2008 was an amazing year.  We have seen history being made on multiple fronts and an economy that is being challenged at each and every turn.

As a Leadership Coach, in an odd way, I love to watch times take a down turn, because it is exciting to then watch which leaders can grasp the spiral and pull it to an opportunity.

The January 2009 issue of Harvard Business Review is a must read for everyone.  The articles focus on what is necessary in order to be a leader who transforms not only a company but an entire industry.  Here are just a few of the hallmark strategies:

1) You have to be able to pick the right transition strategy

2) Engaging team members in a collective achievement rather than focusing on individual success

3) Retaining knowledge when a key leader leaves your company

4) Keeping people focused on the most important tasks/goals for your company’s overall success

5) Creating a shared vision

6) Networking…even if you can’t stand it!

For more information, visit Harvard Business Review to view the current issue.

So, I pick up the paper today to learn that the Big 3 are returning to D.C. today to beg for a bail out and to make a statement, they drove hybrid cars rather than flying private jets.

I am not so sure I feel great about this.  Once again…theatrics!  Would it not have been cheaper and more time efficient to fly coach on a super saver…there are plenty of those out there right now.

Congress is saying that these guys need to come back with a plan…some type of plan that will show what the auto industry will do to restructure its entire system and culture to make cars which are more fuel efficient and to restructure policies and procedures which are costing the auto industry millions/billions!

My question is this:  What about the people at the top?  What do you do with the top leadership?  It is my belief that you can’t get to a new place in the future with old, worn out thinking.  For CEO, Alan Mulally was born in 1945.  GM CEO Richard Wagoner Jr was born in 1953, and Robert Nardelli, CEO of Chrysler was born in 1947.  They have been around a long time, which means their brains think a certain way, and they make decisions in a certain way.  I do believe that people can change, but this dramatic staging of driving hybrids to D.C. to make a statement has me nervous.

I know the auto industry needs help…the entire biz community needs help, and I am anxious to see what they come up with.  I want to hear that they are not only going to change a few tactical issues, but I want to hear that they are going to change the way they think…from old school to new school with a long-term view.  I also want to hear what young, fresh minds they are going to bring to the forefront to help them get out of this mess.

If you are someone who is restructuring, I encourage you to look at your change mindset.  How do you feel about making radical changes?  How do you feel about redesigning your strategy in a world that is being constantly disrupted?  How creative are you, and how willing are you to bring in new blood to drive innovation?  If you are not willing to change, to open up your thinking to something new and inspiring, you may find yourself in the same situation as the Big 3 in the future.

If you are truly serious about working on your willingness to change, I would love to talk with you.  Call me a (910) 692-6118, and I am happy to talk with you for 30 minutes to see how I can help you.

The answer: RADICAL INNOVATION!

Radical innovation is going to be a critical component in a leader’s toolkit in the future, and this does not mean that you “try innovation” over a week-end brainstorming retreat. It happens by disrupting the current environment, challenging old assumptions and even turning the culture upside down so that you can move ahead and start being highly competitive.

Each day I meet leaders, and the first question I ask is “On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being super sticky, how stuck are you?” Most people laugh, and they usually respond by saying “I’m a 20 or a 25!” So, when you are stuck, you have to break up the pattern…turn a table upside down and figure out a way to still use the table as an eating surface, roll out of the bed on the other side, shave with the hand you don’t normally use…do something to be disruptive. This is the same for companies…what would happen if you do the opposite of what you’ve always done? What would you do if you totally destroyed your most profitable item and had to start from scratch? Or, how would an artist, physician or scientist suggest that you change your company?

To keep your company relevant, a culture must foster a sense of psychological safety for employees to not only feel comfortable but be encouraged to challenge the status quo and bring fresh, radical ideas to the table and feel safe that they are not going to be criticized or made to feel silly in the process. Everyone in the company needs to be brought up to speed on the vision and direction of the company, and the leader needs to make a statement that the game is now on…everyone is going to be challenged to think radically, innovate, think strategically and that a part of this is to be open to divergent thinking and to allow open debate to get to the root of the issue. You have to be willing to get very uncomfortable…to laugh nervously and feel the sweat bead up on your brow.

