because I believe that the human heart is more corrupt, self-deceptive, and weak than they assume. I believe that there are certain things about our lives that, in spite of persistently and intentionally using their strategies, will remain unchanged. In spite of using a variety of influences as suggested, often the heart wants what the heart wants, even if it's not good for the body, the soul, or others.
Having said this, this is still an incredible book! I've read several books on change, many on finding your talents and using them, many other self-help books, and even more on leadership. "Change Anything" is a book that excels most of these other books I've read, and I believe that just about everyone should have it on their bookshelf. But don't merely "read" this book: put it into effect. I'm confident you'll be surprised at how different life can be.
By the way, this book also comes with a free code to access their website with a lot of additional information. If you liked this book, then you might also enjoy and benefit from Cialdini's "Influence." "Influence" won't teach you how to change things, but it will provide much more fascinating evidence about the things that influence us, often without us knowing it.
If you want to know not only how to change your behavior but how to influence others for good, read the authors' other book: "Influencer." It's probably even better!
http://www.amazon.com/Change-Anything-Science-Personal-Success/dp/0446573914/ref=pd_sim_b_3
Kerry Patterson (Author), Joseph Grenny (Author), David Maxfield (Author), Ron McMillan (Author), Al Switzler (Author)
Amazing Book! Truly Gives You Practical Skills to Change Your Life, April 11, 2011
By
Fr. Charles Erlandson (Tyler, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success (Hardcover)
"Change Anything" comes with a risky and audacious promise: if you apply the principles of this book to your life you will produce sustainable change in your behavior that will noticeably improve your life! To make such a huge claim about a topic of such immense practical importance is, indeed, audacious.
So does "Change Anything" live up to its claim? Yes, and No.
YES
The fact that I think this book lives up to anything even approaching its bold claim is a high recommendation for this book. Here's what the book delivers that makes me believe that if you actually understand and faithfully use the principles of this book that you can, indeed, change many of your behaviors for the better.
First, the authors free us from a powerful mind trap: the simplistic belief that if only we had more willpower we'd succeed in changing our lives. The reality the authors argue for (persuasively) is that while willpower is still important, changing behavior turns out to be as much about "skill" as it is about "will." And the truth is that certain skills for changing our behaviors can be taught. The authors also point out that that often (for example when you go to Las Vegas into a casino) you can't see what's controlling. However, "If you can see it, you can change it." "Change Anything," then, is a book about seeing the hidden influences in our lives and using them to change our behaviors from ones with negative to ones with positive consequences.
The book opens with a series of fascinating experiments on children that provide evidence for all that the authors will present. Throughout, what the authors teach is supported by research experiments that are not only enlightening but also entertaining.
So why do we fail at personal change? We don't have enough influences working for us and working all together.
It turns out that there are 6 sources of Influence in our lives. These same 6 sources of influence can be used to either promote a healthy or unhealthy behavior.
1. personal motivation - tap into your existing desires and wants
2. personal ability - learn new skills to promote change
3. social motivation - turn accomplices into friends that help you make positive changes
4. social ability - use confederates to enable good choices
5. structural motivation - directly link short-term rewards and punishments to your new habits
6. structural ability - change your environment to one more likely to promote the change you want
For each of these 6 sources of influence, the authors provide specific strategies for change that will use this influence to help you change your behavior to something positive instead of the default negative behavior. Their identification of the 6 sources of influence, combined with their chapter-long discussion of strategies to change each of these influences, is an impressive accomplishment.
I don't want to give away too much of their work, but when I looked at the chapter on the first factor, which I thought might be one of the weakest areas, I was surprised to find the authors advocating that it is, in fact, possible to learn to love what you hate. If someone can change this, then change is very, very possible.
The remainder of the book, after describing each influence and its attendant strategies in detail, applies these 6 sources of influence and change to key areas of our lives that are what most of us care most about: career success, weight loss, financial fitness, addiction, relationships, and how to change the world.
This is an impressive book that has brought together in one place a simple, powerful, and reasonable means of changing our lives.
NO
After such a glowing report, why do I say that the authors don't completely live up to their promise? Because I believe that the human heart is more corrupt, self-deceptive, and weak than they assume. I believe that there are certain things about our lives that, in spite of persistently and intentionally using their strategies, will remain unchanged. In spite of using a variety of influences as suggested, often the heart wants what the heart wants, even if it's not good for the body, the soul, or others.
Having said this, this is still an incredible book! I've read several books on change, many on finding your talents and using them, many other self-help books, and even more on leadership. "Change Anything" is a book that excels most of these other books I've read, and I believe that just about everyone should have it on their bookshelf. But don't merely "read" this book: put it into effect. I'm confident you'll be surprised at how different life can be.
By the way, this book also comes with a free code to access their website with a lot of additional information. If you liked this book, then you might also enjoy and benefit from Cialdini's "Influence." "Influence" won't teach you how to change things, but it will provide much more fascinating evidence about the things that influence us, often without us knowing it.
If you want to know not only how to change your behavior but how to influence others for good, read the authors' other book: "Influencer." It's probably even better!
http://www.amazon.com/Change-Anything-Science-Personal-Success/dp/0446573914/ref=pd_sim_b_3
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
11 Leadership Principles of the US Armed Forces
11 Leadership Principles of the US Armed Forces
Posted by Jeffrey Meyers on Thu, Dec 15, 2011
The military is the ultimate bureaucracy. It is the epitome of a broad, top-down organizational hierarchy with thousands of personnel across multiple locations and divisions as well as lots of room and experience between the generals and privates. Whether your workforce is the size of an army or is lean and flat, you can still benefit from emulating the best leadership principles of the US Armed Forces.
From the enlisted grunts to the officers trained at the academies, the military has a tremendous track record of developing leaders who are capable of achieving their goals and leading others to success. They assess their candidates thoroughly before promoting them and continue to invest in the development of high potentials as they rise up the ranks.
