“Many corporate leaders have gained their positions without adequate training and are leading with little more than a wing and a prayer. We would never let an unskilled driver behind the wheel of a semi-trailer, so how can we expect the untutored to be effective leaders when we promote them? Research shows these “lucky winners” have as much a chance of being successful as they do at winning the lottery.”
“Future is going to be much different from the present. The e-com boom, globalisation, computer technology with human genes, new demand patterns and ever-rising competition would need leaders and thinkers at every level in the organisations. In India, do we have many such people who can act like Sir Collin Marshall (Ex CEO) of British Airways who transformed the culture of British Airways, from pleasing the boss to pleasing the customer. Jack Welch (CEO of GE) who dared to ask "Can you change a punctured tyre while the car is in motion?", he really changed it. Alfred Sloan (Ex-CEO of General Motors) who balanced substance with form and used to talk to 10/12 dealers in a day and take corrective measures. BarNabe (the CEO of Eni Oil Company of Italy) refused company’s house and car, so that he can take stern measures. Herb Kelleher (CEO of South West Airlines) who ran the organisation with such love and kindness, that, even, when he dismissed an employee the said employee named his newly born child, "Kelleher". Dr APJ Abdul Kalam who thought impossible and made it possible. Bill Gates who reduced the number of forms in Microsoft, from 1000 to 60 to improve speed of business processes and administration. He still reads one book every week. Sam Walton (founder chairman of WalMart) who saved every single dollar to keep prices low in Wal Mart stores. The company was rated 4th in Fortune 500 in 1999, in the list of most admired companies of USA. William Mc Knight (Ex CEO of 3M) who taught the lesson of innovation and 3M became the most innovative company in the world. Walter Wriston (Ex CEO of Citi Bank) who challenged ’status quo’ from the day one, he joined Citi Bank and throughout his career, proved to be a deep listener. Lee Ia Cocca (Ex President - Ford & Chairman of Chrysler) who risked to appoint 250 quality executives, even when Chrysler was sinking. Gordon Bethune (CEO of Continental Airlines-USA) who turned around the airline from worst to first by using motivational techniques.”
Peter A C Smith and John Peters
“Leaders for our current and future business climate need not be highly charismatic individuals who create followers through personal magnetism. They are people who have developed the skills of thinking and acting “outside the box”, who can confront and challenge old patterns, and spearhead new ones, at any level in the organization.”
Porras and Collins
“Leaders can also be good managers, but leadership is something else. The difference between leadership and management is that managers deal in efficiency and leaders in effectiveness... If managers are satisfied when things go smoothly, and leaders are dissatisfied when things do not change for the better, then we have a “catch 22” situation: as the ratio of managers to leaders increases, there will be increasing resistance to change and the development of the leaders who call for it, leading to an ever-deepening crisis in leadership and its development! ...Over the last decade alone fortunes have been spent in management and leadership development, yet organizations are littered with successful managers who fail when given leadership responsibility. How can that be? ...We believe it is because being a senior executive depends on far more than acquiring technical knowledge and management concepts. It comes from a feel for factors such as organizational politics and culture, networking,the art of influencing others, the skills of timing and presentation, the knack of selling ideas and not just having them, and all that is involved in today’s marketplace in making timely decisions in the midst of complexity and ambiguity.”
Peter A C Smith and John Peters
“There is now a fundamental shift in how status is defined. Today status, wealth and power derive from association with a well-managed company, not from being an industrialist. As late as the 1970s, simply being born a ‘mill-owner’ conferred status. In the 1990s, this is not so. Only if ‘your’ company’s stock price outperforms the Sensex do you get respect from your peers and society. This implies that the MD or CEO has to be the best in the business. Is that your child? Maybe yes, and maybe no. If no, then rather than grooming him or her to be the next MD, training him as an alert and informed board member might be more useful. Certainly, as a large shareholder of a well-run company, he or she would be richer than as a large shareholder of a poorly performing one. Yet, there is a basic and deep resistance to the shift from ‘family wealth’ to ‘shareholder value’ among the majority of business families.”
Gita Pirmal in A Crisis of Leadership
“The current leadership crisis calls for people who will go the extra mile to discover their leadership potential and develop their leadership ability. As you embark on this journey, remember that the Chinese character for crisis is a combination of the symbols for danger and opportunity. This is very insightful. The crisis of leadership is a dangerous time when people are without clear direction. However, it is also an opportunity for those who are willing to give attention to leadership development. Our culture is crying out for good leadership, and those who seek to meet the demand will succeed in bringing about positive and lasting transformation.”
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