Leader definition according to Dictionary.com - a person or thing that leads; a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.
Leader definition according to Oxford Dictionary - the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country; the person or team that is winning a sporting competition at a particular time; an organization or company that is the most advanced or successful in a particular area.
Today we redefine Leadership. Leadership is not exclusively related to the work environment. Leadership is about being in our element, operating from our essence. I have real life examples to make the point in a work environment that equally applies to all walks of life. The example is a real organisation in decline and in real trouble. In administration and having lost six hundred thousand dollars. I will later show you how Leadership utilising this new definition, has impacted this organisation.
We are all born natural leaders. But leadership is often educated out of us in our early days to conform to normality, through fear of mistakes.
We celebrate mistakes!
In this organisation the Staff to choose their CEO. I am that CEO. I, in turn nominated the customer as our CEO and delegated myself as his assistant. We instituted weekly meetings where the team was encouraged to bring their mistake to the table. If people did not, we assumed that they were not trying hard enough. Management is about control and as a result driven by fear of failure. Without risk, there is no growth and risk brings fear of mistakes. It is our responsibility as leaders to remove fear of mistakes as that's where the gold lies. Be-it at home or at the workplace, where there is fear of making mistakes, growth and creativity are greatly hampered. As a child, every fall was a step closer to our first step. The light bulb might never have been invented if it wasn't for thousands of mistakes.
"You mean I can do what I want, when I work for your company." Yes, this is your company. You turn-up when you want to and approach your role in the way that feels best for you. If the customer is satisfied, then so are we! "Really??? But when I expressed myself freely as a young child, I was told to grow-up and stop being silly!!!"
Such is the rigorous and pervasive normalisation training from our early days in in our culture generally, that fear, whilst undesirable, feels comfortable (the comfort of the known) where-as true freedom of expression is difficult and challenging. Happiness at home and at work relates more to the freedom of self-expression than it relates to how much we earn. Fear marginalises us. It makes us feel like frauds among peers. Operating from our essence, without fear of failure makes us Leaders. Leaders are creative and motivate others to operate from their core and their essence. They remove barriers of fear and shame. They motivate by respecting the individual for their individuality rather than rail-roading them into conformity of standards, hierarchy, roles and KPIs.
Mums can be Leaders. Artists can be leaders. Receptionists can be Leaders. Leaders are not hierarchically or financially motivated. Managers are! Yet, in my experience, the hardest thing is for people to trust that they are allowed to make mistakes and that they are allowed to "be themselves"! That's the real test. I was fortunate to work closely with Stan Shih (founder of Acer Computer). He believed that mistakes are the cost of education and losses applied to our training budget. Stan's company became the 3rd largest global PC manufacturer. When we set-out to be the best of who we are, doing what we believe not for financial or hierarchical advancement, as Steve Jobs showed, we end-up changing the world and receiving great financial reward.
So, operating from our Essence, is the best way to look after the board and the shareholders. We, met our customers and asked them many questions about us. We turned rhetoric and clichés into actions, marketed less, established customer-centric internal vision, eliminate non-profitable products, allowed the organisation to self realign behind the new vision, did not replace sales staff that left, removed the Sales Department, re-distributed the amount traditionally allocated to sales commissions into incentives for all. Most suppliers abandoned us. This had a significant impact on our Vision and had to choose a new, more profitable and sustainable direction. Gave 40% of company to staff and shared it equally between us.
We got the team to have more fun, flexible working hours, Foosball at office, Go carting & Karaoke nights, hours/days off without impacting leave entitlements, worked smarter not harder, Eliminate manual processes, open space environment and more. 14 staff spend less time at work, produced more than 29 did, revenues continued to slide! Profitability went up SIGNIFICANTLY, finishing 2011/12 with six hundred thousand dollar profit (a one point two million dollar turn-around) and on track to a record two point six million in 2012/13.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Friday, March 30, 2012
A new Definition
We need a new definition of humanity. One that is not based on historic structure that defines us by colour, sex, creed, geography, financial wealth, age and stature.
We are born naturally fluid with an ability to morph ourselves to an environment. Unfortunately the "normal" environment we have created is not natural at all and forces us onto a train track called age with milestones of what is expected as achievement at certain ages. So by age x we are meant to have started spelling and by age y we are meant to have started mathematical computations, at age z we get married, and so on.... Those that do not comply, are somehow cast aside as lesser human beings as defined by academic "progress" or cultural limitations. Those that do are mostly on a treadmill of further expectations of "success" as defined by a third party and are white-knuckling it through in case they fall off this path into the abyss of "non-peak performance". And this supposedly is progress!