Here are 11 leadership principles of the US Armed Forces that can help you to become a more effective manager and a better leader:
1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement. By properly evaluating your own weaknesses and strengths while endeavoring to improve those areas daily, you will continually improve your abilities and performance. This is an important trait to pass on to your employees for their own benefit and your unit’s.
2. Be technically and tactically proficient. Keep current with the latest technical developments in your field of expertise and know how to deploy your resources for the maximum return on investment. This is another great development principle for your employees.
3. Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates. Drive accountability down to the base level among your staff. Make sure they know that you will hold them accountable for their actions and assignments.
4. Make sound and timely decisions. Ensure that your decisions are well thought out and that you’ve taken into account all relevant information. Don't act rashly or out of anger, desperation, or any other emotional state.
5. Set an example. Lead from the front – make sure that your staff sees you as a role model. Be visible in your daily activities and hold yourself to a higher standard – this will motivate subordinates to improve themselves.
6. Know your people and look out for their welfare. Only by demonstrating that you are interested in and concerned for your employees’ welfare will you win their loyalty. A good leader is a compassionate listener and understands what motivates his team. Do you convey an attitude of “I’m in it with you” or “I’m looking out for myself and you are all on your own”?
7. Keep your people informed. Information is the life's blood of any organization and only good if it is shared across the widest possible spectrum. Be sure to communicate promptly – good information received too late can be the same as bad or no information at all. Share your ideas and knowledge with your staff – this will make them feel included and valuable.
8. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Be prepared for your next assignment and take charge of all areas of responsibility. If a mistake is made, stand up and take the heat. By doing so, you will demonstrate a key principle of leadership: we are all fallible and make mistakes, but it is how we respond to our mistakes that separates the professionals from the pretenders.
9. Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished. Trust your employees to do their jobs, but verify that assignments have been completed to your standards. While you shouldn’t hover and micromanage tasks, you also should not wait until a deadline to discover that it was done poorly or improperly. The military excels at giving briefings and status reports. When your staff is able to provide you with positive, comprehensive updates, they’ll feel encouraged and you’ll know that the project is on track. If it’s not, then you can offer advice and guidance on how to get back on track.
10. Train your people as a team. Have your staff work together as a team and cross train on each other’s responsibilities. This allows them to utilize each other's strengths and to feed off of the team synergy. Teamwork develops a sense of shared responsibility and commitment to the objective. You’ll also have backup in the event of a team member’s prolonged absence.
11. Employ your team in accordance with its capabilities. Know your limitations and those of your people and department. Don't take on more than you should. By knowing your limitations, you'll know when to call in the reinforcements or when to say “no.”
There are plenty of bad examples and stereotypes of hazing and negative leadership attributes from the military. But there’s something to be learned from them, too: character. Consider the type of boss you are – would your troops look for an opportunity to “frag” you, or would they loyally follow you into battle no matter the circumstances?
Dario Priolo contributed to this article.
http://info.profilesinternational.com/profiles-employee-assessment-blog/bid/81641/11-Leadership-Principles-of-the-US-Armed-Forces
Posted by Jeffrey Meyers on Thu, Dec 15, 2011
The military is the ultimate bureaucracy. It is the epitome of a broad, top-down organizational hierarchy with thousands of personnel across multiple locations and divisions as well as lots of room and experience between the generals and privates. Whether your workforce is the size of an army or is lean and flat, you can still benefit from emulating the best leadership principles of the US Armed Forces.
From the enlisted grunts to the officers trained at the academies, the military has a tremendous track record of developing leaders who are capable of achieving their goals and leading others to success. They assess their candidates thoroughly before promoting them and continue to invest in the development of high potentials as they rise up the ranks.
Here are 11 leadership principles of the US Armed Forces that can help you to become a more effective manager and a better leader:
1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement. By properly evaluating your own weaknesses and strengths while endeavoring to improve those areas daily, you will continually improve your abilities and performance. This is an important trait to pass on to your employees for their own benefit and your unit’s.
2. Be technically and tactically proficient. Keep current with the latest technical developments in your field of expertise and know how to deploy your resources for the maximum return on investment. This is another great development principle for your employees.
3. Develop a sense of responsibility among your subordinates. Drive accountability down to the base level among your staff. Make sure they know that you will hold them accountable for their actions and assignments.
4. Make sound and timely decisions. Ensure that your decisions are well thought out and that you’ve taken into account all relevant information. Don't act rashly or out of anger, desperation, or any other emotional state.
5. Set an example. Lead from the front – make sure that your staff sees you as a role model. Be visible in your daily activities and hold yourself to a higher standard – this will motivate subordinates to improve themselves.
6. Know your people and look out for their welfare. Only by demonstrating that you are interested in and concerned for your employees’ welfare will you win their loyalty. A good leader is a compassionate listener and understands what motivates his team. Do you convey an attitude of “I’m in it with you” or “I’m looking out for myself and you are all on your own”?
7. Keep your people informed. Information is the life's blood of any organization and only good if it is shared across the widest possible spectrum. Be sure to communicate promptly – good information received too late can be the same as bad or no information at all. Share your ideas and knowledge with your staff – this will make them feel included and valuable.
8. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Be prepared for your next assignment and take charge of all areas of responsibility. If a mistake is made, stand up and take the heat. By doing so, you will demonstrate a key principle of leadership: we are all fallible and make mistakes, but it is how we respond to our mistakes that separates the professionals from the pretenders.
9. Ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished. Trust your employees to do their jobs, but verify that assignments have been completed to your standards. While you shouldn’t hover and micromanage tasks, you also should not wait until a deadline to discover that it was done poorly or improperly. The military excels at giving briefings and status reports. When your staff is able to provide you with positive, comprehensive updates, they’ll feel encouraged and you’ll know that the project is on track. If it’s not, then you can offer advice and guidance on how to get back on track.
