I (and many others) write a lot about the responsibilities of the leader, and what we should be doing to better the lot of our teams and our companies. What I see a lot less written about is the responsibility of that team, of employees to the company. But if you are paid for work, […]
Management
It’s not about empowerment
Leaders should not empower their teams. We should not empower women. We should not empower under-represented minorities. As far back as I can recall, I’ve struggled with this word. Empower, for me, carries deep connotations of giving someone power. Of patronising people with power. But I don’t believe you can give someone power. What you can […]
Don’t build a mansion on cardboard foundations
I’m stunned sometimes by how often the basics get overlooked and then bite your business in the most painful way. Founders are often visionaries. We have a dream of what we want to build. We have strategies. Purpose. Missions. Challenge is that the business needs to be continually fuelled while we build. And often, that […]
The power of values for simplifying
Clear Values Simplify. Company values should do 3 things. Align: clear expectations make decisions easier and more delegatable; Attract: aligned customers, team members and investors; Inspire: creates a platform and belief for positive change. A while back, I was talking to a client about the role of values for his team. He’s one of the […]
If you’re frustrated with your leadership team, the feeling’s probably mutual!
“It annoys me how often I need to tell my leadership team what to do. But if I don’t, they just won’t do the right thing.” (How to upset everyone in one fell swoop. But it needs saying, so here goes…) If you’re a CEO frustrated with your leadership team (LT), I’ll bet they’re also […]