Staying ahead will also call leaders to design an environment that includes a diversity of people…a mix of cultures, ages, ethnicities and religions can bring new, more creative ideas to the table. It will also be very important to add a Chief Knowledge Officer to your staff…someone who has their finger on the pulse of what is going on in the world and how your company fits in and how competitive you are to people who are thousands of miles around the world from you.

Tomorrow is already here. Are you relevant, or are you becoming obsolete? Only you can answer that question!

I am still not convinced that Senator Clinton can win the democratic nomination. She seems to still be struggling with the likability factor, and her husband continues to cause problems for her with the media and the public at large. However, there is one thing I have to say that is working for Clinton…she’s a fighter, and she does not back down or give up, even in the face of adversity.

She won Pennsylvania yesterday by 10 points. This still keeps Obama squarely in the lead with 1714 delegates to Clinton’s 1584. BUT…She said she was going to win PA, and she did.

I have learned in life a valuable lesson…that giving up too soon is often the reason for failure. Much of this has to do with the craving we have in today’s world for instant results and immediate gratification. When we have a setback, we often throw up our hands and say “I quit”.

We hear it every day…that setbacks and failures are a part of success. We seem to get it intellectually, but we often can’t seem to internalize it enough to make the change. Today, as you are reading this blog, think of a past failure or setback and what this watershed moment did for you in your life. What did you learn? How did life change? How did you grow? You may be surprised that you will find a few pieces of gold in those thorns.

As we move into the future, the face of leadership is going to change. As the Millennial Generation explodes onto the business scene, they will be bringing with them an entrepreneurial spirit unlike anything we have seen before in history. In order to lead in the future, not only are we all going to be called to understand what it means to be an entrepreneur, we are going to be challenged to shift our thinking and to start challenging our assumptions about the human dynamics which are at play for all business leaders…and those dynamics are going to be moving heaven and earth (just look at what is going on in our world today economically, politically and socially).

To help you along your journey, I am recommending two must reads (and I don’t recommend books that often). These two books are critical additions to your library, because both of these authors have worn many hats in life, have experienced a huge variety of business opportunities and will be the first to admit that they have made mistakes along the way. In spite of any demons they have met in the past, everything they have touched has turned to gold (so of course, why would you not read their books).

So…here we go…the two top reads for this month are:

Beyond Booked Solid: Your Business, Your Life, Your Way Its All Inside by Michael Port

I have come to the conclusion that anyone and their grandmother can write a marketing book. But…writing a marketing book with passion and from the human emotions we all experience as business owners requires a master craftsman. Michael Port is truly such a master, and this book is at the top of my list of biz books for 2008. Port goes deep…challenging business owners to look at the internal shifts required to go from being a great business owner to one making a significant impact on the world.  As we all know, each growth phase of a business requires a new attitude and a new way of seeing your business and the world, and I can promise you this…if you read this book, your life and business are going to change for the better, and there’s no turning back…you will never see your business or your life as you see it today (and that is a great thing…as I always say, you can’t do what you’ve always done to get where you’re going today and tomorrow!). Fabulous!

Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Create Extraordinary Companies by Michael Gerber

Michael Gerber’s mission is “to create a turnkey system for awakening the entrepreneur within every person who wishes to go into business for themselves, while providing them with the support for doing it”. Well, he has certainly achieved this mission with this passionate book…calling even the most frustrated entrepreneurs to start dreaming big about what they want for their businesses and their lives. As with The E-Myth Books, Gerber makes this simple and just a great read. You can read the entire book on a Saturday afternoon (while sipping hot tea or coffee in your snuggly robe, but after you read it, you are going to want a hot night out on the town dressed to the nines, because the book will set your soul on fire!) Truly inspiring!