Just writing that previous paragraph has made me feel stressed. Let alone living it!
This linear path of progression in our lives, is designed around the needs for banks to make money from interest and for governments to continue re-inventing new taxes that they mostly squander as proven in the last Global Financial Crises.
So, now that obviously money has no value as governments in cahoots with the reserve banks continue to print money to hand-over to those that quickly redirect it to their bank accounts and where in America, 20 individuals are worth more than half the population there, has the time come for the majority to redefine what human life is all about and what defines humanity?
We are born naturally fluid with an ability to morph ourselves to an environment. Unfortunately the "normal" environment we have created is not natural at all and forces us onto a train track called age with milestones of what is expected as achievement at certain ages. So by age x we are meant to have started spelling and by age y we are meant to have started mathematical computations, at age z we get married, and so on.... Those that do not comply, are somehow cast aside as lesser human beings as defined by academic "progress" or cultural limitations. Those that do are mostly on a treadmill of further expectations of "success" as defined by a third party and are white-knuckling it through in case they fall off this path into the abyss of "non-peak performance". And this supposedly is progress!
Just writing that previous paragraph has made me feel stressed. Let alone living it!
This linear path of progression in our lives, is designed around the needs for banks to make money from interest and for governments to continue re-inventing new taxes that they mostly squander as proven in the last Global Financial Crises.
So, now that obviously money has no value as governments in cahoots with the reserve banks continue to print money to hand-over to those that quickly redirect it to their bank accounts and where in America, 20 individuals are worth more than half the population there, has the time come for the majority to redefine what human life is all about and what defines humanity?
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Beware of "Talking" Managers
Beware of your managers that talk a lot about their strategies, strengths, team building concepts, etc.....
The old adage "the proof is in the pudding" is very apt here. Furthermore, usually managers that talk a lot about these "methods" are often found to be dropping slogans to big-note themselves (usually out of fear) and are a long way from understanding let alone adopting these methods - They require Leadership training.
As an example, I recently observed a manager that whenever involved in meetings (be-it one-on-one or in a group) talks at the rate of knots. She stresses that in her view it is all about listening to the team and operating on the basis of team feedback. However, at no stage did she really stop long enough to catch breath, let alone to create a real space where the team could contribute.
In a particular meeting, one of her team members, who was the only one still eager to rise above the barrage, and raise a point during question time was met with a "close" response! Something like, "I will collect everybody's feedback and take it to management'". Wow; his was feedback had she teased it out!
This is not to say that these managers will not meet the lowest required threshold to performance, embellished by their constant "qualifying" to management that all the negative outcomes are a result of externalities and that they are doing their best in "the given circumstances". Just that these managers end up with a team that is not truly empowered, losing the Leaders (as defined by CxO Consulting) amongst them and always struggling to get there, rather than allowing the team energy and capabilities to truly maximise opportunities and to grow into previously uncharted territories.
These type of managers are certainly not Leaders and will not create a Great Organisation complete with Leaders at every level.
It might be however that as the Leader of your organisation, you prefer this type of "driven" (as often, vocal is confused with driven) manager. Unfortunately, if this is you, then the prognosis is not good for your organisation. Your competition and their Leaders are operating in a different paradigm and will more likely than not, eclipse you.
Be a true Leader and ensure that your managers are Leaders too and that their Leadership shows-up in visible results, without the excessive "talking".
Listening is the domain of the wise, excessive words are the domain of the fearful.
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
The old adage "the proof is in the pudding" is very apt here. Furthermore, usually managers that talk a lot about these "methods" are often found to be dropping slogans to big-note themselves (usually out of fear) and are a long way from understanding let alone adopting these methods - They require Leadership training.
As an example, I recently observed a manager that whenever involved in meetings (be-it one-on-one or in a group) talks at the rate of knots. She stresses that in her view it is all about listening to the team and operating on the basis of team feedback. However, at no stage did she really stop long enough to catch breath, let alone to create a real space where the team could contribute.
In a particular meeting, one of her team members, who was the only one still eager to rise above the barrage, and raise a point during question time was met with a "close" response! Something like, "I will collect everybody's feedback and take it to management'". Wow; his was feedback had she teased it out!
This is not to say that these managers will not meet the lowest required threshold to performance, embellished by their constant "qualifying" to management that all the negative outcomes are a result of externalities and that they are doing their best in "the given circumstances". Just that these managers end up with a team that is not truly empowered, losing the Leaders (as defined by CxO Consulting) amongst them and always struggling to get there, rather than allowing the team energy and capabilities to truly maximise opportunities and to grow into previously uncharted territories.
