Leaders On Demand

Three things I'm seeing and hearing right now... 1. “We’re not making any decisions on this til the New Year - can you give us a call in Feb?” Yes, if you’re in professional services, you’ll have heard this old chestnut a lot over the past month. Maybe even since Cup Day. I know many leadership teams are busy/tired/exhausted/can’t wait til holidays [insert how you’re feeling here!] February is a long time to pause on tactical decisions. Instead of counting down to the holidays, what about asking: -> What have I been putting off that I can make progress on over the next 90 days? -> What problems/priorities do I want to solve/tackle when the team reconvenes in the NY? -> What 'no-regrets decision' can I take between now and the break? Set 2025 up for success by making some decisions now rather than kicking the can til February. DM me if a sounding board is helpful for this. 2. “I wish we’d met 6 months earlier” It’s a common refrain at Leaders On Demand - once ELTs know who we are, a CEO or Board then reflects on the situation or decision where they could have done with some extra surge capacity to deal with something crunchy or a priority that 'could not fail'. In the context of make/buy/borrow, we offer flexible talent on a variable cost/flexible basis so you can borrow an experienced c-suite leader to get you through a spot. -> Who am I worried about in the team? What does behind-the-scenes support look like?   -> What issue am I dealing with needs a quick #tacticalreview to establish priorities, actions & accountability? 3. “I’m exhausted, the teams exhausted, and we’re getting crunched right up to Christmas” Yep, it’s not called the silly season without reason.    Despite what I’m hearing/seeing above, I’m seeing more leaders smash things out right up until the break. Crawling on their knees to the break. I posted about this a couple of weeks ago and by my anecdotal feedback, it's not improved. I've been feeling it too. The combination of intensity of work priorities coupled with ALL the end of year school things and ALL the Christmas catch ups are a lot, even for the most extroverted of us. Questions I'm asking myself at the moment to finish the year standing, rather than in a puddle: -> What does caring for myself look like today? -> What can I say No to? -> How can I make today/this week easier? #csuiteleaders #executiveleaders #ELT #executivecoach #leadersondemand

The market value of Starbucks surged by US$19 billion when a new CEO with a turnaround pedigree was announced to the market… you don’t often see that sensitivity analysis in sell-side financial models… do you think value is a function of how you execute rather than what’s the strategy? https://lnkd.in/gKrMRnAu from The Economist

COMMAND & CONTROL is the system empowering your people to exercise authority and direction over assigned resources for the accomplishment of objectives and outcomes. Every organisation needs this… … and every organisation needs EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP too! Here’s confirmation why you shouldn’t confuse one with the other… https://lnkd.in/gDSmdBNF

Can Australia’s superannuation industry ignore this wake-up call? “If I were a member, given what’s been alleged and the way directors are appointed, I’d want to know all the projects, who is involved, how those conflicts were managed, and if I couldn’t find out, I’d be rolling over my money and putting it elsewhere.” https://lnkd.in/g9ufvd_q

Kodak - It gets rolled out at every event about 'future of work' and innovation. And yes it also scored a mention at the Atlassian Sydney community event I went to last week. Brilliantly hosted by Dominic Price and an incredible line up of speakers who got us dropping our inner cynic on the future of AI (thank you Dr Ben Hamer), improving our story telling (Louise Devine (née Halloran) and coaching us on the modern work manifesto (Mark Cruth and Sven Peters). Back to Kodak... the last big restructuring job I did in the UK before I moved back in Australia 11 years ago was being parachuted in to work with the European and UK leadership teams of Kodak to support them post the Ch11 filing of Kodak. I spent over 6 months based out of their main manufacturing factory in Northern London, where they had operated since the late 1800s and employed well over 5000 at its peak - a major employer in the area. By the time we were involved, severe decline. Organisational inertia and a lack of adaptability for sure. As history shows, executive and board decisions (and inaction) that resulted in strategic mis-steps and mistakes. However, what I observed on joining the business was a hugely passionate team. A level of dedication and commitment to the business. The factory may have been falling apart, but the team were not for one second walking away from this business. Whenever I hear Kodak used as an example, I am always taken back to that factory in North London. It's not the board room in Kodak I think of, but the factory where the managers and teams are going about their day executing on 'the plan'. As we think through modern work practices and talent strategy, we would do well to consider the commitment and passion of talent and how we can funnel that in the right direction. Check out the Modern Work Manifesto and as Mark Cruth and Sven Peters asked "Where's your superpower?" and "Where's your kryptonite?" as an organisation. #talentstrategy #csuiteleaders #executiveteam