Cisco has been in the news this month as chief executive, John Chambers, admitted in a memo to employees that Cisco has lost its way (http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/04/05/read-cisco-ceos-mea-culpa-no-excuses/). To show shareholders he’s serious, Cisco shut down the Flip video camera business and promised to undergo an organizational restructuring. Chambers promised “tough decisions in the wake of recent lapses in execution,” as The New York Times reported.
In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Cisco says that it will “exit aspects of its consumer business.” The announcement comes just one week after Cisco’s CEO sent out a memo confessing to severe issues with slow decision making and a lack of “discipline” at the company.
One can’t help wonder, what happened? Shareholders may report loses at Cisco and unsound or slow leadership, however I’m wondering if we are looking in the right places. Perhaps in Chambers memo there lies a clue…”Our strategy is sound. It is aspects of our operational execution that are not. We have been slow to make decisions, we have had surprises where we should not, and we have lost the accountability that has been a hallmark of our ability to execute consistently for our customers and our shareholders.”
In 2009 according to the Wall Street Journal, Cisco Systems Inc. posted a 46% drop in quarterly profits. While that news would make most managers faint, Chambers took action and promised to get Cisco back to double-digit growth. His strategy involved moving the company into more businesses. The report states, “He (Chambers) has decided to replace Cisco’s top-down decision making with committees of executives from across the company. Some teams provide strategic advice and evaluate the progress of these projects. In total, Cisco now has 59 internal standing committees.”
At the time Chambers stated, “We are moving to collaboration teams, groups coming together that represent sales, engineering, finance, legal, etc. We now do that with 70 different teams in the company. So we’ll have a sales leader go run engineering. A lawyer go run business development. A business development leader go run our consumer operations. We’re going to train a generalist group of leaders who know how to learn and operate in collaboration teamwork.”
At the time, what seemed slightly nuts to many were innovative to the rest. In 2009 I wrote that this was either the most brilliant plan ever devised or the most insane. Either way Chambers created the platform necessary for responsibility and change. And so he did.
Now Chambers finds himself in a position where his consumer business has not fared well and as he said, “We have disappointed our investors and we have confused our employees.” Was this from poor collective decision making by 59 or more standing teams or more run amuck; or was this Chambers and his senior teams’ leadership that has put the company in such jeopardy?
Only the annals of history will prove whether or not Chambers has either been a wonderful risk taking CEO who has taken responsibility for his actions, or a poor executive who has made a flurry of choices that has put the company in great jeopardy.
What is bothersome about Chambers memo is not once does he apologize for putting the company at risk. He does not say that as the leader of this organization it was actually his responsibility to lead well and strong without shutting down divisions, laying people off and now undergoing a corporate restructuring.
This is emblematic of Nokia CEO’s Stephen Elop’s “Burning Platform” memo, which took severely to task the company’s growth and direction without providing concrete steps on how to get to a destination plus without taking proper accountability.
Let’s go back to leadership basics. One of the cornerstones of leadership is responsibility. Even if you close the company at the end of the day, if you took responsibility for the doors closing then you are indeed a leader.
As renowned author Jim Collins said in his leadership book, “Good To Great,” about stellar leaders, “They look in the mirror to apportion responsibility, never blaming bad luck when things go poorly.”
How do you take responsibility:
1. Say I'm sorry
2. Stay clear of excuses
3. Acknowledge your part
4. Control your reactivity
5. Be accountable - you have chosen your behavior and now you must live with the consequences
6. Learn from your mistakes
7. Take proactive steps to change your behavior
8. Don't beat yourself up - this does nothing to change the situation or bolster your self esteem
I'm extolling a basic leadership virtue – responsibility and advocating for every person who reads this to take it and do so with gusto. Taking responsibility is not pretty, however you will sleep better at night if you do.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Momma Becomes CEO or Can She?
This week the management-consulting firm McKinsey & Company released a report on the barriers to women advancing in corporate America. One of the main reason was inadequate career development. It’s not that organizations are not making some effort, it’s that they are not making enough. According to the Wall Street Journal, for example, “only 11 chief executives of Fortune 500 companies are women, down from a peak of 15 in 2010. “ Well that’s certainly better than in 1995 where there was only one CEO among the ranks of the top Fortune 500 companies.
McKinsey also cited a report by the non-profit research group Catalyst Inc. that stated 37% of lower level and middle managers are female, while only 26% of vice presidents and other senior managers are women at Fortune 500 companies. In other words, women are great in low to middle management, beyond that well…leave it to the guys!