10. Train your people as a team. Have your staff work together as a team and cross train on each other’s responsibilities. This allows them to utilize each other's strengths and to feed off of the team synergy. Teamwork develops a sense of shared responsibility and commitment to the objective. You’ll also have backup in the event of a team member’s prolonged absence.
11. Employ your team in accordance with its capabilities. Know your limitations and those of your people and department. Don't take on more than you should. By knowing your limitations, you'll know when to call in the reinforcements or when to say “no.”
There are plenty of bad examples and stereotypes of hazing and negative leadership attributes from the military. But there’s something to be learned from them, too: character. Consider the type of boss you are – would your troops look for an opportunity to “frag” you, or would they loyally follow you into battle no matter the circumstances?
Dario Priolo contributed to this article.
http://info.profilesinternational.com/profiles-employee-assessment-blog/bid/81641/11-Leadership-Principles-of-the-US-Armed-Forces
Friday, March 2, 2012
Loie Maxwell
LOIE MAXWELL
L ive, love & learn & a legacy leaving
O ur best let's give in everything we do
I ntegrity - model the way & impact
E nable others to act - synergize!
M ake more possible
A shared vision inspire!
X periment - fearless optimist be
W ith love & wisdom
E ncourage the heart
L et's innovate
L et's challenge the process!
Sing to the tune of "You Raise Me UP"
https://twitter.com/#!/loiemaxwell
Loie Maxwell
Seattle, Washington (Greater Seattle Area) Design
Current
Vice President Creative at Starbucks
Past
Chief Creative Director at CVS Caremark Corporation
International Retail Consultant (Sole Proprietorship)
Creative Director at Target
see all
L ive, love & learn & a legacy leaving
O ur best let's give in everything we do
I ntegrity - model the way & impact
E nable others to act - synergize!
M ake more possible
A shared vision inspire!
X periment - fearless optimist be
W ith love & wisdom
E ncourage the heart
L et's innovate
L et's challenge the process!
Sing to the tune of "You Raise Me UP"
https://twitter.com/#!/loiemaxwell
Loie Maxwell
Seattle, Washington (Greater Seattle Area) Design
Current
Vice President Creative at Starbucks
Past
Chief Creative Director at CVS Caremark Corporation
International Retail Consultant (Sole Proprietorship)
Creative Director at Target
see all
What CEOs admire: John Donahoe of eBay
What CEOs admire: John Donahoe of eBay
March 1, 2012: 5:00 AM ET
While it's fun to be the flavor of the week, eBay's top executive looks up to companies that manage through the tough times as well.
John Donahoe: "Ultimately, your reputation is not what you say, but what you do."
FORTUNE -- We asked three prominent business leaders -- Jeffrey Immelt, Ursula Burns, and John Donahoe -- which companies they hold in high esteem, and why. Donahoe, CEO of eBay (No. 41 on our list of Most Admired Companies), talked with senior editor-at-large Adam Lashinsky on how great firms keep momentum going long after the buzz has died. Edited excerpts:
Q. Which company (or companies) do you most admire, and why?
A. I admire companies that successfully make the transition from "hot" to great, enduring businesses. While I won't single out one, enduring companies understand how to face adversity, which is inevitable in any business, and emerge stronger, more focused and more competitive. And they do it each time adversity hits. Almost every company has hot moments. But only great companies achieve strong, sustainable performance over time. While it's fun to be hot, it's far more gratifying to create an enduring, sustainable business.
Are there attributes of this company that you have imported into your own organization?
Enduring companies do the "basics" really well: They listen to their customers, have strong cultures with a clear sense of purpose and well-defined values, and have highly engaged employees. But I think great enduring companies also have organizational "character" -- and exhibit this by not being afraid to face up to adversity and embrace difficult change.
Are the corporate attributes you admire today the same ones you did at the outset of your career?
I probably pay more attention to purpose and values today and getting, developing and retaining top talent. Results always matter, and I love to win. But how companies win matters, too. Enduring companies are great because of their purpose, values, culture and leadership.
Times of stress bring out the best and worst in management. Which companies do you think have handled the recession especially well?
Companies that exhibit the characteristics I've described are probably doing OK. I'm very proud of how eBay (EBAY) has performed. I also admire how well Intel (INTC) (on whose board I am privileged to sit) confronts adversity and manages through challenging periods. Tough periods make strong companies stronger.
If, as the Supreme Court suggests, corporations are people, what would you want your own company's epitaph to be?
We created opportunity and made a difference in people's lives.
Do you only benchmark your company against peers in your industry, or do you think it is important to measure your company's performance against best-in-class organizations in other fields?
We certainly benchmark against our peer group, but it's always important to look everywhere for great ideas and best practices. Innovation can come from anywhere. We're a diverse, global company. And we need to be diverse and global in how we think and drive innovation for our customers.
Do you think multinational corporations overall are more admired by the general public today than, say, 10 years ago?
Surveys tell us no. But it's hard to make generalizations. Many great companies are doing work that broadly benefits communities and societies around the world. Each company should be judged on its own actions.
Do philanthropic and social responsibility initiatives really help burnish a company's reputation among customers and partners?
We believe strongly that social responsibility is an important part of a company's character and reputation. Consumers, employees and stakeholders pay attention to a company's values, actions and behaviors. But it's not just about reputation. We believe social responsibility and social innovation can create business value and drive customer, employee and stakeholder engagement. Ultimately, your reputation is not what you say, but what you do. And people expect companies to be leaders in this area.
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/01/most-admired-ebay-john-donahoe/
March 1, 2012: 5:00 AM ET
While it's fun to be the flavor of the week, eBay's top executive looks up to companies that manage through the tough times as well.
John Donahoe: "Ultimately, your reputation is not what you say, but what you do."
