Mark Clouse’s Post

"One of the most significant responsibilities a leader has is to plan for their eventual departure and have great leaders ready to step up and maintain the momentum in the organization." -Mark Clouse You know that I 100% agree with this sentiment! People Leave™️ and proactive and intentional (and thoughtful) workplace transitions and succession planning is something that every organization (from Campbell's Soup to your nonprofit food bank) must prioritize. Is your organization ready to address your succession planning gap? Let's chat. *congrats Mark on your pivot to the Washington Commanders! (there's a whole 'nother post here re: my great wish that nonprofits would borrow from the corporate world: leadership is leadership, and leadership is transferable (so many nonprofits insist on incoming leaders having a very specific and nuanced expertise on the A-Z of their mission, and it's unnecesarry. I'll save that topic for another day. 😉)

You can do anything.

Reflecting on my NFL journey, I didn't wave goodbye with a grand champagne toast or a standing ovation from my tearful family. No, my exit was marked by being cut—not once, but twice: first by the Denver Broncos, then by the Chicago Bears. Yet, amidst the heartache, those experiences remain invaluable chapters in my twelve-year NFL career. In the game of football, as in life, we're faced with two choices: embrace the risk of failure or remain on the sidelines. Embracing risk, after all, is the hallmark of daring to play. However, what strikes me in my interactions within the business world is the reluctance of many talented individuals to confront the specter of failure. What we must realize is this: failure is not the opposite of success but rather an integral part of the journey toward it. Too often, people shy away from pivotal conversations with their managers, from pursuing promotions, or even from speaking up in meetings—all due to our brain's inclination to seek comfort and avoid risk. Let me underscore this point: your life is not meant to be lived in the safety of the sidelines. It's a journey worth embracing, challenges and all. Dare to step into the arena, for therein lies the true essence of living—a life lived boldly and without regret. The game isn't played on the sidelines www.dezclarkspeaks.com

A Single Take Story With A Rocky Mountain View HOW VISION + STRATEGY KEPT THE PACKERS IN GREEN BAY! According to Seth Godin, a strategy is not a plan. A plan might come with a guarantee: “If we do this, we win.” A strategy, on the other hand, comes with the motto: “This might not work.” In other words, STRATEGY offers no guarantees. STRATEGY involves taking an entirely different direction with a firm commitment to explore uncertainty. STRATEGY is about making tough choices & trade-offs. An intentional choice to be DIFFERENT. Can’t prove it in advance. Can’t measure. And when the Green Bay Packers faced a looming economic disaster in the 90's, one visionary leader stepped forward and steered the ship in a new direction with a completely different STRATEGY. It's an approach that can be applied to any business or organization looking to grow, prosper and establish an undeniable 'Category of One' brand. Thanks to Vistage Worldwide, Inc. chair Mary Hosmer, CPCU, a special public event happens on Monday, November 11th at historic Lambeau Field, as we explore the subject of creating legendary brands. REGISTER NOW: https://lnkd.in/gKNHE5k6 BUY THE BOOK: https://lnkd.in/gCWb459k "Without Magic .... it's just Marketing" Shot in one take. NO edits, NO filters. NO A.I. www.biglittlelegends.com "We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible" VINCE LOMBARDI Jeff Amstutz Bob Mueller John R. Howman, Dave Hynek, Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame #biglittlelegends #greenbaypackers #greenbaywisconsin #NFLFilms #strategy #leadership

At what point in your career can you seemingly transition from one role to another and from one industry to another and stay at the same level? Apparently, at the C-Level?!? The CEO of Campbell's Soup is retiring from the food maker and becoming the President of the Washington Commanders NFL team. 🤔 How does running a food company transition over to running an NFL team? Wouldn't a little experience help? There's a clear double-standard for normal workers who may want to pivot careers and are basically dropping many levels and pay grades to do this because of a "lack of experience". But there are many cases where C-Level execs move from one industry to the next or one role to the other where you would think some experience matters. Case in point, recently a publicly traded company hired a new head of HR (Chief People Officer) that had zero Human Resources experience. How does that happen? How does the board of directors let that happen?

True facts Focus on sensing the reality from a customer’s perspective.

Good People, Great Processes: The Secret Behind Consistency 🏈🔄 Watching the Buffalo Bills game on Sunday, a friend and I debated which defensive player, if they got injured, would impact our playoff chances the most. Almost immediately, we agreed it wouldn’t be someone in the defensive backfield. Why? Because, no matter who gets plugged in back there, they seem to perform pretty well. That’s standardized work in action! Coach McDermott says, “Trust the Process.” Dr. Michael Hammer, known as the grandfather of business process reengineering, put it like this: “Good people operating great processes will always outperform great people operating good processes.” McDermott’s system is a perfect example – it’s built so well that even without a lineup full of Pro Bowlers, the backfield performs game in and game out. It’s the system that elevates the team, not just individual stars. In business, just like in football, consistent performance isn’t about relying on a few top talents; it’s about building processes that make everyone a top performer. #ThroughputThursday #TrustTheProcess #StandardizedWork #BusinessProcess #SupplyChainExcellence #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #BuffaloBills

