We live in challenging times. More than ever, Leaders must display vision, and understand the importance of harnessing the talent of their people to build sustainability. Real Leaders persevere and look for the opportunities. They provide absolute clarity around objectives. Leadership is not for the faint hearted. (more…)

It’s not often nowadays we come across Leadership role models. People who exhibit a defined set of values, capture the hearts and minds of the people with whom they interact, also demonstrate courage, wisdom and leadership. The late Dermot Earley , Former Defence Forces Chief of Staff of the Irish Army was such a role model.Two weeks ago at Dermot Earleys’ graveside, Lieutenant General Séan Mc Canns eulogy gives us an insight into this Leaders impact, “He was our chief. He held us together, informed us, inspired us, told each of us what work we ought to be doing and motivated us to do it. He radiated charm and coloured us with his professionalism. He was our appointed leader and our chosen leader.”

Dermot Earley spoke to many people but it was his words to young soldiers and cadets which should especially resonate “Your attitude is more important than your ability. Your motives are more important than your methods, your courage is more important than your cleverness and always have your heart in the right place.

In organisations, leadership is defined by our ability to become a role model to others and the positive imprint that we leave behind. The Legacy which remains when we ourselves have moved onto new roles or new organisations should define our success. How we inspire, motivate and draw people together in the most difficult times is our challenge as role models. Maybe leaving a legacy is something to which we should all aspire and perhaps it should actually be our starting point when reflecting on how we will conduct ourselves as Leaders.

I heard this quote before Christmas and it came from champion Irish flat jockey Mick Kinnane during an interview where he reflected on his decision to retire, having just won the 2009 Epsom Derby on the wonderful horse Sea of Stars. Kinnane ended his career with almost 1,500 winners and a string of victories on great horses across the world. It struck me that leaving anything whether it is sport or business is best done on a high.

His recollections were positive as he considered his success rather than his disappointments. He reflected on the importance of teamwork and the great success he had achieved. More importantly he looked to his future and how he would focus on training horses. It made me think of the many people who are leaving organisations now and often not by choice. Optimism and confidence is important in these situations. The ability to overcome initial disappointment and reflect on your past in a way that draws out the positives is a considerable strength. Taking the time to consider what you have learned, what you have achieved and the challenges you have overcome, can place you in the frame of mind for building a future rather than lamenting a past.

In his interview Mick Kinnane reflected on the highly competitive environment of the racing world, he recalled the physical effort and the dedication required to be successful. He also recalled the good luck and the great people he had met through his career. When asked by the interviewer how he dealt with the bad times, I was taken by his answer he said “it’s not how you fall it’s how you pick yourself up.” Such resilience is something that can be applied equally to our life in organisations. The resilience to maintain optimism, the resilience to push on through adversity. The ability to see the positives, move on from past mistakes and demonstrate resilience by our ability to overcome the bad times and look forward, not back.

“Sorry”, is not a word we hear often, especially not in an organisational sense. When used it can be used in two contexts, either in the sense of it being a true statement of regret or it can become a hollow phrase of appeasement.

I have been reflecting on people saying sorry over the past couple of weeks. My reflections have been driven by the statements of contrition by politicians over the use, or perhaps abuse, of expense accounts. How easy it is to apologise and expect matters to be closed. The true impact of the word occurs by our actions not just by our words.

For me, sorry only means sorry, when it is accompanied by an indication of what one will do to make sure there will be no re-occurrence of the situation. It then demonstrates to me, that the person apologising is genuine. This is especially necessary in the organisational sense. It demonstrates integrity, an intellectual honesty and strength in ability to listen and recognise when one is wrong. More importantly by supporting our words with intended change, we demonstrate our acceptance of responsibility for our past actions.

I have spent many hours researching, meeting and thinking about great leaders in organisations. In December 2008 I reflected on what distinguished the leaders of my generation in both public and corporate life and created my Top 10 attributes.In the context of todays climate I have revisited this list, and it has been an interesting exercise because the lists have changed very little. Strong Leadership skills are enduring in both the good and in the…well, in the more difficult times too.