FORTUNE -- We asked three prominent business leaders -- Jeffrey Immelt, Ursula Burns, and John Donahoe -- which companies they hold in high esteem, and why. Donahoe, CEO of eBay (No. 41 on our list of Most Admired Companies), talked with senior editor-at-large Adam Lashinsky on how great firms keep momentum going long after the buzz has died. Edited excerpts:
Q. Which company (or companies) do you most admire, and why?
A. I admire companies that successfully make the transition from "hot" to great, enduring businesses. While I won't single out one, enduring companies understand how to face adversity, which is inevitable in any business, and emerge stronger, more focused and more competitive. And they do it each time adversity hits. Almost every company has hot moments. But only great companies achieve strong, sustainable performance over time. While it's fun to be hot, it's far more gratifying to create an enduring, sustainable business.
Are there attributes of this company that you have imported into your own organization?
Enduring companies do the "basics" really well: They listen to their customers, have strong cultures with a clear sense of purpose and well-defined values, and have highly engaged employees. But I think great enduring companies also have organizational "character" -- and exhibit this by not being afraid to face up to adversity and embrace difficult change.
Are the corporate attributes you admire today the same ones you did at the outset of your career?
I probably pay more attention to purpose and values today and getting, developing and retaining top talent. Results always matter, and I love to win. But how companies win matters, too. Enduring companies are great because of their purpose, values, culture and leadership.
Times of stress bring out the best and worst in management. Which companies do you think have handled the recession especially well?
Companies that exhibit the characteristics I've described are probably doing OK. I'm very proud of how eBay (EBAY) has performed. I also admire how well Intel (INTC) (on whose board I am privileged to sit) confronts adversity and manages through challenging periods. Tough periods make strong companies stronger.
If, as the Supreme Court suggests, corporations are people, what would you want your own company's epitaph to be?
We created opportunity and made a difference in people's lives.
Do you only benchmark your company against peers in your industry, or do you think it is important to measure your company's performance against best-in-class organizations in other fields?
We certainly benchmark against our peer group, but it's always important to look everywhere for great ideas and best practices. Innovation can come from anywhere. We're a diverse, global company. And we need to be diverse and global in how we think and drive innovation for our customers.
Do you think multinational corporations overall are more admired by the general public today than, say, 10 years ago?
Surveys tell us no. But it's hard to make generalizations. Many great companies are doing work that broadly benefits communities and societies around the world. Each company should be judged on its own actions.
Do philanthropic and social responsibility initiatives really help burnish a company's reputation among customers and partners?
We believe strongly that social responsibility is an important part of a company's character and reputation. Consumers, employees and stakeholders pay attention to a company's values, actions and behaviors. But it's not just about reputation. We believe social responsibility and social innovation can create business value and drive customer, employee and stakeholder engagement. Ultimately, your reputation is not what you say, but what you do. And people expect companies to be leaders in this area.
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/01/most-admired-ebay-john-donahoe/
What CEOs admire: Ursula Burns of Xerox
What CEOs admire: Ursula Burns of Xerox
March 1, 2012: 5:00 AM ET
How great leaders run great companies goes way beyond dollars and cents for the leader of Xerox.
Ursula Burns: "Admiration takes on a whole new level when you appreciate just how complex it is to run a modern business."
FORTUNE -- We asked three prominent business leaders -- Jeffrey Immelt, Ursula Burns, and John Donahoe -- which companies they hold in high esteem, and why. For Burns, CEO of Xerox, doing good is good business. She spoke with editor-at-large Patricia Sellers about what that means for some of the World's Most Admired Companies. Edited excerpts:
Q. Which company (or companies) do you most admire, and why?
There's a lot I admire about a lot of companies. And, as I tend to do, I'd put them in categories of:
Established global brands
Relatively new businesses that are already redefining themselves
Personal brand favorites that never disappoint
Dow (DOW) and American Express (AXP) are two established global brands -- high performing type of companies that have a deep understanding of their markets and how they're uniquely positioned to serve them. They stay true to a corporate value system, benefit from quality leadership and are firmly entrenched as respected powerhouses.
If Amazon (AMZN) continues its rapid pace of redefining their business, they seem poised to be one of those rightly admired companies. I already admire Amazon (No. 3) for their ability to master the simplicity of e-commerce. I use Amazon all the time. It feels like they know what I need before I do -- and I'm ok with that. And, I give them credit for taking short-term hits in the pursuit of long-term gains. As a user, I see them as a step ahead of everyone else in the e-commerce arena.
To me, no list of admired companies is complete without Wegmans. I'm showing my Western New York bias here, but anyone who has been in a Wegmans knows it's not your typical grocery store. Despite all the hype and fanfare Wegmans has rightly earned for years, the Wegmans family has been thoughtful and deliberate about their expansion. It's been slow by design and it's all managed through a very careful approach to the customer experience and community involvement, from store to store.
Frankly, Wegmans could have gone the public company route and funded rapid growth, like Whole Foods (WFM). They chose not to for many good reasons. Their approach to leadership, to partnering, to taking care of their people, to delivering a consistently great experience -- so much to admire. I live in Connecticut now -- and I miss Wegmans.
Are there attributes of these companies that you've imported into your own organization?
Oh sure. A couple of quick thoughts: Established companies like Xerox (XRX) can learn from the new players like Amazon that moving fast and being nimble is required in today's business world. Nothing is permanent, and business models need to be scrutinized in much, much shorter cycles than ever before.
My time on the American Express board has influenced the approach we take to branding -- treating our brand as the asset it is and making decisions that align with how we want the brand to be perceived and respected. Amex (No. 16) is very good at this. We're getting better.
Are the corporate attributes you admire today the same ones you did at the outset of your career?
Fresh out of college, you tend to join a company because it's a job. But, you tend to stay because it becomes a career; you start to feel at home. In the beginning of your career, you're focused on you: I like this place because I'm doing rewarding work; they take good care of me; the people are nice; there's runway for me, etc. For me, I was very much in tune to the cultural attributes of Xerox -- how respected the company was (and still is) for diversity, being a good corporate citizen, being an innovation engine. I came for the job and quickly stayed because of all these things.
