HPL Individual assignment no.

2
Submitted By:AKSHAY SHITOLE PGDBM ROLL NO- 9

Leadership as the Starting Point of Strategy

By: Tsun-yan Hsieh & Sara Yik

Implementing the Strategy

Companies find themselves at the point of execution Opportunities within their research

Fall short of their aspirations

What is Leadership?
Where

good managers deliver predictable results as Promised, Occasional increments improvements. Leaders generates breakthrough in performance Companys Leadership reaches well beyond a few good men and women at the top It includes 3 to 5% of employees throughout the organization who can deliver breakthroughs in performance

Consequences of Inattention
Most CEOs will agree that Leadership is important, yet few assess their Leadership gap precisely Fewer still build an engine to develop the right quantity of leaders with the right mix of capabilities, at the right time, to match opportunities Leaders should systematically launch strategic initiatives that can leave to executives scrambling to fill gaps

In the Short-Term
Companies that undertake new strategies without the right leaders are forced to burden their existing ones with additional responsibilities

The demands from day-to-day operations invariably increases, leaving less time for other tasks

In the Long-Term

A persistent leadership gap will be responsible for an impossible to prevent decline in the number and quality of leaders

Companies create a vicious cycle in which good leaders become overextended or are moved haphazardly and thus have less time to develop younger talent
If unchecked the companys core operations and strategic growth might be at risk

Leadership First
The best planned Strategy is no more than wishful thinking if it cant be translated from concept to reality Companies discover their leadership shortfall only when executing their strategies

Filling the Gap

Leadership gap an help guide strategic thinking Companies should find ways to fill that gap To reduce the risk of strategic failure, they need to direct their approach to leadership

Long-Term Position
Companies need to position themselves today to meet their strategic objectives during next three to five years A company must hire and groom potential leaders and help them build the internal networks which is necessary for long term

Competitors are forced to expand more selectively or to offer expensive packages to lure top talent i.e. LEADER

Qualities a Leader should Posses

Job experiences and stretch assignments are the primary development vehicles for leaders Corporations that are particularly risk-averse often match their people to opportunities by looking at Track records and job experience A better approach is to use corporate performance objectives and personal-development goals to match current and potential leaders with opportunities To be successful to managers need to acquire a holistic understanding of each individual, including professional abilities To help develop leaders a company must first accurately identify who its leader are and then convince them of an opportunity potential

Facts
A leaders should have the following: Leadership qualities Track record Potential Key personal Traits Character and Motivation skill Attitude and Mind set

Analysis
The best way to develop leadership qualities is to apply it to your own life A leader depends much on your actions: your interaction with your family,

friends, and co-workers; your way of managing your personal and organizational responsibilities and even the way you talk with the newspaper vendor across the street
Leadership is not the sole responsibility of one person, but rather a shared

responsibility among members of an emerging team

A leader belongs to a group

Leaders work towards the formation of an effective team

HIGH ALTITUDE LEADERSHIP

by- Chris Warner & Don Schmincke

CORE OF THE ARTICLE

How high altitude leaders succeed despite extraordinary challenges?
What eight leaders & managers must overcome? Why high altitude leadership requires leaving your comfort zone?

HOW HIGH ALTITUDE LEADERS SUCCEED DESPITE EXTRAORDINARY CHALLENGES?

Mountaineer faces many difficulties in climbing & to reach his

destination. He learn from his adventures & shape them to be relevant for business leaders at sea level. Like mountain climbers in the death zone executives and managers must make instinctive, critical decisions that will avert danger or trigger and avalanche.

 High altitude leadership is a huge challenge that requires

understanding the eight greatest dangers managers face.

How you respond the situation determines weather you succeed

or fail?

WHAT EIGHT LEADERS & MANAGERS MUST OVERCOME?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6.
7. 8.

Fear of Death Selfishness Tool seduction Arrogance Lone heroism Cowardice Comfort Gravity

1) Fear of Death:
Many individuals are simply too scared to make the right decisions.
Executives rarely face life and death situation, but metaphorical death

can be an equally powerful experience. Good managers & organizations understand the importance of pushing the envelope. Confront your fear & accept the possibility of failure Dont be scared to take chances.

2)

Selfishness:

A selfish employee can cause irreparable harm. Selfishness in an organization manifests itself as dangerous,

unproductive, dysfunctional behavior. Selfishness is biological, not cultural. To combat selfishness, create a compelling saga. Passion keeps dreams alive & gives people a reason to come to work everyday.

3) Tool Seduction:
Many executives are enamored with educational programming,

leadership theory and management consulting. Most organizations have the tools to succeed but their results depend on behavior & adaptation. Successful companies(Disney etc)hire people based on personality & attitude.

4) Arrogance:
Leaders who think that they know everything are courting disaster. To spot arrogance in an organization, ask these question: Do your employee think they know it all? Do they fail to recognize competitive threats? Dont hesitate your employee on their failure. Understand the importance of holding productive meetings.

5) Lone Heroism:
Lone heroes on a battlefield put their comrades at risk. At workplace lone heroes lower team morale, impede progress &

ultimately lead to failure. Partnership is the perfect antidote to lone heroism. They can develop between different departments or between managers & workers.

6) Cowardice:
Company will suffer if people are too cowardly to speak up when things

go wrong. Secrecy & cowardice are part of culture. Move people around and replace ineffective leaders. 7)

Comfort:

Lasting change requires leaving comfort zone. Adversity is a true test of leadership & accountability. Dont push ahead blindly & ignore reality.