1. Strong leaders have a vision. I see this as a critical factor. For me, it is the starting point and the really good people I know have a vision that they can articulate and more importantly are confident in delivering the message to their colleagues. Vision should be interpreted in its broadest sense. It’s not just about the end state, it’s about the vision for the team, how you will work together, how you will conduct your business, how you will inspire others and sharing your ambition.
2. These same Leaders work tirelessly at communicating that vision and do so with absolute clarity.
3. They also surround themselves with good people and are not afraid to tackle poor performance. But they ensure that feedback is an integral part of performance management. With them, you know what you are doing well and the areas on which you need to focus.
4. Good Leaders have the ability to think strategically and translate it into operational excellence. They take time to consider the future and understand the impact of that likely future on their businesses.
5. They’re not afraid to take risks and will provide people with opportunities to develop themselves through risk taking and innovation.
6. They know their limitations and work to address these through building the skill in the team, or through self development activities. They are resilient and exhibit drive, energy, courage and integrity.
7. They consider the options,make decisions and take responsibility for those decisions.
8. They drive change continuously.
9. Being in their company is exciting and interesting.
10. They are aware that they are role models for others and act in a way that sets the right example.

The current dilemma of how best to deal with the financial crisis has taken up much media coverage. I have been reflecting on a recent radio debate regarding the appropriateness of NAMA, the Irish solution to dealing with toxic debt in the banking system. The wide ranging debate sparked a key question in my mind.

Is there a real understanding both at an organisational level and even more importantly at a broader socio-economic level that “tomorrow will never be the same as Yesterday”?

My own view, is that we are going through a fundamental period of change that is not cyclical in the traditional sense.

More importantly what do we as Leaders, responsible citizens and parents need to do, to ensure that the “Tomorrow” we create is one of sustainability and holds a solid future for the next generation? My interest here is specifically at an organisational level, although more and more our work existence is inextricably linked with our personal lives.

As Leaders and influencers, it beholds all of us to consider our roles in the shaping of that future. I have been struck over the past 10 years of the move away within organisations from the basic disciplines of good corporate management. The move towards largesse has not just affected our personal lives but also corporate balance sheets.

The basic principles of managing corporate costs, as if it were coming from our own pockets has in the past been forgotten. Compromised by the fact that for many, the quality of fiscal management of our own personal wealth has also been questionable. Tomorrow, we must ensure that the concept of affordability, budgetary constraint, integrity and a real sense of value for money are essentials in leading and managing our businesses regardless of their size.

We are commercially in one of the most challenging periods for any generation of leaders across the spectrum, either politically or organisationally. Our “yesterday” was characterised by a benign market environment, and a relative ease with which we could achieve success. The shaping of tomorrow requires innovation, a higher skill base and more importantly the recognition of those people in our organisations who have the ability, courage and confidence to make the right decisions.

Of course the two fundamental questions for each one of us, is firstly, whether we, as individuals, want to recreate Yesterday as a model for our future or do we want to begin the process of building a sustainable Tomorrow. Secondly do we have the moral, political and leadership courage to take the decisions and make the necessary changes to build a better future.

If you and your team feel you have a mountain to climb to “Make it Happen” you should read the story of Mark Pollock for the inspiration you might need to overcome adversity. Mark gives inspiring and effective motivational presentations based on his unique life experiences. In 1998, Mark was a student and international rower with a fantastic job offer in London when he suddenly lost his sight. He had been on the crest of a wave as he prepared for his final exams in Trinity College Dublin, but came crashing back to earth with the news that he would never see again.

Since then Mark has rebuilt his life and exceeded his previous achievements. Within six months he was working again and two years later he had completed his Masters in Business Studies. He has won medals while rowing for Northern Ireland in the 2002 Commonwealth games, completed six marathons in one week in the Gobi Desert in China, raced in the worlds most extreme marathon in the north pole, developed an international speaking business and written a book.

Mark works with thousands of people throughout Europe, Asia and North America delivering keynote presentations and his high-performance master class. He concentrates on what we are in a position to control: taking personal responsibility for our actions, facing facts, focusing on making it happen, making committed decisions and communicating with the formal and informal team.

On 10 th April 2004, six years to the day that Mark went blind, he completed the world’s most extreme marathon at the North Pole. The story is incredible and what he has learned on the journey reminds us that there is a power that resides within us all to take control of our lives.

Over the past ten years there have been a host of new management techniques introduced under a variety of different names. We have recently come across a site that might interest many of you. http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net provides a useful glossary of different management terms from Mc Kinsey’s 7s model to the Balanced Scorecard and everything in between! A site worth bookmarking.