Being a bit partial because I am a woman, it’s curious why women are not advancing faster. "By increasing the number of women who make it from middle management to the vice presidential level, corporations could vastly improve the odds for building diversity in top management," the report added. Even a 25% increase in the ranks of middle-management women reaching the next level "would significantly alter the shape of the pipeline," it said.
Are we not promoting our female counterparts? And if we are, how much, how often and are we really looking for opportunities for women to advance? How many companies truly have programs devoted to the advancement of women. Seems as if women are sometimes lumped into the corporate diversity bank and then pray that promotions will come with hard work.
It’s up to organizations to put a careful spotlight on grooming and growing women. You may ask…why women? Why not men? Women are simply not viewed in the same way as men. When a pregnant belly walks into the room leading the way for the woman carrying the belly, how can a woman possibly be viewed on the same rung as a man? A woman does have children, requires taking leave to actually have the children, takes time off to take children home from school or the doctor, etc and some women don’t even come back to work after giving birth. Women have multiple roles at work and at home, piling on the workload more and more in some instances with little to no help.
Joanna Barsh, a McKinsey senior partner who co-wrote the report said, “companies need to spend more time coaching women and offering more leadership training and rotation through various management roles before their ambitions sour….companies are not systematically watching these women at the middle management level and putting in programs that would help them develop and get over the next [promotion] hurdle."
Barsh further explained that the rarity of such help partly explains why women’s ambitions decline over time and barriers become insurmountable especially for working mothers.
The McKinsey report advocates having strong programs specifically tailored to training, developing and coaching women. The report also suggests that companies work harder to shift the internal culture that limits opportunities for women and instead have the performance of top managers measured on their ability to groom, grow and promote female talent.
This is certainly a critical idea because if people are not incentivized, women will fall by the wayside. The future of our young girls is in jeopardy. For all of the girls who want to work hard to be just like their mothers we are giving them a dim view of their career potential. It’s time for us to foster a culture of inclusion not only for women, for everyone. We’ll see evidence of this when diversity sits at the executive levels and not simply white men in pinstripe suits.
McKinsey also cited a report by the non-profit research group Catalyst Inc. that stated 37% of lower level and middle managers are female, while only 26% of vice presidents and other senior managers are women at Fortune 500 companies. In other words, women are great in low to middle management, beyond that well…leave it to the guys!
Being a bit partial because I am a woman, it’s curious why women are not advancing faster. "By increasing the number of women who make it from middle management to the vice presidential level, corporations could vastly improve the odds for building diversity in top management," the report added. Even a 25% increase in the ranks of middle-management women reaching the next level "would significantly alter the shape of the pipeline," it said.
Are we not promoting our female counterparts? And if we are, how much, how often and are we really looking for opportunities for women to advance? How many companies truly have programs devoted to the advancement of women. Seems as if women are sometimes lumped into the corporate diversity bank and then pray that promotions will come with hard work.
It’s up to organizations to put a careful spotlight on grooming and growing women. You may ask…why women? Why not men? Women are simply not viewed in the same way as men. When a pregnant belly walks into the room leading the way for the woman carrying the belly, how can a woman possibly be viewed on the same rung as a man? A woman does have children, requires taking leave to actually have the children, takes time off to take children home from school or the doctor, etc and some women don’t even come back to work after giving birth. Women have multiple roles at work and at home, piling on the workload more and more in some instances with little to no help.
Joanna Barsh, a McKinsey senior partner who co-wrote the report said, “companies need to spend more time coaching women and offering more leadership training and rotation through various management roles before their ambitions sour….companies are not systematically watching these women at the middle management level and putting in programs that would help them develop and get over the next [promotion] hurdle."
Barsh further explained that the rarity of such help partly explains why women’s ambitions decline over time and barriers become insurmountable especially for working mothers.
The McKinsey report advocates having strong programs specifically tailored to training, developing and coaching women. The report also suggests that companies work harder to shift the internal culture that limits opportunities for women and instead have the performance of top managers measured on their ability to groom, grow and promote female talent.