These type of managers are certainly not Leaders and will not create a Great Organisation complete with Leaders at every level.
It might be however that as the Leader of your organisation, you prefer this type of "driven" (as often, vocal is confused with driven) manager. Unfortunately, if this is you, then the prognosis is not good for your organisation. Your competition and their Leaders are operating in a different paradigm and will more likely than not, eclipse you.
Be a true Leader and ensure that your managers are Leaders too and that their Leadership shows-up in visible results, without the excessive "talking".
Listening is the domain of the wise, excessive words are the domain of the fearful.
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Energy is Energy
Energy is neither positive nor negative, it is just energy.
Energy is a gift of our nature that passes through us in response to a given situation. As it passes through us it gets coloured as positive, negative or neutral on the basis of our Ego, our upbringing, our state of mind. Based on this judgement, we then respond in a given way, either reacting negatively, positively or, not at all. These moments, unless seized as opportunities, are squandered gifts.
True Leaders, perceptively understand that every time this energy within them is triggered for a given situation, it is a GREAT opportunity to grab the moment and respond with an approach that engenders empowerment, growth, well-being and empathy.
Others that have not understood this basic, and often unconscious reality, automatically react through the filter of right or wrong. They do not understand that ultimately, there is no right or wrong except that, which has been tattooed in their brain. Our brain is a strong and capable resource that protects us on the basis of what it knows - OUR HISTORY.
Leaders understand that our history is not who we are. We are everything there is and our brain is only able to give us a small percentage of reality limited by our years on this planet; and should we be guided by this, then we are missing-out on the bigger picture which is available to each and everyone of us.
So if Leadership is what you are aspiring to, then remember to question any auto-response your brain triggers when faced with what you then perceive as calamities, crises and issues. Better still, feel your way through a situation, trusting your god-given intuitive self rather than being limited by your history; your brain.
These are challenging choices to comprehend as, as you are reading this, your brain might be giving you all sorts of triggers, informing you to view this negatively and to discount it as "a great theory that will never work in the real world", or some similar notion. If this is you, then make the leap of Leadership and allow yourself to see beyond the tyranny of your history to embark, one "calamity" at a time towards your full potential that already exists within you and that your history is holding you back from.
In fact the brain, by its nature is selfish as it, to a large degree, exists to protect you.
Leadership is everything but selfish.
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
Energy is a gift of our nature that passes through us in response to a given situation. As it passes through us it gets coloured as positive, negative or neutral on the basis of our Ego, our upbringing, our state of mind. Based on this judgement, we then respond in a given way, either reacting negatively, positively or, not at all. These moments, unless seized as opportunities, are squandered gifts.
True Leaders, perceptively understand that every time this energy within them is triggered for a given situation, it is a GREAT opportunity to grab the moment and respond with an approach that engenders empowerment, growth, well-being and empathy.
Others that have not understood this basic, and often unconscious reality, automatically react through the filter of right or wrong. They do not understand that ultimately, there is no right or wrong except that, which has been tattooed in their brain. Our brain is a strong and capable resource that protects us on the basis of what it knows - OUR HISTORY.
Leaders understand that our history is not who we are. We are everything there is and our brain is only able to give us a small percentage of reality limited by our years on this planet; and should we be guided by this, then we are missing-out on the bigger picture which is available to each and everyone of us.
So if Leadership is what you are aspiring to, then remember to question any auto-response your brain triggers when faced with what you then perceive as calamities, crises and issues. Better still, feel your way through a situation, trusting your god-given intuitive self rather than being limited by your history; your brain.
These are challenging choices to comprehend as, as you are reading this, your brain might be giving you all sorts of triggers, informing you to view this negatively and to discount it as "a great theory that will never work in the real world", or some similar notion. If this is you, then make the leap of Leadership and allow yourself to see beyond the tyranny of your history to embark, one "calamity" at a time towards your full potential that already exists within you and that your history is holding you back from.
In fact the brain, by its nature is selfish as it, to a large degree, exists to protect you.
Leadership is everything but selfish.
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
Monday, February 21, 2011
Unedited
I write what, how and as I feel and with little editing. I certainly do not avail myself of 3rd party editors. Many of you that have read my articles will absolutely agree with a nod of the head and an "Aha"!
I refuse to put the make-up on my writing.
