If you missed this valuable event, or would like to listen to it again, you can still register for a streaming feed of the recording.

Al’s [...]]]> Dr. Al Vicere had an outstanding webinar last week. And the dialogue with Howard Morgan was fascinating. (We’re planning to post some of those questions and answers in weeks to come.)

If you missed this valuable event, or would like to listen to it again, you can still register for a streaming feed of the recording.

Al’s presentation began with a discussion of the incredible amount of societal change and economic pressure we’re encountering today. Socially, we’ve entered an era of frugality. Households, governments, and organizations are spending less. The US share of GDP is going to fall in the future. All of this has tremendous implications for business.

At most organizations, leaders are tightening the belts, focusing on efficiency, trying to stabilize during terrible conditions, and also, preparing for the upswing to come.

For leaders, it can be incredibly difficult to straddle those two directions at once. A theme emerged, one that would be emphasized over the next 90 minutes.

Leaders need to look out and see what’s happening in the world around them – the demographic trends, the market forces, the competition – in order to make good decisions about what the organization should do internally.

To explain the mechanics of that difficulty, Al laid out his DNA model – Direction and Alignment. Like the genome, an organization’s growth and operating instructions can also be decoded. The double helix structure of organizational DNA is composed of the twin strands – Roots (history and operations) and Wings (change and innovation.) The code that defines a particular organization is found in its components of Strategy (future state), Leadership (momentum towards future state) and Culture (the forces sustaining that momentum.) Together, these connect the organization’s past to its future.

Drawing on his survey of 12,000 leaders, Al stated that most organizations define themselves as follower-perfectors with aggressive take-charge people, backed up by competent technology supporters. Those leaders are trying to work in teams but are often stuck in silos. They’re focused on extracting maximum value from the current asset base and moving into related markets. They feel passionate for the organization and challenged in their jobs, bu they’re increasingly conflicted about loyalty and long-term commitment.

The question becomes, will such organizations, with leaders who are incredibly focused internally, be able to see dramatic new opportunities, let alone act on them? Al’s research shows that the average organization is doing little in that regard, despite any rhetoric about leading the way, and that spells big trouble at a time when survivors must also be innovators.

History will again repeat itself. Even now, before [...]]]> The May 2009 edition of Harvard Business Review includes an article on, “The Definitive Guide to Recruiting in Good Times and Bad.” The authors point out that during a downturn smart and able companies prepare a hiring strategy to anticipate the needs of the future. Most other companies don’t:

History will again repeat itself. Even now, before the recession lifts, our research suggests that most global companies are running into staffing problems in emerging markets, and they are also having a difficult time finding talented younger managers to replace baby boom retirees. These problems will be made all the worse because, we’ve found, current hiring practices are haphazard at best and ineffective at worst. And even when companies find the right people, they have difficulty retaining them.

Bev Kaye’s webinar on May 20 focuses on the bottom-line reasons for keeping your best people engaged now, during the downturn, or risk losing them later. 

Finally, a note on the possible pandemic emerging from Mexico. Like the 2008-2009 financial crisis, environmental concerns, and the SARS epidemic of 2002, we now have another illustration of the reality of globalization. The suddenness of the impact on financial, trade, and tourism markets is startling. Upcoming presenter, FG Ghadar includes “disease” as one of the 12 categories he discusses in his book, “Global Tectonics.”

On Monday, Jim Kouzes will be speaking about leadership and where 25 years of research [...]]]> Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received some grief in Russia for a mistranslation of the word “reset” on a button she used as a symbolic prop. But these days, a reset button sounds like a good idea to us.

On Monday, Jim Kouzes will be speaking about leadership and where 25 years of research bring him to today. The need for leadership is never more obvious than in a crisis. Many organizations are stressed by circumstances right now. Managers, executives, and leaders at all levels need to be inspiring, effective, and, above all, credible. 

We invite you to start the week with a master-class on leadership insight, research and inspiration. In the leadership development and executive coaching field, there are few experts with the knowledge and wisdom of Jim Kouzes. 

Here’s a little history of that research for your interest. Join us on Monday to hear how the story has evolved.

During this 90 [...]]]> Earlier today, Unbound Ideas hosted two top voices in the leadership and coaching industry. Dr. Marshall Goldsmith presented a webinar entitled Preparing Your Successor and Yourself for a Great Future. We were fortunate to have Howard Morgan act as the facilitator to coax additional insights from Marshall and add his own wisdom.

During this 90 minute event, which included some really interesting and thoughtful questions from our participants, we learned that there are concrete steps that any leader can undertake in order to have the transition of responsibilities go smoothly for the organization and the well-being of all parties involved. Marshall described the key findings revealed through his extensive research and engagement in succession planning with top executives from some of the world’s largest organizations. He illustrated some of the traps that these leaders often fall into as the reins are turned over. Importantly, he also described the hazards that successors face as they prepare for or anticipate an eventual transition.

Unbound Ideas is pleased to make this version of the webinar available to our community and hope it will be of use and interest. Please note that the video’s functionality and resolution has been reduced. If you are interested in obtaining a full version of the webinar, including slides, curriculum articles and increased after-event dialog, please contact us.