As I've progressed in my career, I've come to appreciate -- and really value -- the other attributes that define a company's success beyond the P&L: great leadership, long-term financial strength, ethical business practices, evolving business strategies, sound governance, powerful brands, values-based decision making.
I could go on … but it's fair to say that I see the broader picture now. That's the benefit of experience and having career opportunities that expose you to the inner workings of how a company ticks. Admiration takes on a whole new level when you appreciate just how complex it is to run a modern business.
If, as the Supreme Court suggests, corporations are people, what would you want your own company's epitaph to be?
Oh come on, is this a trap? Unlike people, companies outlive their founders and their leaders. We've been around for 100 years, and I spend more time thinking about what and who we'll be for next decades. So no need to create an epitaph, thank you.
Do you benchmark your company only against peers in your industry, or do you think it's important to measure your company's performance against best-in-class organizations in other fields?
Both. We're pretty fanatical about this. I want to know how our peers in the industry are performing and how they're getting things done. It doesn't always mean they're benchmark or we are, but it's helpful to have a baseline of understanding, which often leads to a healthy debate of who in the industry is really doing something right -- like a sales coverage strategy. But, I'm more interested in true benchmarking of the perceived best-in-class companies: from the basics on org structures and financial systems to how they're able to deliver consistently strong customer service.
Do you think multinational corporations overall are more or less admired by the general public today than, say, 10 years ago? Why?
I've got to go with less admired. These past 10 years have brought out the worst in a few companies and brought down all the rest. I see so many companies -- and I lead one -- that have a huge impact in creating a stronger economy and a better way of life for millions of people. The "what's right for many" has been clearly overshadowed by "what's wrong with a few." The public's impatience with it has reached an all-time high. I can't say I blame them.
Do philanthropic and social responsibility initiatives really help burnish a company's reputation among customers and partners? What company stands out as a role model?
Can I pat Xerox on the back for this one? In our industry, we stand out as the company that has long acted on the belief that doing good is good business. I inherited this value system and it continues to be one of the points of pride for our people and very much for me. I certainly spend a lot of time and dedicate a fair share of resources to understanding the greater good our company is doing for our society.
And I do business with my heart as much as I do with my head, both personally and professionally. Frankly, those companies that dismiss citizenship as a necessary evil don't get my time, attention, or business -- unless they're looking to benchmark us as an example of decades-long, values-based leadership.
Procter & Gamble (PG) gets it. And, I really respect their purpose-driven approach to running their business. It permeates their entire operation. For example, we recently worked with P&G (No. 9) to manage their global fleet of printers, multifunction systems, etc. We saved them a lot of money, but P&G was just as focused on reducing their own carbon footprint -- and gave us clear marching orders on the need to digitize their business. But they were also quite collaborative in the approach. Eight million fewer pages later and a 30% energy reduction really prove the business case of social responsibility.
I'm less concerned about whether being a good corporate citizen burnishes a company's reputation. That's just an added benefit. I believe it's a responsibility, and there is no negotiating on responsibilities.
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/01/most-admired-ursula-burns/
March 1, 2012: 5:00 AM ET
How great leaders run great companies goes way beyond dollars and cents for the leader of Xerox.
Ursula Burns: "Admiration takes on a whole new level when you appreciate just how complex it is to run a modern business."
FORTUNE -- We asked three prominent business leaders -- Jeffrey Immelt, Ursula Burns, and John Donahoe -- which companies they hold in high esteem, and why. For Burns, CEO of Xerox, doing good is good business. She spoke with editor-at-large Patricia Sellers about what that means for some of the World's Most Admired Companies. Edited excerpts:
Q. Which company (or companies) do you most admire, and why?
There's a lot I admire about a lot of companies. And, as I tend to do, I'd put them in categories of:
Established global brands
Relatively new businesses that are already redefining themselves
Personal brand favorites that never disappoint
Dow (DOW) and American Express (AXP) are two established global brands -- high performing type of companies that have a deep understanding of their markets and how they're uniquely positioned to serve them. They stay true to a corporate value system, benefit from quality leadership and are firmly entrenched as respected powerhouses.
If Amazon (AMZN) continues its rapid pace of redefining their business, they seem poised to be one of those rightly admired companies. I already admire Amazon (No. 3) for their ability to master the simplicity of e-commerce. I use Amazon all the time. It feels like they know what I need before I do -- and I'm ok with that. And, I give them credit for taking short-term hits in the pursuit of long-term gains. As a user, I see them as a step ahead of everyone else in the e-commerce arena.
To me, no list of admired companies is complete without Wegmans. I'm showing my Western New York bias here, but anyone who has been in a Wegmans knows it's not your typical grocery store. Despite all the hype and fanfare Wegmans has rightly earned for years, the Wegmans family has been thoughtful and deliberate about their expansion. It's been slow by design and it's all managed through a very careful approach to the customer experience and community involvement, from store to store.
Frankly, Wegmans could have gone the public company route and funded rapid growth, like Whole Foods (WFM). They chose not to for many good reasons. Their approach to leadership, to partnering, to taking care of their people, to delivering a consistently great experience -- so much to admire. I live in Connecticut now -- and I miss Wegmans.
Are there attributes of these companies that you've imported into your own organization?
Oh sure. A couple of quick thoughts: Established companies like Xerox (XRX) can learn from the new players like Amazon that moving fast and being nimble is required in today's business world. Nothing is permanent, and business models need to be scrutinized in much, much shorter cycles than ever before.
My time on the American Express board has influenced the approach we take to branding -- treating our brand as the asset it is and making decisions that align with how we want the brand to be perceived and respected. Amex (No. 16) is very good at this. We're getting better.
Are the corporate attributes you admire today the same ones you did at the outset of your career?