This may be because at the young age of 7, I won an award for an article I did not write. My uncle, the headmaster wrote it for me! This was somehow meant to help me in my path in life; I guess the more awards bestowed on me, the more intelligent I appeared, or something. What it actually accomplished for that younger version of me, was shame that I was obviously considered unable to write my own article, and at that young sensitive age, I seriously, was not, nor should have been. Rather than empowerment, I was left with a lesser-then feeling as obviously the implication was that at that young vulnerable age I should already have been running a publishing empire all with editors, printing presses and brilliant marketers!
On the other hand, it may be because, I want to show-up for who I am, without make-up. And if there are those that will judge me because sometimes my grammar is long-winded or my spelling sometimes erratic; then probably they are not my target audience.
In my writing, I am sharing myself, and I wish this to be felt even more than read. My beloved siblings have often remarked, " Aldo, your messages, passion and concepts are absolutely felt in your writing and here are some spelling corrections......". I am grateful and obviously gladly go ahead and correct the spelling. However, what matters to me is their and other friends' and readers' feedback, that my messages and passion are palpable, and so I have achieved my objective.
I thank those that still persist in reading my musings and hope that you get something from them; if nothing else, the gift of Leadership through authenticity. I encourage you to respect your natural and innate passion and purpose and show-up for who you are. You only need around you those that respect you for who you are now, and can do without those that expect perfection from you, as this, at best is unreal and certainly not who I am now! Perfection is so seriously overrated anyway.
True abundance (even the financial kind) is mostly found in authenticity in whatever we do, while riches can be made from inauthenticity, but often that comes with many layers of despair and depression. Your choice!
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
Believers and Chameleons
Leaders are believers. The rest are chameleons. And there is nothing necessarily wrong with any of these options as long as this is a conscious choice. By believers we do not mean religious or cultural beliefs, but organic and granular beliefs we were born with (our purpose and passion) often derailed and apparently lost in the process of turning us natural beings into normalized (domesticated) beings.
We all have innate beliefs and most of us, mostly subconsciously, discount them to blindly follow others' (civilization trains us towards this); we become chameleons, adapting to environments with the main objective being safety! Never quite exposing our authentic selves.
The few of us that live by our beliefs and values, have tapped into that leader that exists in each and every one of us.
This simple concept of personal beliefs and values, is often a great challenge for most of us preferring instead to live an inauthentic life that leads us to depression and despair. Most then medicate (often subconsciously) through things such as need for money, authority, shopaholic tendencies, alcoholism, workaholism, gambling, drugs and various other forms of obvious and often less obvious addictions.
These distractions are meant to fill that gaping hole left by our self-avoidance and self-negation, but they often do not and the only answer then is prescription drugs, which is no option at all. Well, maybe one step better than the suicide option!
Living from our authentic self is the only answer and the magic of leadership and self-fulfillment while contributing to society from our purpose and passion. The alternative is not a feasible option as most of us, in our authentic moments of clarity, are able to see but seem unable to follow-through.
So, be a leader in whatever you do; at home, at work, in your hobby, etc. And discover the leader in you that will lead you to greater peace, fulfillment and abundance.
Else, there is always prescription drugs and the despair of Ego.
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
Aldo Grech - CXO Consulting
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The Future Is Uncertain
The cycle of change has sped-up to a degree where we now have catastrophic and micro economic cycles, making the present unpredictable, let alone the future. This does not work well for traditional managers and traditional Marketing 101 plans.
5 - 10 year business plans are, at best a wish list and certainly not how the future will turn-out; and even if it did turn-out according to your plan, so much change would have transpired that you would have only managed to suffocate your organization, should you have managed it to the 5 year plan, as your nimble competitors would have sped past you at the speed of the unstoppable change we are experiencing.
So how is this good news?
Well, those that sped past you while you were anchoring your organization to its plan (the past), certainly have some answers.
Managers Manage, Leaders Lead. These 2 are not mutually exclusive. In fact, management is a role, while Leadership is an attitude, an approach. If as a manager you are not a Leader, you are probably short-changing your organization, your team and yourself.
Leadership, on the other hand is not about limiting, white-knuckling, anchoring and holding-tight to that plan. This only produces stress, depression and a paralyzed organization. Yes, Leaders have a 5 and maybe 10 year Vision for their organisation. However, true Leaders tap into their passion and purpose to find the creativity within them to inspire their teams towards a future tha, in augmenting the organizational Vision, fulfills their team's purpose and passion.