This is certainly a critical idea because if people are not incentivized, women will fall by the wayside. The future of our young girls is in jeopardy. For all of the girls who want to work hard to be just like their mothers we are giving them a dim view of their career potential. It’s time for us to foster a culture of inclusion not only for women, for everyone. We’ll see evidence of this when diversity sits at the executive levels and not simply white men in pinstripe suits.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Even Warren Buffett Requires More Questions
How do you balance trusting your people with stepping in and asking more detailed questions? Ask legendary billionaire, Warren Buffett. Buffett has recently come under scrutiny when his former lieutenant, David Sokol at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., resigned.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, it turns out that Sokol was buying shares of a chemical company one week before he suggested that Berkshire Hathaway buy the company, which they later did.
Improper action? Depends who you ask. Sokol said carefully that he didn’t think he did anything wrong and the trades were not a part of his decision to resign. Mr. Buffett echoed Sokol’s sentiments.
Buffett is coming under fire from those who believe he may have been too trusting of Sokol and did not ask enough tough questions when presented the opportunity to purchase Lubrizol Corp and when Sokol divulged that he owned shares of the company. Berkshire Hathaway is a company known for high ethics and integrity, and as the Wall Street Journal reported, even Buffett “once told government-securities regulators that company directors should be “Dobermans” in demanding financial disclosure from managers and auditors.”
Buffett selects his people carefully and then let’s them do what they do best. This makes sense, however when does a leader step in and ask more questions and take responsibility for a potential risk to the organization? Checks and balances work in large-scale organizations when the systems and processes hold risks at their minimum. However when the systems are faulty then the risks are greater. Sometimes the system can simply be, “did we ask enough of the right questions to understand all sides?”
Careful and continuous examination and re-examination of your systems, processes and procedures allows you to propel forward rather than be slowed down. Perhaps this incident at Berkshire Hathaway is a wake up call for such a re-examination to take place and signals to all wise leaders that you are as good as your last question.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, it turns out that Sokol was buying shares of a chemical company one week before he suggested that Berkshire Hathaway buy the company, which they later did.
Improper action? Depends who you ask. Sokol said carefully that he didn’t think he did anything wrong and the trades were not a part of his decision to resign. Mr. Buffett echoed Sokol’s sentiments.
Buffett is coming under fire from those who believe he may have been too trusting of Sokol and did not ask enough tough questions when presented the opportunity to purchase Lubrizol Corp and when Sokol divulged that he owned shares of the company. Berkshire Hathaway is a company known for high ethics and integrity, and as the Wall Street Journal reported, even Buffett “once told government-securities regulators that company directors should be “Dobermans” in demanding financial disclosure from managers and auditors.”
Buffett selects his people carefully and then let’s them do what they do best. This makes sense, however when does a leader step in and ask more questions and take responsibility for a potential risk to the organization? Checks and balances work in large-scale organizations when the systems and processes hold risks at their minimum. However when the systems are faulty then the risks are greater. Sometimes the system can simply be, “did we ask enough of the right questions to understand all sides?”
Careful and continuous examination and re-examination of your systems, processes and procedures allows you to propel forward rather than be slowed down. Perhaps this incident at Berkshire Hathaway is a wake up call for such a re-examination to take place and signals to all wise leaders that you are as good as your last question.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Merging? Don’t Forget the Peeps
AT&T recently announced it would buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion. If the deal goes through, AT&T would become the number one wireless company in the United States. The Wall Street Journal estimated that the combined entity would be about a third larger than the country’s current leader, Verizon Wireless, and would have more than twice the subscribers as Sprint Nextel.
This development has spurred many people into action. As lobbyists, politicos and shareholders are campaigning and debating, the Federal Communications Commission (which has the power to kick the deal to the curb) is wrestling with the issue of how to expand access to mobile broadband services while keeping competition healthy.
AT&T is doing what it can to ensure the merger passes. The company has a history of strong influence in legislative decisions, as the Wall Street Journal recently reported: “Since 1989 AT&T has been the top corporate donor to members of Congress, shelling out more than $46 million in campaign contributions to both Republicans and Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics… Last year, the company spent $15.4 million on lobbying in Washington. It had 93 lobbyists working on its behalf, federal lobbying records show.”
In all of this jockeying to ensure the merger goes through, one core element that is rarely mentioned is the “people impact” – or what effect the merger will have on the employees within these companies. It’s challenging to undergo a transition and oftentimes the people impact is most overlooked. And still, people are resilient. As Jim Collins artfully stated, if you have the “right people on the bus,” they will ride the tidal waves of change with you.