Fresh out of college, you tend to join a company because it's a job. But, you tend to stay because it becomes a career; you start to feel at home. In the beginning of your career, you're focused on you: I like this place because I'm doing rewarding work; they take good care of me; the people are nice; there's runway for me, etc. For me, I was very much in tune to the cultural attributes of Xerox -- how respected the company was (and still is) for diversity, being a good corporate citizen, being an innovation engine. I came for the job and quickly stayed because of all these things.
As I've progressed in my career, I've come to appreciate -- and really value -- the other attributes that define a company's success beyond the P&L: great leadership, long-term financial strength, ethical business practices, evolving business strategies, sound governance, powerful brands, values-based decision making.
I could go on … but it's fair to say that I see the broader picture now. That's the benefit of experience and having career opportunities that expose you to the inner workings of how a company ticks. Admiration takes on a whole new level when you appreciate just how complex it is to run a modern business.
If, as the Supreme Court suggests, corporations are people, what would you want your own company's epitaph to be?
Oh come on, is this a trap? Unlike people, companies outlive their founders and their leaders. We've been around for 100 years, and I spend more time thinking about what and who we'll be for next decades. So no need to create an epitaph, thank you.
Do you benchmark your company only against peers in your industry, or do you think it's important to measure your company's performance against best-in-class organizations in other fields?
Both. We're pretty fanatical about this. I want to know how our peers in the industry are performing and how they're getting things done. It doesn't always mean they're benchmark or we are, but it's helpful to have a baseline of understanding, which often leads to a healthy debate of who in the industry is really doing something right -- like a sales coverage strategy. But, I'm more interested in true benchmarking of the perceived best-in-class companies: from the basics on org structures and financial systems to how they're able to deliver consistently strong customer service.
Do you think multinational corporations overall are more or less admired by the general public today than, say, 10 years ago? Why?
I've got to go with less admired. These past 10 years have brought out the worst in a few companies and brought down all the rest. I see so many companies -- and I lead one -- that have a huge impact in creating a stronger economy and a better way of life for millions of people. The "what's right for many" has been clearly overshadowed by "what's wrong with a few." The public's impatience with it has reached an all-time high. I can't say I blame them.
Do philanthropic and social responsibility initiatives really help burnish a company's reputation among customers and partners? What company stands out as a role model?
Can I pat Xerox on the back for this one? In our industry, we stand out as the company that has long acted on the belief that doing good is good business. I inherited this value system and it continues to be one of the points of pride for our people and very much for me. I certainly spend a lot of time and dedicate a fair share of resources to understanding the greater good our company is doing for our society.
And I do business with my heart as much as I do with my head, both personally and professionally. Frankly, those companies that dismiss citizenship as a necessary evil don't get my time, attention, or business -- unless they're looking to benchmark us as an example of decades-long, values-based leadership.
Procter & Gamble (PG) gets it. And, I really respect their purpose-driven approach to running their business. It permeates their entire operation. For example, we recently worked with P&G (No. 9) to manage their global fleet of printers, multifunction systems, etc. We saved them a lot of money, but P&G was just as focused on reducing their own carbon footprint -- and gave us clear marching orders on the need to digitize their business. But they were also quite collaborative in the approach. Eight million fewer pages later and a 30% energy reduction really prove the business case of social responsibility.
I'm less concerned about whether being a good corporate citizen burnishes a company's reputation. That's just an added benefit. I believe it's a responsibility, and there is no negotiating on responsibilities.
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/01/most-admired-ursula-burns/
What CEOs admire: Jeffrey Immelt of GE
What CEOs admire: Jeffrey Immelt of GE
March 1, 2012: 5:00 AM ET
It takes the right blend of good ideas and good leadership to make the CEO of General Electric's own list of Most Admired Companies.
FORTUNE -- We asked three prominent business leaders -- Jeffrey Immelt, Ursula Burns, and John Donahoe -- which companies they hold in high esteem, and why. Immelt, CEO of General Electric, (No. 15 on our list of Most Admired Companies) talked with reporter Daniel Roberts and listed a veritable Who's Who of companies that continually raise the bar. Edited excerpts:
Q.Which companies do you most admire, and why?
A. I'll give you three companies I really admire, because they're different in terms of what they stand for.
First, FedEx. I find that Fred [Smith] and FedEx (No. 6) have been able to maintain a small company feel even as they've grown, and I think it's just remarkable to see what they've done.
Second, I'll give you IBM (No. 5): a 100-year-old company that has continued to evolve a business model over time.
For the third one, I'd pick Google (No. 2). For a 10-year-old company, they've done more things well in 10 years than just about anybody that I've ever seen.
So, one that's new, one that's been able to scale entrepreneurship, and then IBM, a classic American century-old company that has continued to evolve and change.
What are the attributes of these companies that have made them universally admired? A tech company like Google is so young -- is it all about the good ideas, or is strong leadership the key?
It takes a combination of good ideas and good leadership. I think you can never overstate one to the exclusion of the other. The way that Google has driven search and the ancillary products around it has been a great idea. Take the whole business model behind American Express (No. 16). Even if these companies had great leaders, you know it's the business model that does the talking. So I think the best companies have a good combo of the two. When people lean too hard one way or the other, that's when you find your way off the Fortune Admired list. (Laughs)
Are the corporate attributes you admire today the same ones you admired at the outset of your career? If they've changed, what caused it?
What people admire is very much about the times. If you look at the way you think about a company today, having been through the financial crisis and all the other things, I think people have more of an appreciation for resiliency. Every company recognizes that you're not always going in a straight line. It's the people that keep paddling, even when the tide's against them, that have done well.
I look at The Home Depot (HD), right, it's a great company, but it had lots of years where the housing market stunk, and they kept challenging themselves. So I think everybody has much more appreciation today for resiliency than they did in 1997 or 2007, just given the economic times.
It's something that we've all gone through, and that we recognize, and that we want to see in ourselves. Who gets better when times are tough, and who gives up when times are tough? That's a standard we hold ourselves to, but we've also seen others be able to repurpose and change.
