Monthly Archive for June, 2009

Communicating the vision and strategies requires repetition and the use of a multimedia approach. The key messages need to be repeated time and again with the use of different vehicles, for example meetings, presentations, speeches, in-house publications and e-mails. It is preferable to use language that is straightforward and jargon free. Inconsistencies should be explained [...]

An effective vision needs to appeal to both hearts and minds. The end product ideally results in a direction of the future that is desirable, feasible, focused, flexible and communicable.

Change, if it is to be effective, needs to be led by a mixture of senior people with strong position power, broad expertise relevant to the task and high credibility. To make change happen they need to create trust through carefully planned off-site events with lots of talk and joint activities.

It is helpful, first, to identify possible causes of complacency. These may include the absence of a visible crisis, the achievement of low performance standards, low candour about problems and favourable performance feedback coming primarily from within. Raising a sense of urgency is possible by, for instance, eliminating obvious examples of excess; setting goals sufficiently [...]

Professor John Kotter of the Harvard Business School has produced a research-based model for leading major organizational change (1996). Success in his view depends on the implementation of an eight-step process. The stages, all of which need to be followed sequentially, are as follows: Create a sense of urgency. Put together a team of people [...]

Many organizations these days publish statements of desired values. An example, from law firm DLA, appears in The DLA values. The DLA values  People Service Quality We bring the best out of our people by encouraging mutual respect, responsibility and teamwork. We invest in the reputation and careers of all of our people. We commit [...]

Providing strategic leadership is not a highly complicated process. Essentially it is about making time to create a vision of the desirable but attainable future state of the team’s business; identifying crucial conditions for success; making sure that work is not confused with achievements; and setting up development projects and action points to turn the [...]

Where there is no vision, the people perish. — (Proverbs 29: 18) Do not quench your inspiration and imagination; do not become the slave of your model. — (Vincent Van Gogh) Good leadership is about making things happen. The starting point is for you to help your team to develop a clear sense of direction [...]

Leaders of professional service teams are very busy people. Juggling the pressures of the leadership function with the professional work, client relations and marketing and selling activities is far from easy. If you find it difficult to manage your time effectively you can do no better than think about, and try out, the very practical [...]

Here are some simple tips for overcoming a reluctance to delegate: You may have a desire for perfection and feel that you are the only person who can do the work. If so, start by delegating parts of the tasks concerned and coach people to perform them to your satisfaction. You may reserve tasks for [...]