Leadership

How Do You Make Things Better?

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The objective of change is improvement. Making a product, service or process better creates value. The products and services we use, our food, our environment, our communication tools, the number of options we have, and many other things have improved because someone decided to challenge the status quo and take on the risk of making them better. Surviving in a competitive world demands that improvements continue, but overcoming the barriers built to sustain the status quo is always …

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Doing

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Leadership is often the difference between success and failure.  The most productive leaders appreciate that their prime directive is to improve results, requiring that they nurture a team culture which challenges the status quo, and shares the commitment and accountability for embracing change.  Recognizing their responsibility to develop those they lead, and knowing from experience that the most beneficial learning is accomplished by doing, these leaders promote change initiatives as learning experiences that open opportunities.  They counsel that natural …

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Adapting to Customer Centricity

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Bob Schultek Author of  The Gauntlet In this increasingly customer-centric market, here are some organizational issues to consider: To generate growth, profitability and sustainability, ensuring that a business is continually creating strategic value for customers is a primary responsibility for leadership. Creating value for the business begins by first creating value for customers; customer value is monetized to validate its contribution to business value. To reliably create strategic value and strengthen sustainability, the business: –Discovers what customers value, …

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Creating Value

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  Our time is a finite, unrecoverable resource which makes it very valuable. As a leader, precious time is expected to create value for the organization. Did your leadership help your people create value today? What benefits were produced for your customers and your organization in return for the time you and they invested? Ford’s Model T was more efficient to build than any other automobile at the time, so each worker produced far more value …

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Leadership and Change

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Leaders drive change. Whether reacting to an external challenge that threatens the business, or proactively disrupting the status quo to improve performance, leaders and change are inseparable. The most visible leadership stories describe triumphs over trouble, departures from the past, doing what has never been done, or going where no one has ever been. Every story is about challenge and change. The same is true for those who lead their …

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A Time for Why & How

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Bob Schultek Author of  The Gauntlet It’s a new year, a fresh start. Amidst the resolutions and planning, it’s an ideal time to assess by asking a few basic ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions. Why were you able to accomplish what you did last year? What worked, and what didn’t? How can you be smarter? Smarter about process, about planning, about possible effects, about metrics, about leadership, about inspiring your people to invest in building the business? How will …

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Leadership Happens in the Moments

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet Every day, there are moments when you can choose to lead. Leadership is more about these moments than it is about accomplishing grand initiatives.  Making a difference is all about these moments. One member of your team might be stuck and need your guidance or suggestions to open another path. When a choice between two possible options is required, rather than immediately making the decision, you ask your team to consider …

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Leadership and Challenge

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Bob Schultek Author of The Gauntlet rschultek@staging.elfin-bead.flywheelsites.com 216-272-4449      There are times when leaders must confront adversity that threatens their business. Other times, to improve performance, they disrupt the established order by challenging the status quo. Whether the challenge is external or internal, leaders make things happen. Leadership and challenge are inseparable. Business leaders you admire are likely remembered for launching an entrepreneurial venture, developing a novel product and service, transforming a failing business, or revolutionizing …

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3 Actions That Reveal Your Leadership Credibility

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When asked how they judge a leader to be credible, people will typically respond with a phrase like: “they walk the talk.”  Indeed, the consistency with which actions match words defines leadership credibility. And the level of that consistency is determined by how aligned your words and actions are with your personal values and those of your organization. These 3 scenarios reveal how consistently you communicate and act in accordance with your values: How you …

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3 Steps to Managing Autonomy

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Give people choices, some control over their actions, and their performance improves. This is the essence of autonomy and why it is a proven motivator. But once autonomy is earned, then it must be managed, because the circumstances that originally enable it are likely to change. If you want your high performing, self-directed people to succeed, then monitoring the situation in which they work is critical; one change in your team’s work pattern can cause …

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