Good People, Great Processes: The Secret Behind Consistency 🏈🔄 Watching the Buffalo Bills game on Sunday, a friend and I debated which defensive player, if they got injured, would impact our playoff chances the most. Almost immediately, we agreed it wouldn’t be someone in the defensive backfield. Why? Because, no matter who gets plugged in back there, they seem to perform pretty well. That’s standardized work in action! Coach McDermott says, “Trust the Process.” Dr. Michael Hammer, known as the grandfather of business process reengineering, put it like this: “Good people operating great processes will always outperform great people operating good processes.” McDermott’s system is a perfect example – it’s built so well that even without a lineup full of Pro Bowlers, the backfield performs game in and game out. It’s the system that elevates the team, not just individual stars. In business, just like in football, consistent performance isn’t about relying on a few top talents; it’s about building processes that make everyone a top performer. #ThroughputThursday #TrustTheProcess #StandardizedWork #BusinessProcess #SupplyChainExcellence #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #BuffaloBills

On September 23, 1932, a remarkable story unfolded in the realm of sports and social change with the founding of the **National Football League (NFL)**. While today it is known as the premier professional football league in the United States, the NFL began as a modest organization, showcasing the potential for teamwork, perseverance, and resilience. In the early 1930s, American professional football was a fragmented sport after being overshadowed by baseball and boxing. However, a group of visionaries recognized the untapped potential of the game and sought to create a formal league that would unify various teams and establish a sustainable business model for professional football. The inaugural NFL season consisted of just 10 teams and had a modest schedule. Among these teams were historical franchises like the Chicago Bears and the New York Giants. Despite initial challenges, including financial difficulties and competition from college football, the NFL persevered and began to grow its fan base. The leaders of the league worked tirelessly to improve the quality of play and promote the sport through innovative marketing strategies. The NFL's journey from a fledgling organization to a powerful cultural institution took commitment and resourcefulness. Visionaries like George Halas, co-founder of the Chicago Bears, and Bert Bell, who served as NFL commissioner, played crucial roles in shaping the league and advocating for the sport. Their leadership helped solidify the NFL’s place in American culture, transforming it into a major entertainment powerhouse. Over the decades, the NFL evolved, introducing new rules, expanding teams, and embracing technologies to enhance viewer experience. By the 1960s and 1970s, football emerged as a national obsession, culminating in the famous Super Bowl, which would become one of the biggest sporting events in the world. Today, the NFL generates billions of dollars in revenue, showcasing not only the evolution of a sport but also the power of teamwork and collective vision. The league has also become more inclusive, promoting diversity and engagement through initiatives aimed at supporting underrepresented communities and athletes. As we reflect on this significant event from September 23, let us celebrate the spirit of collaboration and the importance of believing in a shared vision. The NFL's story is a testament to how innovative thinking and persistent effort can create lasting change and inspire countless individuals. What lessons can we draw from the NFL's journey about teamwork and perseverance in pursuing our own goals and dreams? #NFL #SportsHistory #Teamwork #Inspiration #Leadership #CulturalImpact

The relationship between a city and its baseball team requires some chemistry, of which Big Corporation business culture is the antithesis. This is true anywhere but especially in St. Louis, a declining, dispirited, badly fractured community where the Cardinals are the only significant unifying thing. Charismatic team owners with larger than life personalities make a big difference. Veeck, Steinbrenner, Charlie O. Finley, and of course, Gussie Busch come to mind. Part of their PR and marketing genius was to use their outsized personalities to keep the ballclub in people’s minds – and hearts – when the team was off field or off season. Gussie may have been the richest man in town but he showed that his heart was with the fans in the cheap seats. He showed us his extravagant delight in owning one of the greatest baseball teams in history. He showed us his anger when he was angry, and he treated us to scandals, which are great entertainment. He had the virtues and vices of an autocrat, a far cry from the lukewarm, milquetoast corporate bureaucracy that the Cardinals ownership and front office give us today. Bernie Miklasz correctly makes the point that the DeWitts and Mozelliak, regardless of whether they’ve lately made good or bad roster and managerial decisions, are terrible at “messaging.” But messaging is too narrow a term. What the Cardinals are lacking now are attention getting personalities whose souls soar or sink according to the fortunes of the team. Instead we have impossibly rich people have their minion tell the press about their money worries as if we should care. Following today's ownership of the Cardinals is as boring as checking the stock price of Centene every day – which for all we know might be the DeWitts’ favorite pastime. The DeWitts have festooned the Cardinals uniforms with arm patches advertising — I’m not kidding — an investment bank. That’s populism for you! How many nine year old kids from soybean farms in southern Illinois have Family Offices in need of private bankers? How many members of the North County Labor Club or the St. Ferdinand’s Knights of Columbus Council want to optimize their mix of ETFs and municipal bonds? Everybody felt like they knew Gussie personally somehow. Today the ownership is as remote as Brezhnev behind the Kremlin walls, or at least as off-putting as Mitt Romney daintily sipping a nonalcoholic beer behind a mountain of spreadsheets. The corporate culture’s corruption of language and meaning extends to the general manager, who, though he was underperforming in his job, was given the preposterous title of “President of Baseball Operations.” Where on the org chart, may we ask, is the President of Peanuts and Cracker Jack Operations? Baseball, and life itself, were better when a GM was a GM, and when the head of the Cardinals’ front office offered us something more inspiring than the mind of an accountant and the soul of a dentist.