Although this may be true, people don’t just spring back effortlessly from major changes. Many different kinds of people impacts should be considered when an organization goes through change, including: how will roles and responsibilities change, who will be in charge of what, how long will the change last, what is the roll out plan, how soon will employees feel the impact, which jobs will be lost, how will innovation be impacted, etc.
An article in The Journal of Business & Economics Research, entitled “Telecommunications Mega-Mergers: Impact On Employee Morale And Turnover Intention” (by Keisha Chambers, PhD, Capella University, USA and Andrew Honeycutt, DBA, Anaheim University, USA), states: “Only 30-40% of all mergers and acquisitions are successful..., The key element to the success of a merger or acquisition is often overlooked, that key element being, human capital.”
If you chart the annals of AT&T’s past, it becomes clear that the company does not have a shining record of restructurings. While AT&T still needs the FCC’s approval in order to carry out the merger, in order for the company to ensure the merger is successful, it must win the support of its people. On top of that, in order to fully integrate the two companies, AT&T must coordinate vision, mission, business units and strategies while harmonizing leadership and management styles and structures and cultures. If you thought mergers were only about money and gaining a competitive edge, think again.
A merger is a transition. In any transition, whether large or small, there are high-level, key steps that you must take to ensure that your strategic plan foremost considers your human capital:
1. Culture integration – Be mindful that there are two cultures being integrated into one. How far will you maintain or absorb the cultures of one or both companies? Which norms and values will be merged? How can you inspire unity with your new-found entity when one company is absorbed into another?
2. Culture patience - be willing to spend the time to create a new culture that utilizes the best of both companies.
3. Honesty is the best policy – be honest with all employees about the transition. People will be most concerned if they will still have a job.
4. Communicate, communicate, communicate – let employees know what is happening every step of the way and anticipate critical messages ahead of time.
5. Engagement – remember that transitions make it tough for employees to stay engaged. Not knowing what will happen next can create frustration and resentment. When there is a lack of positive morale, good people often leave the company. Consider innovative ways to continue to invigorate employees during these sensitive times.
6. Temporary systems – think about what temporary systems you can create to give employees a foundation that offers comfort when they feel lost and confused.
By creating strategies that consider how transitions impact the workforce, organizations can gain a competitive advantage. When cultures are integrated properly, the new organization may gain critical skills, which determine success in today’s competitive market. With that, good business is guaranteed.
This development has spurred many people into action. As lobbyists, politicos and shareholders are campaigning and debating, the Federal Communications Commission (which has the power to kick the deal to the curb) is wrestling with the issue of how to expand access to mobile broadband services while keeping competition healthy.
AT&T is doing what it can to ensure the merger passes. The company has a history of strong influence in legislative decisions, as the Wall Street Journal recently reported: “Since 1989 AT&T has been the top corporate donor to members of Congress, shelling out more than $46 million in campaign contributions to both Republicans and Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics… Last year, the company spent $15.4 million on lobbying in Washington. It had 93 lobbyists working on its behalf, federal lobbying records show.”
In all of this jockeying to ensure the merger goes through, one core element that is rarely mentioned is the “people impact” – or what effect the merger will have on the employees within these companies. It’s challenging to undergo a transition and oftentimes the people impact is most overlooked. And still, people are resilient. As Jim Collins artfully stated, if you have the “right people on the bus,” they will ride the tidal waves of change with you.
Although this may be true, people don’t just spring back effortlessly from major changes. Many different kinds of people impacts should be considered when an organization goes through change, including: how will roles and responsibilities change, who will be in charge of what, how long will the change last, what is the roll out plan, how soon will employees feel the impact, which jobs will be lost, how will innovation be impacted, etc.
An article in The Journal of Business & Economics Research, entitled “Telecommunications Mega-Mergers: Impact On Employee Morale And Turnover Intention” (by Keisha Chambers, PhD, Capella University, USA and Andrew Honeycutt, DBA, Anaheim University, USA), states: “Only 30-40% of all mergers and acquisitions are successful..., The key element to the success of a merger or acquisition is often overlooked, that key element being, human capital.”
If you chart the annals of AT&T’s past, it becomes clear that the company does not have a shining record of restructurings. While AT&T still needs the FCC’s approval in order to carry out the merger, in order for the company to ensure the merger is successful, it must win the support of its people. On top of that, in order to fully integrate the two companies, AT&T must coordinate vision, mission, business units and strategies while harmonizing leadership and management styles and structures and cultures. If you thought mergers were only about money and gaining a competitive edge, think again.
