Power Leaders – Flash in the Pan

Want something done fast with no concern for sustainable outcomes?
Don’t care about losing people because the business will go under if the new direction is not launched?
Assign a Power Leader to make things happen.

I’m not an advocate of Power Leaders but can envision, and have experienced situations where there is need for such a person. They are normally brought in from outside the organization and stay only as long as it takes to make the turnaround happen, or initiate the desired change.

What do they do well?

• They engage others in a vision for change, although they totally control the change plan.
• They build a structure and plan for achieving the envisioned outcome.
• They have a focused, relentless determination to succeed.
• They believe that people are important only as long as they are contributing.
• Not always, but frequently, they are self-serving and compensated via a bonus or improvement sharing compensation package that benefits them tremendously for success.

What do they do poorly?

• They don’t build sustainable solutions or systems.
• They ravage people who don’t move fast enough or perform to plan.
• They destroy cultural components aligned with a people-focus.
• They create fear in the workforce.
• They never have to live with their carnage.

So why do businesses hire them?

1. To survive.
2. To stop the flow of cash out of the organization.
3. To generate fast revenue for the organization.
4. To transition the organization so a long-term leader can be found.

Ever run into one of these Power Leaders in your past? If so, what are your thoughts?

Chad

Executive Interest in an interview about the impact of fear on business /results?

Hi, this is Donna Rae.

 

 

I am interested in identifying executives / managers who are who would be interested in scheduling an interview with me about the impact of fear on performance within your organization. The interview can be done over the telephone, is confidential, and expands the data we are collecting on fear and productivity.

I will provide a copy of the report to you and I will also provide coaching to you on strategic methods for creating a fearless organization.

We are all facing and feeling the impact of this intense, unpredictable, unstable climate. Identifying and removing fear barriers allows organizations and individuals to be agile, to be nimble and to adapt… boldly facing and moving through today’s challenges!

We can overcome fear, and thrive together!

Please either call, email me, or post a comment and we will set up a time to interview you.
donna rae

Dr. Deming’s & Driving Out Fear

The number one cause of fear in this day and age is the pace of change. There are more products released in any given month today than there were in an entire year – fifteen years ago. Today’s Americans are always on the run: we can’t stop checking our BlackBerrys or iPhones. To remain competitive and innovative, companies need to sell to a larger audience and publicize their brand more so they don’t fall through the cracks. Trying to appeal to more consumers has led to globalization.

 

So the pace of change engenders fear. But isn’t fear something that all companies, American workers, and professionals have to deal with to be successful and rise to the top? Not necessarily. Since fear is a learned behavior, you can unlearn it.

 

 

Using the Bright Side model, it is possible unlearn the fears, distractions, and barriers that we encounter on a day-to-day basis (on a personal, team, or organizational level) – release them, replace them with positive habits, and then build upon those new habits for accelerated business results.

 

Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the Father of Quality, was an early proponent of Bright Side and its Founder, Chairman and CEO, Donna Rae Smith. Deming, a renowned statistician perhaps best known for his work in Japan during the 1950′s, layed out his business philosophy in his 14 Points – one of which, is “drive out fear so that everyone may work more effectively for the company.” This maxim is a key compenent of Bright Side’s work today.

 

Deming saw and understood the crippling effects of fear on an organization’s productivity and well-being. He understood that fear causes employees’ work to suffer. Bright Side’s system is a method to release that fear so that organizations can more effectively reach their bottom lines.

 

For example, Bright Side worked with Procter & Gamble, more specifically the Global Oral Care, during its acquisition of Gillette in 2005. P&G had just acquired Gillette and had vowed to take the best of both organizations, bundle it all together, and then sell it for a stronger P&G. There was a lot of fear and mistrust swirling from both organizations about the acquisition. Bright Side executives knew that in order to make this merger successful, they needed to drive that fear out so that the P&G investment could be leveraged – from a personal, team and organizational standpoint.

Using the Bright Side model and working with leaders from both teams, Bright Side was able to foster one of the most successful mergers P&G had ever seen – all measured by extraordinary and robust business results and outcomes.

Take a look:

Procter & Gamble Global Oral Care Team Results
The post-integrated teams and leadership exceeded work objectives and delivered ahead of schedule!

•Doubled the size of the business
•Delivered >100% of committed cost savings
•Improved service levels
•A 98% retention of associates who relocated from Gillette
•A 50% improvement on the cultural assessment tracking leadership behaviors of risk-taking, transparency, inclusion

 

Procter & Gamble Global Oral Care Team Results
•#1 in key business metrics for high growth categories in P&G
•Ranked first in Engineering in three of the four critical drivers for retention
•Launched unprecedented number of initiatives with excellence, on time
•On track to deliver personal productivity improvement of a minimum of 1.0 hour per day

So is it possible to drive out fear in an organization for accelerated business results? Most definitely, and the P&G/ Gillette merger is just one example of how driving out that fear in an organization, however invisible it is, can lead to accelerated business outcomes.

Is this possible for you and your organization? Why or why not?