8) Gravity:
High altitude leaders can do everything right and still come up short. Its impossible to predict shifts of fortune You can improve your odds through hard work, preparation & a good

mental altitude. Learn to follow your instincts.

 By Saj-Nicole A. Joni and Damon Beyer

INTRODUCTION
Strong leaders create the kind of conflict that can spark creativity and innovation

Duck Fuld took over Lehman Brothers in 1944, he inherited contentious culture Fuld made unity and collaboration priorities at the firm, nudging them along with employee incentives most harmonious firms

Fortune noted Fuld had incongruously turned Lehman into one of Wall Streets But effort to eliminate discord at the firm had backfired

Complacency, in fact, is the single greatest predictor of poor company

performance

 A peaceful, harmonious workplace can be the worst thing possible for

business
Conflict can shake things up and boost your staff's energy and

creativity
Dissent will fire up more of an individuals brain, stimulating more

pathways and engaging more creative centres

More of dissent makes people unique, innovative Right balance of alignment and competition is what pushes individuals

an groups to do their best

Purpose of alignment is not harmonious agreement

Which fights should you take on?

Conflict is healthful only when peoples energies are pointed in the right

direction and when carried out in a productive way

Not everything is worth fighting over, however. Before girding for a battle,

make sure it involves an issue that affects the future and has game changing potential
If fight is about a noble purpose than its even better Make it material Make sure that stakes are high enough to motivate people Fight is material if it creates lasting values and address complex

challenge

 Charlie Feld who formed IT Consultancy got into material fight Burlington Northern was the client, They use to run trains using

processes and systems designed for hauling coal and grain Grinstein CEO of BN had a big vision for company He planned to turn BN into gateway for Asia So he started having a track of all the trains and committed himself to schedules Fight within the firm was material as status quo was at stake He centralised all the operations He persuaded his board to sanction funds for technology and innovation Result was that BSNFs stock tripled because of GPS trackers, direction and speed

 Focus on the future Leaders in viable, vibrant organizations spend most of their time and

energy looking at road ahead not in the rear-view mirror Invest brain power, resource in future returns Rolf Classon CEO of a company in health care industry Company was looking for an acquisition when he was appointed as CEO One of the staff indicated that there was some problem with the new contract He was sceptic and started probing the deal with the executives who had some personal doubts Team conducted loud and heated debate He became a scrupulously fair referee and observed all the details

 He realised that the move was not a great fit with firms financial

strategy
What enabled his success was his genuine curiosity, his commitment

to open and dissonant dialogue and hid focus on building strategic intent into sustainable reality
If he would have not probed then the cash or bandwidth to do the

deal that ultimately repositioned it for healthy long term growth

 Pursue a noble purpose Make fight about improving the lives of the customers Right fight connects people with the sense of purpose A good fight isnt just about money or profits

Campbell was one of the poorest performing food company

Conant stepped in as CEO. He created a vision for the company

stating nourishing peoples lives everywhere, everyday He asked executives to draft plans which went beyond their expectations Atmosphere became rife with tension

 He replaced 300 top executives

He aligned all the employees with common vision which rebuild the

brand rather than continue to slash and burn They came up with new products which were accepted in the market Campbell was listed in Dow Jones in the year 2009 Conants fight was noble not altruistic
Whats the right way to fight?

Choosing right fight is half the battle, how you conduct the fight is also as important 1. Make it a sport not a war Leaders make themselves as a referee Opposing sides should be truly matched

 While choosing a heir for GE Jack Welch, He gave the competitors to

run a part of business

All competitors for 6 months fought for alliances, speculation and

angling for position

Welch raised the tensions and created rules of the game to mitigate

the consequences
It was a high stakes decisions, worth a good fight Runner ups were hired by the top firms according to their strengths

and weaknesses

 Set up a formal structure, but work informally Hallway conversations, personal favours and relationships that cross

official boundaries- that accomplish goals the formal structure cannot

Patrick Cescaus move to merge two holding companies of unilever

into one
The goal was to have bigger, bolder innovations from centre To promote the cause in India HULs companies CEO asked the

heads to cut the resources

The heads made decisions among themselves during evenings

drinks rather than decision made for them

Hence informal communication worked

 Turn pain into Gain Not all ideas and strategies are good hence there are winners and

losers in every fight

Good leaders turn disappointing news into occasion for losers
GE CEO had made a provision for competitors to be hired by the top

firms
Leaders find the proper place for displaced workers as per their skills To get people to step up and take risked, you have to reward risk

taking itself, not just successful outcomes

Link in the articles

Above articles focuses on the need of leadership It showed that leadership is an ongoing process, It is not stagnant Leaders are a vital element right from planning an strategy, to

execution of the plans and till the end

Leaders with right mix of skills are always helpful and can save the firm

in crisis

 Leaders should have gut and grit They should be able to adapt in various cultures and deliver

performance
They be a role model for others and should tend to change the mind set

of the people
Leaders should show right behaviour at right time. They should know

when to take fight when something goes wrong

Leadership theory which best suit is High performance leadership

Leader as Vision Creator

High Performing Leadership

Leader as Team Builder

Leader as Tasks Allocator

Leader as People Developer

Leader as Motivation Stimulator

Leader as team builder

Build a cohesive team Promote team problem soling Delegate but not abdicate

Effective leaders develop and nurture

Great Team

Clear Goals Clear measures of performance Clear job roles

Team identity and spirit Sense of fun and enjoyment Open and honest communication

Task

People

RULES FOR SELF - LEADERSHIP

Set goals
Practice discretion constantly Take initiative. Learn to love ideas and experiments. Champion change. Be a life long learner