A merger is a transition. In any transition, whether large or small, there are high-level, key steps that you must take to ensure that your strategic plan foremost considers your human capital:
1. Culture integration – Be mindful that there are two cultures being integrated into one. How far will you maintain or absorb the cultures of one or both companies? Which norms and values will be merged? How can you inspire unity with your new-found entity when one company is absorbed into another?
2. Culture patience - be willing to spend the time to create a new culture that utilizes the best of both companies.
3. Honesty is the best policy – be honest with all employees about the transition. People will be most concerned if they will still have a job.
4. Communicate, communicate, communicate – let employees know what is happening every step of the way and anticipate critical messages ahead of time.
5. Engagement – remember that transitions make it tough for employees to stay engaged. Not knowing what will happen next can create frustration and resentment. When there is a lack of positive morale, good people often leave the company. Consider innovative ways to continue to invigorate employees during these sensitive times.
6. Temporary systems – think about what temporary systems you can create to give employees a foundation that offers comfort when they feel lost and confused.
By creating strategies that consider how transitions impact the workforce, organizations can gain a competitive advantage. When cultures are integrated properly, the new organization may gain critical skills, which determine success in today’s competitive market. With that, good business is guaranteed.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Burning Building of Leadership
This week Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop sent a sobering email to his employees about the state of Nokia’s business. The memo (http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/02/09/full-text-nokia-ceo-stephen-elops-burning-platform-memo/) has been widely published and quoted and is now renowned as the “Burning Platform” memo. In his opening, he shares the story of a man working on an oil platform in the North Sea who woke up to find his platform on fire. With seconds to react to save himself, he jumped 30 meters into freezing waters. Although in ordinary times no one would do such a crazy thing as jump into icy waters, however he was living in an inordinate time where his platform was on fire. Elop stated, “We too are standing on a ‘burning platform’, and must decide how we are going to change our behaviour.”
In reviewing the memo, yes it is a wake up call. Most employees don’t get in their inbox a big ol bell ringing loudly that says “we are on a burning platform, jump or die!” I’m all for honesty to employees. In fact we are in sore need of more of it. Honest dialogue would in itself be a wake up call. However positioning is key. You can say anything to anyone as long as you say it in a way people can hear it. At a time when the ship is sinking, people want reality, however they also want a dose of inspiration – not hype, inspiration. They want vision and leadership – someone who can show them that although we may be down, it’s going to take a lot to turn us around and I am asking for your support to do so.
Only the last few sentences of the memo asks employees to help change the sad state of affairs of Nokia. “The burning platform, upon which the man found himself, caused the man to shift his behaviour, and take a bold and brave step into an uncertain future. He was able to tell his story. Now, we have a great opportunity to do the same.”
Elop is on the right track – honesty is wonderful and enlightening, however if you are going to pour cold water on the troops, it’s great if you also give them a towel to dry off and inspire them to what’s next. Leadership skills include the frank words you say, and even more importantly, also includes building people’s confidence to provide a motivational environment so they seize hold of the opportunity in front of them and fly.
In reviewing the memo, yes it is a wake up call. Most employees don’t get in their inbox a big ol bell ringing loudly that says “we are on a burning platform, jump or die!” I’m all for honesty to employees. In fact we are in sore need of more of it. Honest dialogue would in itself be a wake up call. However positioning is key. You can say anything to anyone as long as you say it in a way people can hear it. At a time when the ship is sinking, people want reality, however they also want a dose of inspiration – not hype, inspiration. They want vision and leadership – someone who can show them that although we may be down, it’s going to take a lot to turn us around and I am asking for your support to do so.
Only the last few sentences of the memo asks employees to help change the sad state of affairs of Nokia. “The burning platform, upon which the man found himself, caused the man to shift his behaviour, and take a bold and brave step into an uncertain future. He was able to tell his story. Now, we have a great opportunity to do the same.”
Elop is on the right track – honesty is wonderful and enlightening, however if you are going to pour cold water on the troops, it’s great if you also give them a towel to dry off and inspire them to what’s next. Leadership skills include the frank words you say, and even more importantly, also includes building people’s confidence to provide a motivational environment so they seize hold of the opportunity in front of them and fly.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Bold Leadership - As Easy As Re-Engineering A Company
Risk and bold choices are what distinguishes a stellar leader from just a person in the crowd. The retailer Gap recently decided to shift management with the objective of reviving a renowned brand with lackluster sales. Perhaps an indication that Gap was in sore need of new management was the attempt to revitalize the logo with a "fresh" new look and appeal and then yanked the logo off of the market one week later. Kind of a now you see it and now you don't move.