This sounds easy, simple and even simplistic. And whilst this concept is easy, the practice certainly is not. It works against convention (the past). Everything within us tells us it is unsafe, unchartered, unorthodox and even fool-hardy. Why should I stick my neck out? Why not follow the beaten track? At least that way I can always blame the system and keep my job. This is unfortunately, now, old thinking. No organization is safe from absolute failure as we have seen in the recent (and ongoing) Global Financial Crises. Your organization could be gone and so would the safety of your job unless you inspire your team to endorse Leadership by operating from their purpose.
Safe is not the same as pragmatic. Risk awareness is not the same as risk aversion.
So take a risk-aware and pragmatic approach towards restructuring your organizational DNA to have inbuilt change endorsement; another phrase for Leadership. This is achievable through a commitment to Leading by example of authenticity, purposeful approach, encouragement, empowerment and absolute determination of eliminating lethargy and inertia.
Be a Leader and empower the Leadership in others so collectively you are able to develop a dynamic and sustainable organization. An organization that operates out of respect for the individual, the team, the community and the environment.
The time of lip-service of Environmental Friendliness and Employee EMpowerment is gone. True Leaders know this and those organizations that seem to be unstoppable even in these times are likely to have already endorsed these basic concepts and deployed them.
Your organizational greatest asset is your people and if your management team still sees them as a liability and an easy cost-cutting method, I feel your organization is going to face a challenging future indeed.
Read authors like Seth Godin and books like The Accidental CEO by Tom Voccola and you will see you are not alone in understanding that the future of your organization is written with different rules to those that got it here. And seeing that few organizations have been able to endorse, let alone deploy these concepts, you will be on of the first organizations to join the few that seem to be speeding towards a prosperous and abundant future for themselves, their teams and their investors.
Aldo Grech - CxO Consulting
5 - 10 year business plans are, at best a wish list and certainly not how the future will turn-out; and even if it did turn-out according to your plan, so much change would have transpired that you would have only managed to suffocate your organization, should you have managed it to the 5 year plan, as your nimble competitors would have sped past you at the speed of the unstoppable change we are experiencing.
So how is this good news?
Well, those that sped past you while you were anchoring your organization to its plan (the past), certainly have some answers.
Managers Manage, Leaders Lead. These 2 are not mutually exclusive. In fact, management is a role, while Leadership is an attitude, an approach. If as a manager you are not a Leader, you are probably short-changing your organization, your team and yourself.
Leadership, on the other hand is not about limiting, white-knuckling, anchoring and holding-tight to that plan. This only produces stress, depression and a paralyzed organization. Yes, Leaders have a 5 and maybe 10 year Vision for their organisation. However, true Leaders tap into their passion and purpose to find the creativity within them to inspire their teams towards a future tha, in augmenting the organizational Vision, fulfills their team's purpose and passion.
This sounds easy, simple and even simplistic. And whilst this concept is easy, the practice certainly is not. It works against convention (the past). Everything within us tells us it is unsafe, unchartered, unorthodox and even fool-hardy. Why should I stick my neck out? Why not follow the beaten track? At least that way I can always blame the system and keep my job. This is unfortunately, now, old thinking. No organization is safe from absolute failure as we have seen in the recent (and ongoing) Global Financial Crises. Your organization could be gone and so would the safety of your job unless you inspire your team to endorse Leadership by operating from their purpose.
Safe is not the same as pragmatic. Risk awareness is not the same as risk aversion.
So take a risk-aware and pragmatic approach towards restructuring your organizational DNA to have inbuilt change endorsement; another phrase for Leadership. This is achievable through a commitment to Leading by example of authenticity, purposeful approach, encouragement, empowerment and absolute determination of eliminating lethargy and inertia.
Be a Leader and empower the Leadership in others so collectively you are able to develop a dynamic and sustainable organization. An organization that operates out of respect for the individual, the team, the community and the environment.
The time of lip-service of Environmental Friendliness and Employee EMpowerment is gone. True Leaders know this and those organizations that seem to be unstoppable even in these times are likely to have already endorsed these basic concepts and deployed them.
Your organizational greatest asset is your people and if your management team still sees them as a liability and an easy cost-cutting method, I feel your organization is going to face a challenging future indeed.
Read authors like Seth Godin and books like The Accidental CEO by Tom Voccola and you will see you are not alone in understanding that the future of your organization is written with different rules to those that got it here. And seeing that few organizations have been able to endorse, let alone deploy these concepts, you will be on of the first organizations to join the few that seem to be speeding towards a prosperous and abundant future for themselves, their teams and their investors.
Aldo Grech - CxO Consulting
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