Business is a competitive game
Business is a competitive game. Sometimes it feels like war. Really that is what it is. Like the African gazelle, it must daily outrun the lion or end up on the dinner table. Conversely, the lion must be strategic and nimble enough to match the dexterity of the gazelle or starve. In the midst of this stiff competition, you must differentiate, position and look out for opportunities for collaboration.
Leaders do the right things, part of which is continuous learning. We just completed a 2 days – 16Hours leadership immersion program for a busy executive, who has taken time out of the usual very busy schedule, to understand the People & HR side of business.
At Emerald Zone, we organise these kind of immersion in HR, Sales/Marketing & Finance. Here, experienced subject matter experts take such business leaders through the fundamentals and core, followed by post session coaching.
For a leader, learning NEVER stops. As you find time to invest in capability development for yourself and teams, you are no doubt paying it forward for growth and continuous improvement.
LEADERSHIP is giving a nudge. Great leaders leave room for initiative and ownership.
Leadership Goals
Sunday was an apprentice barber. He had been an apprentice for well over a year. Most weekends when I visit the salon, he was always standing around, whilst the boss take turns to shave customers one after the other. Sometimes, an average waiting time could be about 2 hours.
A couple of months back, when I got to the salon, I was 5th on queue. As usual, Sunday was still seen as “apprentice” everyone was waiting for the “master barbar” So I signalled Sunday to come give me my haircut.
The rest is history! I got one of the best and smooth haircut I could remember in a long while. Then the next person, and next… that day, Sunday graduated from being an apprentice.
Today, everyone wants Sunday to do their cut. He not only does a perfect job, his confidence has gone to a whole new level and pedestal!
When you give employees opportunity to run with your ideas while you act your role as a coach, they will do far more than you expect.
Give someone a Nudge today and watch them fly!
“It is wrong and immoral to seek to escape the consequences of one’s acts.” – Mahatma Gandhi.
The Bad news is time flies, the Good news is you are the Pilot.
Every leader and manager of resources must start off the day, month or year with the deliberate commitment to keep standards high, and achieve set objectives. The leader must be accountable to self and all other stakeholders, in putting to the best use, resources at their disposal. That’s your leadership hallmark.
So, at mid term of the year, its a great time to ask a few questions around – what am I doing? and How am I doing?
Such questions will certainly help reposition for a better second half. Duty calls!
It’s a brand new week!!!
This is a brand new week
As you launch into new horizons and seek new opportunities, determine to make this week more rewarding and impactful by taking along with you this piece of advise from Angela Merkel. If I summarize this another way: “Under promise, Over deliver”! Create an entirely new level of leadership and experience for your team and your customers. Be truly amazing.
Today offers you and I a brand new opportunity for a fresh new beginning. It’s a brand new day, a New week, a New month, a New quarter, a New half year. Everything is NEW! “To discover new lands, we must first be secured to lose sight of existing shores” So, take a fresh breath, go out and win. Set a fresh performance contract for yourself. Set new rules, new records. Be deliberate about your execution and you will do excellently well. 
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of speaking to a global audience of entrepreneurs, business leaders, research fellows at a summit on business development and entrepreneurship. I recently got invite to speak at next year’s conference in San Francisco on same topic of positioning for growth. My findings from this year summit:
Go Find Your Passion!!!
When you find passion in what you do, you not only do it with ease, you also get good results. Importantly, you make impact and deliver value across board. Finally, you find joy and fulfilment. Clients and friends have often asked me how I switch from talking Strategy and Growth, to HR & People and Sales & Performance. I have thought about it too several times. Eureka, I found the answer – PASSION! Sales & Performance is the oxygen for survival in any business endeavor. Oxygen is nothing if there’s no conversion of that chemical by respiration for usage. People bring about this respiration process. Strategy is the link or go between for an effective and functional body system. My PASSION comes from the combination of these elements to various Core Business Areas, daily finding opportunities for execution with excellence to deliver value for business through highly motivated individuals and Teams. That is my PASSION! What is yours?
There is a time for everything!
In a week or more, my banana fruits below will be ready for harvest. I’ve continually nurtured the plant for some years going. There’s the season to plant, water, weed, and time to prune. If you stay through it all, harvest will surely come. Dear professional and entrepreneur,don’t abandon your dreams halfway. Where you are now took a lot of time and effort. Stay at it. Keep forging forward. As you take a few moment to reflect, always remember that “Nothing Ventures, Nothing Wins” So, learn something new to improve, unlearn something that’s been a hindrance and keep relearning those things that brought you success and smile in the past and apply. Remember, Harvest is on the way!
In the wake of recent events in the business environment, I asked a client if they have a sexual harassment policy in place.
“No, we are a small organisation and things like that should not bother at the moment.” the response.
I reminded the client that we operate in a VUCA world. The entire ecosystem is dotted by various risks and vulnerabilities that has no respect for size, place and kind of business.
Regulatory, Human Capital, Political, Cyberspace risks are a few of such exposures businesses face. If not properly mitigated, such have potential to expose and even stretch your business to its very wits and foundation.
When last did your organisation perform a Risk Assessment on Human Capital? Do you have a business continuity plan? Have you recently implemented a Risk response drill? Do you maintain an updated risk register and control framework?
If any of these agitate you or is an area to worry about, we carry out comprehensive Risk Assessment and Audit, to help you cover your backside in business, whilst you continue to focus on Deals, Flows and Core Operations
