Recently, I had the opportunity to make a presentation to a group of executives related to the key challenges facing leaders in 2010. In preparation for the meeting, I interviewed a number of executives that I personally knew and respected here locally. In addition, I turned to an International corporate planning group for their thoughts and input. I was impressed with the number and quality of the responses. Input came from all parts of the world including, India, Romania, Uganda, Belgium, Canada and, of course, the States. The key areas of focus emerging from these thought leaders included:
- Ethics & integrity
- Improved decision making capability and tools
- Balanced / sustainable business models
- Transparency & Honesty
- Social Networks
As I reflected on all of the input, it was interesting to note that many of the “New” challenges were, in many ways, similar to the challenges faced in earlier times. It is something I have been referring to as “Small Town USA” challenges.
If you were to imagine conducting business in a very small town during a time before most of us can remember, everyone knew everyone. In addition, everyone usually knew everything, even though some things were never discussed. Everyone, the barber, dentist, shoemaker, bartender, sheriff, farmer, merchant, etc., needed to survive. So, most importantly, everyone did what they could to help everyone else survive.
This included protecting each other from criminals, including snake-oil salesmen. Charity was not something special sponsored by some 3rd party, it was a part of life. Customers were not something you had to figure out how to attract. They were family members, neighbors, employees.
Hucksters and snake-oil salesmen did not survive, they moved on. And with the advent of the telegraph, the very next town was not far enough for them to move to in search of their next prey. Just imagine what happened to employers that did not treat their employees well or their customers fairly.
Over the last decade we have all lived through an incredible sea of change. Two wars, two economic collapses, several natural disasters, an explosion of new technological capabilities, incredible unemployment numbers, and an unbelievable amount of exposure related to executive, political and celebrity excesses, transgressions, and dishonesty. Many executives have cashed out or gave up. Other executives have had to roll up their sleeves and get back to work and are perplexed by why the old techniques are not working as they did before. Some are in jail.
There is confusion in the ranks, frustration in the homes, coffee shops full of talented people without a job. Many in middle management have been trained over the past 10 – 20 years, through pure experience, on how to execute no matter what it takes. And, these are the “leaders” facing a completely new environment of employees that have experienced the last decade and are asking themselves, “Is Good to Great, Good Enough?”
Clashes of perspectives have emerged stronger than ever and are being fed, nurtured, and legitimized by ever growing niche social networks. The social networks are forming at an incredible rate and transparency is an absolute. Integrity and ethics are again emerging as the criteria to do business within the social network. Interestingly, the threshold of acceptable ethical practices / behaviors and integrity are being defined differently for different groups.
As these groups evolve, customers and employees are bonding tighter than ever. The social network groups are bonding by common interest, values, perspective and not by physical location. The new differentiator is becoming, “they were in my group.”
The real leadership challenge facing us all over the next few years is learning how to lead organizations in this brand New world using some basic and fundamental principles of the Old world.