Also what contributed to the switch in leadership were sobering statistics. According to Business Week, “It’s been six years since Gap North America has posted an annual increase in sales at stores open at least a year, a prime measure of a retailer's health. During December, the height of the holiday selling season, Gap North America same-store sales dropped 8 percent. That's in sharp contrast to the average 3.2 percent gain at all U.S. retailers. Sales at the U.S. unit are down almost a third from where they were in 2004.”
When putting new management in place, Gap took a different approach by putting unlikely candidates into the job. This is either a genius move or an egregious error which would clearly be more severe than pulling a logo.
Gap’s Chief Executive Officer Glenn K. Murphy appointed Art Peck to become the company’s new president. A recent Business Week article revealed how Peck, began his first blog post, “Who am I?...If you Google (GOOG) me, you won't find much…That’s right. I’m not a merchant." Gap hired a business guy. Peck has an MBA from Harvard, spent many years at the Boston Consulting Group and has been at the Gap since 2005 helping craft international strategy.
In addition to Peck’s unorthodox appointment on February 2, Murphy appointed Seth Farbman as a new head of marketing. Farbman was the worldwide managing director at advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Pam Wallack , another improbable executive candidate and virtually unknown within Gap, was promoted to run the new Global Creative Center. For first time the design, production, and marketing teams for the brand will be under one umbrella. Wallack was the creative director for Gap's kids and adult clothing at its San Francisco headquarters and is moving to New York to take on this post.
Peck says his first priority is "to understand what's keeping us from being more consistent. We have to put clothes in our stores that our customers emotionally connect to. That's … a statement of the profoundly obvious. If we don't do that, nothing else matters."
Yes, his words were obvious and refreshingly honest. Gap does not have time to waste considering the economy, competition and fickle consumer loyalty. Only time will tell how the executive suite shake up will have impact on bottom line sales. However Gap is taking a page from Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios who also chose unorthodox moves to revitalize a slacking studio with a big brand.
When executives make bold moves and take large-scale risks, they demonstrate to employees to do the same. How many of you would line up to work for an organization that fosters attributes such as creativity, innovation and broad thinking? The Gap is accepting applications…
Also what contributed to the switch in leadership were sobering statistics. According to Business Week, “It’s been six years since Gap North America has posted an annual increase in sales at stores open at least a year, a prime measure of a retailer's health. During December, the height of the holiday selling season, Gap North America same-store sales dropped 8 percent. That's in sharp contrast to the average 3.2 percent gain at all U.S. retailers. Sales at the U.S. unit are down almost a third from where they were in 2004.”
When putting new management in place, Gap took a different approach by putting unlikely candidates into the job. This is either a genius move or an egregious error which would clearly be more severe than pulling a logo.
Gap’s Chief Executive Officer Glenn K. Murphy appointed Art Peck to become the company’s new president. A recent Business Week article revealed how Peck, began his first blog post, “Who am I?...If you Google (GOOG) me, you won't find much…That’s right. I’m not a merchant." Gap hired a business guy. Peck has an MBA from Harvard, spent many years at the Boston Consulting Group and has been at the Gap since 2005 helping craft international strategy.
In addition to Peck’s unorthodox appointment on February 2, Murphy appointed Seth Farbman as a new head of marketing. Farbman was the worldwide managing director at advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Pam Wallack , another improbable executive candidate and virtually unknown within Gap, was promoted to run the new Global Creative Center. For first time the design, production, and marketing teams for the brand will be under one umbrella. Wallack was the creative director for Gap's kids and adult clothing at its San Francisco headquarters and is moving to New York to take on this post.
Peck says his first priority is "to understand what's keeping us from being more consistent. We have to put clothes in our stores that our customers emotionally connect to. That's … a statement of the profoundly obvious. If we don't do that, nothing else matters."
Yes, his words were obvious and refreshingly honest. Gap does not have time to waste considering the economy, competition and fickle consumer loyalty. Only time will tell how the executive suite shake up will have impact on bottom line sales. However Gap is taking a page from Rich Ross, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios who also chose unorthodox moves to revitalize a slacking studio with a big brand.
