Today I have been invited to give a lecture at the University of Sydney Business School on Strategic Leadership and you can read it here.
Strategic Leadership Lecture.
University of Sydney.
Business Commerce.
Today I am going to cover the why, how and what of strategic leadership.
Synopsis
Why leaders lead: They have a vision and believe in what they’re doing.
How leaders lead: Leaders empower employees for peak performance.
What do leaders do: They create agile corporations that can innovate.
LEADERSHIP ISN’T MANAGEMENT. IT IS LEADERSHIP.
Why leaders lead
They have a vision and believe in what they’re doing.
A story about drive and determination – how my career started:
My McDonalds story – ‘from bringing down corporations to working within them’.
I believe brands are the most powerful citizens in this world.
I believe business must have the interests of it’s consumers at heart.
I believe what I do is important.
Love what you do and it will love you back.
Employ people with passion. Give people drive.
The most desirable qualities of tomorrow’s talent:
Personality 78% / Cultural Fit 59% / Skills 39%
- Driven. 2. Creative. 3. Open minded.
(Hyper Island ‘Tomorrow’s most wanted’, 2014)
PEOPLE DON’T BUY WHAT YOU DO – THEY BUY WHY YOU DO IT.
How leaders lead
Leaders empower employees for peak performance.
My ITV story – ‘The urinal and the grenade’
Research into stress shows that the most significant factor in stress at work is not income, hours, responsibility, conditions, pay or environment.
Stress is caused by lack of control (Marmot et al).
My visit to Google in San Francisco: People come to work when they want and have unlimited sick days.
Leaders must empower their executives and staff to achieve the goals they have set.
They build safety and trust.
They make people honest.
They give confidence.
WHEN PEOPLE BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES THEY CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING.
What do leaders do
They create agile corporations that can innovate.
The most critical thing is the size of the company & it’s ability to innovate.
My agile armed forces story – ‘command and control’
Lock Heed Martin Example – Skunk works
Most companies become their own worst enemy.
The bigger the organisation the more cumbersome and conservative they become (PMP – protect my patch).
They will give everything for nothing to change. Kodak / Xerox / Blockbuster / Atari.
Companies fail because they don’t empower themselves to change.
THERE IS ONLY ONE BOSS: THE CUSTOMER. AND THEY CAN FIRE EVERYONE IN THE COMPANY BY GOING SOMEWHERE ELSE.
Sam Walton, Founder of Walmart.
Conclusion
‘Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face’ (Mike Tyson).
Strategic Leadership:
HAVE A STRONG (& BELIEVABLE) VISION.
EMPOWER (& PROTECT) EMPLOYEES.
CREATE AN AGILE (& INNOVATIVE) ORGANISATION.
‘If you want to build a ship, don’t gather people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of sea’ (Saunt-Exupery).
LEADERSHIP ISN’T MANAGEMENT. IT IS LEADERSHIP.