Of your CEO peers at other large companies, who do you look up to or look to for influence in how to build an admirable company?
Sam Palmisano of IBM, Fred Smith -- these are great friends of mine. Frank Blake of The Home Depot -- I know Eric Schmidt from Google -- and people like that. We're constantly reaching out to companies that we can learn from. We do a quarterly management meeting, and we always have outside people come and speak. We had Fred Smith come to our GE Capital meeting, and I've had Ellen Kullman from DuPont (No. 37), Dave Novak from Yum! Brands (YUM). Look, everybody's searching for one good idea, right? That's what you want to get.
I also get together quite frequently with a bunch of people in the New York City area, so Sam, Ken Chenault from American Express, Bill Weldon of J&J (No. 12), Indra Nooyi of Pepsi (No. 32) -- I see them, and we have dinner like once a quarter. And then, you know, Jamie Dimon from JPMorgan has been a good friend of mine for quite some time, and I'm constantly reaching out to people like that for good input.
You were saying that what people admire depends on the times. Which companies do you think have handled the economic crisis especially well?
To a certain extent, I look at financial service companies, because they were in the middle of the storm when the crisis hit. You look at JPMorgan (No. 22) or Wells Fargo (No. 45), and you sit back and say "Well, good for them." They were right in the middle of the financial crisis, and yet they've come through it stronger, on a relative basis. So I think it's beyond just the recession itself, but when you look at people that really took direct hits, given where the crisis went, I think you have to give them the extra benefit of the doubt.
In the wake of the Citizens United decision, with the Supreme Court suggesting that corporations are people, what kind of person do you want your company to be?
I think we've always been a good and generous company when it's come to corporate social responsibility around education and things like that. But personally, I think one of the things that this cycle is proving is that without competitiveness, nothing else really matters. I think in the end, GE is a competitive company, and in the end that might be the best source of CSR. It doesn't matter how much you're giving; if you're not able to create jobs, it's tough to be a good citizen today. And that's not a bad perspective to have.
Havas CEO David Jones, in his book, Who Cares Wins, credits GE's Ecomagination program as a beacon of good CSR...
You know, the essence of Ecomagination was that competitiveness and innovation are at the heart, and it's not really CSR-driven. It's more about innovation, and I think the more we can think about it that way, there are less trade-offs and more positive thinking.
So it sounds like Ecomagination's reputation as a responsible, admirable program is just a happy side effect.
That's exactly right.
Do you only benchmark your company against peers in your industry, or is it important to measure your performance against other best-in-class organizations?
We do try to look at a wide range of other companies. At the last management meeting we had, I had Marc Benioff come and speak, of Salesforce.com (CRM). So we try to look at people like that and say, Hey, is it all applicable to GE? No, but the notion of a CEO who can bring his iPad to a meeting and be tweeting about GE with his sales team while he's talking to the GE leadership team -- it's pretty damn cool. Look, we don't have a lot in common with Salesforce.com, but we better be good where they're good and at stuff that counts. So we try to have a broader net than just where our competitors are.
Do you think large corporations are more admired today by the public than they were ten years ago, or less?
In some ways I think it's maybe about the same. If you allowed yourself to talk about the general public being not just the American public but the global public, I think then there's even more of an appreciation of what we do, because we're every place in the world. Maybe it's harder to be a global company in the U.S. today, maybe marginally, but there's more appreciation for it globally. In many cases, I'd say GE (GE) is just one of a number of companies that have had to go out and sell our stuff in every corner of the world. I think people admire that in the end, because they know it's hard.
What are other companies whose global operations you admire?
IBM clearly is a great global brand, for sure. FedEx is growing. Google (GOOG) not as much yet, but IBM for sure. We see them every place, and they're admired every place. They're a company that we benchmark ourselves against in terms of public appeal, really in every country in the world.
I happened to go last summer on a visit to Tunisia and Egypt with Senator McCain and Senator Kerry, and Coke (No. 4) was there, GE, Exxon (No. 27), and other companies. And I thought it was amazing what Coke does in local markets. As a great American brand, it's extraordinary.
Do philanthropic initiatives really matter, and help a company's reputation?
I think as long as they're hooked to competitiveness and innovation, they have amazing pop. So even education, which is important, ties back to innovation and competitiveness. I think if you can link corporate social responsibility to those things that companies do best, which is compete, when you can touch those two, then I think they're particularly strong.
If you're just giving money to an art museum or something like that, I don't think it helps as much. But if you can tie CSR to innovation for the environment, or making secondary schools better or big things like that, then I think it has extra oomph.
A shorter version of this interview appeared in the March 19, 2012 issue of Fortune.
March 1, 2012: 5:00 AM ET
It takes the right blend of good ideas and good leadership to make the CEO of General Electric's own list of Most Admired Companies.
FORTUNE -- We asked three prominent business leaders -- Jeffrey Immelt, Ursula Burns, and John Donahoe -- which companies they hold in high esteem, and why. Immelt, CEO of General Electric, (No. 15 on our list of Most Admired Companies) talked with reporter Daniel Roberts and listed a veritable Who's Who of companies that continually raise the bar. Edited excerpts:
Q.Which companies do you most admire, and why?
A. I'll give you three companies I really admire, because they're different in terms of what they stand for.
First, FedEx. I find that Fred [Smith] and FedEx (No. 6) have been able to maintain a small company feel even as they've grown, and I think it's just remarkable to see what they've done.
Second, I'll give you IBM (No. 5): a 100-year-old company that has continued to evolve a business model over time.
For the third one, I'd pick Google (No. 2). For a 10-year-old company, they've done more things well in 10 years than just about anybody that I've ever seen.
So, one that's new, one that's been able to scale entrepreneurship, and then IBM, a classic American century-old company that has continued to evolve and change.