When executives make bold moves and take large-scale risks, they demonstrate to employees to do the same. How many of you would line up to work for an organization that fosters attributes such as creativity, innovation and broad thinking? The Gap is accepting applications…
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Negotiating Your Yes
Cheryl Richardson, a renowned life coach, inspired the topic for this post. Recently, on her website, Cheryl wrote, "I quickly made a list of ten things to say yes to, ten things to say no to, and then things that contribute to a great life, overall" (http://www.cherylrichardson.com/newsletters/week-41-spontaneous-wisdom-101010-lists-that-make-life-better/). Her top ten list of tips to help you have a great life got me thinking...
It’s human nature to say ‘yes’ when you mean ‘no’ especially when saying ‘no’ would require a tough conversation. Unfortunately, conceding to unfavorable requests can create problems, putting you in a situation that requires you do something that you don’t want to do and, ultimately, is not good for you.
We rarely take time to create a list of our important workplace ‘no’s’ and ‘yes’s’. So, how do we know how to respond to others’ requests? ‘No’s’ should be given to those situations or circumstances that are not supportive for you or smart to do. The critical ‘yes’ should be reserved for situations that help to engender a positive working environment, create more value for your company and clients, bring increased profitability and productivity or simply give you more energy.
My experience in partnering with the best leaders within international media and entertainment organizations has led me to develop my own top twelve list of the best practices of when to say ‘yes’ and when to run for the hills:
Twelve things to say YES to:
1. Giving greater value to your organization
2. Getting to know what’s most important to your colleagues
3. Asking questions for understanding
4. Mentoring others
5. Connecting people
6. Building relationships instead of networks
7. Creating opportunities to learn
8. Knowing your audience before you communicate
9. Building and leveraging your brand
10. Taking breaks in the day
11. Developing your boss
12. Stepping up to opportunities that stretch you
Twelve things to say NO to:
1. Neglecting yourself and your people
2. Running on emergencies (yours and others)
3. Implementing change without a twelve-month communication strategy to generate employee buy in
4. Pushing yourself when you are exhausted
5. Launching into a tough conversation without preparation
6. Delaying swift action with a non-performer
7. Holding a meeting without preparation
8. Blaming and resenting others
9. Creating goals without an understanding of how they fit into the broader organizational actions, plans and priorities
10. Harboring negative thoughts
11. Refusing to ask for feedback
12. Delaying implementing a development plan that betters YOU
Create your own top ten lists and begin putting your words and intentions into action. These steps will give you more power to showcase your leadership and set you up for success!
It’s human nature to say ‘yes’ when you mean ‘no’ especially when saying ‘no’ would require a tough conversation. Unfortunately, conceding to unfavorable requests can create problems, putting you in a situation that requires you do something that you don’t want to do and, ultimately, is not good for you.
We rarely take time to create a list of our important workplace ‘no’s’ and ‘yes’s’. So, how do we know how to respond to others’ requests? ‘No’s’ should be given to those situations or circumstances that are not supportive for you or smart to do. The critical ‘yes’ should be reserved for situations that help to engender a positive working environment, create more value for your company and clients, bring increased profitability and productivity or simply give you more energy.
My experience in partnering with the best leaders within international media and entertainment organizations has led me to develop my own top twelve list of the best practices of when to say ‘yes’ and when to run for the hills:
Twelve things to say YES to:
1. Giving greater value to your organization
2. Getting to know what’s most important to your colleagues
3. Asking questions for understanding
4. Mentoring others
5. Connecting people
6. Building relationships instead of networks
7. Creating opportunities to learn
8. Knowing your audience before you communicate
9. Building and leveraging your brand
10. Taking breaks in the day
11. Developing your boss
12. Stepping up to opportunities that stretch you
Twelve things to say NO to:
1. Neglecting yourself and your people
2. Running on emergencies (yours and others)
3. Implementing change without a twelve-month communication strategy to generate employee buy in
4. Pushing yourself when you are exhausted
5. Launching into a tough conversation without preparation
6. Delaying swift action with a non-performer
7. Holding a meeting without preparation
8. Blaming and resenting others
9. Creating goals without an understanding of how they fit into the broader organizational actions, plans and priorities
10. Harboring negative thoughts
11. Refusing to ask for feedback
12. Delaying implementing a development plan that betters YOU
Create your own top ten lists and begin putting your words and intentions into action. These steps will give you more power to showcase your leadership and set you up for success!
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