The Rapid Response Institute

Tag: team

  • The Art of Leadership

    The Art of Leadership

    Are Leaders born or made?

    I was the executive officer for an air defense (military) battery.  The battery Commanding Officer was not someone I would walk across the street to follow.  At the same time, there was a three star general that I would have followed to hell and back.  A one star general I worked for was a dumb as a stump.  Rank and hierarchy have nothing to do with leadership.  Leaders are MADE not born.

    Later I learned about the treachery of corporate politics as worthless individuals spent all their time trying to screw the rest of us.  Welcome to the real world of scum.

    What Makes a Leader?

    When I earned m MBA I was taught about management.  I did not have a single course on leadership. It is no wonder that managers do not know how to inspire and cause true followership.  There are lots of websites, books, pods, etc. about leadership traits and case studies of best/worst leadership.  We will not got there with this piece but take another tack.

    Even after training, i.e. military, first responder, law enforcement and more are some leaders great, some good and some horrible?

    Psychiatrists, sociologists and others will argue it is personality.  BS, it is all about whether the individual gives a crap about people.

    To serve them or to have them serve him/her?

    So think about it if your offered a leadership position.  Are you prepared?  Is it something you even want to do or are would you be in it for the power and money?

    If the later, you will not be a leader you will be a detriment to your team, organization and society in general.  Just stay the individual contributor and there is nothing wrong with that.

    If your up to the task, make people first, power and prestige last.  Good luck with your career and life choices.

    What Makes you think you will be a good leader?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor of the just published book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg ands his latest book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • Is Your Remote Team Aligned?

    Is Your Remote Team Aligned?

    Recently, my team and I were tasked with a delicate decision making process.  Due to its nature and signatory level, team members were only authorized to explore and present options.  The final decision was mine alone.  Our project governance model clearly defined this decision making process.

    One day I received a call from remote members explaining they were going to a vendor site to assess our options–I concurred.  Several hours later they let me know that they had made a decision and signed a contract.  When challenged about their actions they informed me that the vendor had demanded that they ‘act fast.’

    Twice in my career I was the C level executive responsible for global operations.  In one case, one of my direct reports was in a different office along with my boss, the CEO.  I received multiple calls from the CEO over a period that ‘so and so’ had stopped by to talk and decisions were made about my operations.  “Well you were not here was the excuse and it seemed like a good idea to me.”  Would it surprise anyone that ‘so and so’ was relieved shortly thereafter?

    In another, the software development operation was in a different part of town.  Development plans were agreed to and then in some cases materially changed with without authority or even informing management.  Needless to say, projects were late or not completed.  After a few weeks of this, the development lead was terminated.

    Remote Management Governance

    Based on the above paragraphs, some may argue that I am not a very good manager.  Perhaps, they are right; however, the point is remote management can be very difficult.  Empowered individuals and teams must have boundaries.

    Yes, hire smart people and get out of the way.  However, there are limits as even Steve Jobs, the micromanager would agree.

    Evidence suggests that working remotely has its challenges and not everyone is well suited for it.  Some individuals will need additional support.

    There is a great deal of information available about remote management.  Some is sound, but this Though Leader on the subject disagrees with much the advice.  It seems for many, this is their ‘first rodeo’ while remote management goes back to antiquity.  While not the first, the Roman Empire functioned well from a bureaucratic or management perspective.

    Inclusive Teams

    Currently, much of the discussion focuses on the Inclusion of team members.  We are recognizing that Diversity is not enough if not every one participates.

    Previously, we had put forth the construct that cross cultural teams have many of the same characteristics of diverse groups.  We can extend this model and success that Inclusive Teams include those individual who are not as well suite for remote teams as others.

    Managing diverse remote teams and assuring that all team members are valued contributors requires a level of managerial engagement that is constant, consistent and appropriately empowering.  ALL members must be encouraged to participate and their input must be acknowledged by the others.  Only then can Steve Jobs and Elon Musk like decisions be taken and not by those who tend to dominate groups unilaterally.

    D&I in a Post-Pandemic World

    Typically, D&I has been defined as a function of ethnicity and/or gender.  Last year we put forth the construct that Cross-Cultural and D&I are similar models of human behavior and best practices from both could add value to the other.

    Diversity must now include those are not well suited for new business models; however, flawed they may be–jury is still out regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of full time remote teams.  Inclusion means they must be actively involved.  Leaders at all levels must assure this model is successful.

    How Do You Assure the Reluctant Remote Team Members are Included?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    You can contact this author as well.