What are the attributes of these companies that have made them universally admired? A tech company like Google is so young -- is it all about the good ideas, or is strong leadership the key?
It takes a combination of good ideas and good leadership. I think you can never overstate one to the exclusion of the other. The way that Google has driven search and the ancillary products around it has been a great idea. Take the whole business model behind American Express (No. 16). Even if these companies had great leaders, you know it's the business model that does the talking. So I think the best companies have a good combo of the two. When people lean too hard one way or the other, that's when you find your way off the Fortune Admired list. (Laughs)
Are the corporate attributes you admire today the same ones you admired at the outset of your career? If they've changed, what caused it?
What people admire is very much about the times. If you look at the way you think about a company today, having been through the financial crisis and all the other things, I think people have more of an appreciation for resiliency. Every company recognizes that you're not always going in a straight line. It's the people that keep paddling, even when the tide's against them, that have done well.
I look at The Home Depot (HD), right, it's a great company, but it had lots of years where the housing market stunk, and they kept challenging themselves. So I think everybody has much more appreciation today for resiliency than they did in 1997 or 2007, just given the economic times.
It's something that we've all gone through, and that we recognize, and that we want to see in ourselves. Who gets better when times are tough, and who gives up when times are tough? That's a standard we hold ourselves to, but we've also seen others be able to repurpose and change.
Of your CEO peers at other large companies, who do you look up to or look to for influence in how to build an admirable company?
Sam Palmisano of IBM, Fred Smith -- these are great friends of mine. Frank Blake of The Home Depot -- I know Eric Schmidt from Google -- and people like that. We're constantly reaching out to companies that we can learn from. We do a quarterly management meeting, and we always have outside people come and speak. We had Fred Smith come to our GE Capital meeting, and I've had Ellen Kullman from DuPont (No. 37), Dave Novak from Yum! Brands (YUM). Look, everybody's searching for one good idea, right? That's what you want to get.
I also get together quite frequently with a bunch of people in the New York City area, so Sam, Ken Chenault from American Express, Bill Weldon of J&J (No. 12), Indra Nooyi of Pepsi (No. 32) -- I see them, and we have dinner like once a quarter. And then, you know, Jamie Dimon from JPMorgan has been a good friend of mine for quite some time, and I'm constantly reaching out to people like that for good input.
You were saying that what people admire depends on the times. Which companies do you think have handled the economic crisis especially well?
To a certain extent, I look at financial service companies, because they were in the middle of the storm when the crisis hit. You look at JPMorgan (No. 22) or Wells Fargo (No. 45), and you sit back and say "Well, good for them." They were right in the middle of the financial crisis, and yet they've come through it stronger, on a relative basis. So I think it's beyond just the recession itself, but when you look at people that really took direct hits, given where the crisis went, I think you have to give them the extra benefit of the doubt.
In the wake of the Citizens United decision, with the Supreme Court suggesting that corporations are people, what kind of person do you want your company to be?
I think we've always been a good and generous company when it's come to corporate social responsibility around education and things like that. But personally, I think one of the things that this cycle is proving is that without competitiveness, nothing else really matters. I think in the end, GE is a competitive company, and in the end that might be the best source of CSR. It doesn't matter how much you're giving; if you're not able to create jobs, it's tough to be a good citizen today. And that's not a bad perspective to have.
Havas CEO David Jones, in his book, Who Cares Wins, credits GE's Ecomagination program as a beacon of good CSR...
You know, the essence of Ecomagination was that competitiveness and innovation are at the heart, and it's not really CSR-driven. It's more about innovation, and I think the more we can think about it that way, there are less trade-offs and more positive thinking.
So it sounds like Ecomagination's reputation as a responsible, admirable program is just a happy side effect.
That's exactly right.
Do you only benchmark your company against peers in your industry, or is it important to measure your performance against other best-in-class organizations?
We do try to look at a wide range of other companies. At the last management meeting we had, I had Marc Benioff come and speak, of Salesforce.com (CRM). So we try to look at people like that and say, Hey, is it all applicable to GE? No, but the notion of a CEO who can bring his iPad to a meeting and be tweeting about GE with his sales team while he's talking to the GE leadership team -- it's pretty damn cool. Look, we don't have a lot in common with Salesforce.com, but we better be good where they're good and at stuff that counts. So we try to have a broader net than just where our competitors are.
Do you think large corporations are more admired today by the public than they were ten years ago, or less?
In some ways I think it's maybe about the same. If you allowed yourself to talk about the general public being not just the American public but the global public, I think then there's even more of an appreciation of what we do, because we're every place in the world. Maybe it's harder to be a global company in the U.S. today, maybe marginally, but there's more appreciation for it globally. In many cases, I'd say GE (GE) is just one of a number of companies that have had to go out and sell our stuff in every corner of the world. I think people admire that in the end, because they know it's hard.
What are other companies whose global operations you admire?
IBM clearly is a great global brand, for sure. FedEx is growing. Google (GOOG) not as much yet, but IBM for sure. We see them every place, and they're admired every place. They're a company that we benchmark ourselves against in terms of public appeal, really in every country in the world.
I happened to go last summer on a visit to Tunisia and Egypt with Senator McCain and Senator Kerry, and Coke (No. 4) was there, GE, Exxon (No. 27), and other companies. And I thought it was amazing what Coke does in local markets. As a great American brand, it's extraordinary.
Do philanthropic initiatives really matter, and help a company's reputation?
I think as long as they're hooked to competitiveness and innovation, they have amazing pop. So even education, which is important, ties back to innovation and competitiveness. I think if you can link corporate social responsibility to those things that companies do best, which is compete, when you can touch those two, then I think they're particularly strong.
If you're just giving money to an art museum or something like that, I don't think it helps as much. But if you can tie CSR to innovation for the environment, or making secondary schools better or big things like that, then I think it has extra oomph.
A shorter version of this interview appeared in the March 19, 2012 issue of Fortune.
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