Posts Tagged ‘Leaders’

Need to motivate? Illustrate!

Jul
29

Written by: Trudy Kremer

 

I value simplicity and directness in communications.  Too often we spend time mired in details that bury our main message.  When I attended the Council of PR Firms 2011 Harvard Leadership Program taught by Dr. Ashish Nanda we studied the miraculous turnaround of SAS airlines.  When businessman Jan Carlzon took over the Scandinavian airline in 1981 it was tanking.  The airline was facing industry challenges including rising oil prices, deregulation and others.  But one of the biggest issues was its very own bureaucratic culture that had hand-tied front-line employees; they could not make timely customer service decisions. To succeed Carlzon had to revolutionize the company and he had to communicate it in a revolutionary way.

He was known for saying, “An individual without information can’t take responsibility. An individual with information can’t help but take responsibility.”

But the challenge was how to deliver information effectively to a wide audience.  One of the most unique approaches he took was in writing a book entitled, Let’s Get in There and Fight! and he sent it to every single employee.  Right down to every gate checker, maintenance worker, baggage handler, flight attendant, manager and pilot.

The text was simple; the images were cartoons – almost child-like – conceivably drawn by Carlzon himself.

For example, he showed a plane taking a nosedive. The text reads, “We are in bad shape.  But we have not reached crisis point yet.  If we were, we would not know how to get our nose up again.  He showed a plane soaring, “But we can.  If we are ready to fight for our jobs and our future.”

No business analysis, no pie charts, no graphs, just a clear call to action, simply presented.

You have to see the book to believe it: http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/jan-carlzons-sas-presentation

He also met face to face with employees, listening, surveying, and empowering them to make decisions, eliminating middle management along the way.  Employees, especially the front-line, rallied around his leadership and communications style.  We watched video of Carlzon speaking.  He was engaging, simple and inclusive in his delivery, always using “we” and “us” rather than “you” and “them.”

The changes at SAS led to Air Transport World naming SAS Airline of the Year for 1983 just two years after Carlzon applied his leadership.  Dr. Nanda told us Jan Carlzon’s turnaround of SAS is one of the classic business case studies at Harvard.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in JS Communication, JS Cultivation | Comments Off

Live in a constant state of leadership

Jun
17

Written by: Trudy Kremer

 

I went to Duke. I know. You hate Duke, right? Sigh…most people do. And I was there for two national basketball championships. Now you hate me too, right?

The truth is that I was an art history major. I was not exactly camping out in Krzyzewskiville. But last week I learned something about Duke’s Coach K during the Council of PR Firms leadership conference facilitated by Dr. Ashish Nanda, from Harvard. One of his sessions focused on contrasting the leadership styles of Coach K and Coach Bobby Knight. Coach Knight being the well-known mentor of Coach K. Coach Knight also being an infamous figure in college basketball. Coach K being the darling. Two seemingly completely different leaders.

First, Dr. Nanda showed video of Coach K when he turned down the opportunity to coach the LA Lakers to the tune of $40 million. He was humble. He barely spoke anything of himself. An amazing feat considering it was a press conference about him. Rather, he thanked everyone else in the room. He thanked Duke for the opportunity to consider the prestigious offer, the Lakers for offering, his beloved students — he even apologized to Duke’s brand spanking new president for stealing the limelight unintentionally that week. He announced his decision to stay because, “Duke has always taken up my whole heart.” A leader who clearly leads with his heart and stays true to his values. We also watched video of Coach K describing the incredible win during the Duke versus Kentucky game in 1992. They were down a point with 2.1 seconds left in the game. Coach K did not say, “we are down a point,” rather, he emphatically stated, “we are going to win.” And they won.

In stark contrast to Coach K was Coach Knight. Brash, arrogant, pointed and profane. We watched two videos of him when he was accused of abusing his players and watched him defiantly defend himself. I absolutely would have feared being in the hallway with him in college. Then we watched video of him when he won his 880th game at Texas Tech. Still brash, arrogant and pointed, even stating how he knew some hated him and he did not care. But, as you watched him, you saw his passion for his team, his love and respect for them and admiration for what they had accomplished. You could see his commitment to excellence and to his values. One of his students tearily said his relationship with Coach Knight had changed his life like no one before. A dimension of leadership not dissimilar to Coach K. Not worlds apart as they had first appeared, but actually of the same world.

Dr. Nanda coached us through the session and explained along the way.

Effective coaching begins with what you value in life. Both coaches value and love their students, their institutions, their sport and excellence in everything they do.

It continues with conduct that is consistent and committed. Both are incredibly consistent in what they offer and what they expect of others. They live what they say and are completely authentic.

And their leadership is game on. They don’t just coach when there are 2.1 seconds left. They live in a constant state of leadership. Leadership is their heart, soul and passion.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in JS Cultivation | Comments Off

Easy strategy for excellence: look up

Aug
23

Written by: Brian Brodrick

Exercise has always cleared my mind. Any good ideas and mental organization that occurs often happens during the 30-90 minutes of exercise I squeeze in most mornings before the world awakens.

This mental nourishment once came solely from a heaping plate of distance running. But after years of fidelity to pounding pavement, my body rebelled. I was forced to embrace the “Runner’s Wheelchair” – more commonly known as the bicycle – for part of my exercise diet.

Cycling in turn has offered freedom and the ability to travel much further – and to the chagrin of my wife – to be gone much longer.

Riding is different than running. A key difference is the temptation to keep your head down. Focus on the white line just ahead, take a glance at the tiny odometer and watch the miles spin away. Grind, push, get it done, and hammer home. Good workout. Mission accomplished.

Not really.

First of all, the joy in riding is often the scenery. Rolling hills, fog-shrouded forests, and moving water. Cattle waking up and roosters crowing. Anticipating and climbing the hill, and enjoying an easy descent.

Secondly, looking down is plain dangerous. Focusing on the white line prevents you from seeing the dead armadillo, the stalking Doberman, or the sleepy driver that can put a bloody end to a once-glorious ride.

The same temptations loom in business. Make the list, get it done, and do it well. The opportunity sits in front of most productive people each day. Many would argue that finishing your list and doing each task well is a good day’s work. But the problems are the same.

First, you miss the scenery: the pride in an intern the first time he works a press event, the first front page hit for a promising colleague, the progress of a mentee against challenging goals, the evolving esprit de corps of a team who grow together to accomplish more as a group than they can individually.

Danger also looms for leaders and professional communicators who focus too tightly on the white line. Leaders must have their eye on the outside world for their clients and their organizations. We must look further ahead than others, projecting around the curve, over the hill, or into the next day’s ride. We must focus on a balanced training program that yields success in terms of people, profit, and philanthropy.

So the next time you work through your list (or the next time you’re exercising), take a deep breath. Look around. Examine the road ahead. Anticipate the curves, the hills, and the years of training to come. Focus on the environment in your office and in your community. Are you considering the true race before your organization?

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in JS Communication | 1 Comment »