Pascoe's Potshots

Leadership: in the knowledge-worker's world

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Overstretch is often a fast lane to failure. Attempting to build Rome in a day; or, trying to become something you’re not. Better to proceed with care: being ambitious but sensible. And, that way, building more slowly but surviving – to bank the winnings. Even in today’s age of the much-vaunted knowledge worker, modesty and restraint can be winning strategies. So, here are five thoughts to refl...

Leadership: time to change

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Peter Drucker, that truly wise owl of business thinking, summed it up thus: time is the scarcest resource, and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed. Yet still today, most leaders are unhappy with their time allocation. Most of us perform poorly. A recent McKinsey survey categorised four kinds of unsatisfied executives. Does any one of these sound like you? If so, what should you do ...

Leadership: you don't have to be Einstein

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe.” Well, how might that relate to your leadership? Are you getting the key things right? Without taking them to extreme, and turning a strength into a disability? Which of the seven mistakes below is the one you might need to re-balance?

Leadership: the social-media storm warning

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +1100

“There is a mismatch between participatory media and the model of management and organisation, with its emphasis on linear processes and control.” Is this good or bad? Wrong question!! Try this one: which is going to win? And, if you doubt social media will come out on top, then I’d stop reading now. It’s simple: get with the program or die. For “millenials”, it’s all self-evident: they’re digi...

Leadership: what's the right medicine?

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Call to mind two or three of the medicos you’ve consulted in recent years and test the following thought from Seth Godin*. “Medicine is a data processing business. Doctors measure, notice and inspect, and based on the data they collect, make decisions and take actions.” Is that what your doctors did? Was it successful? OK, well what about applying this approach to your leadership? Let’s think o...

Leadership: how wise are you?

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Over the years as a management consultant, I’ve worked with hundreds of senior leaders: CEOs, CFOs and other C-level players. Both women and men. On business strategy and leadership. But, only a small number had what I’ll call wisdom. Most were highly proficient: as banker, industrialist, not-for-profit leader or senior professional. But wisdom is more: an integrative capability requiring each ...

Leadership: when beset by information overload

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +1100

According to Seth Godin, not many millennia ago, just about everything we remembered had happened to us personally. In real life. Books and then radio and TV changed that. Today, we're far more likely to gather and share memories in 140-character bursts or from breaking-news emails*. What does this all mean for you as a leader? Here are four actions to consider that might help in dealing with t...

Leadership: what picture are you painting?

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Through March this year, New York’s Metropolitan Museum is showing “Matisse: in search of true painting.” I wouldn’t expect an art retrospective to have much to say about leadership. But Alanna Martinez, a writer, has offered us six things she learnt about painting from this exhibition*. And, her points do have a leadership correlate. Let’s see what they are.

Leadership: payoff or part of?

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Industry associations love Economic Impact studies. They show how much the car or hotel industry contribute to the economy. But if you add up all these contributions, you get a figure that exceeds GDP. Everyone over-claims and there’s lots of double counting. This leads me to question a recent McKinsey study claiming that companies with diverse top teams get a 53% performance payoff*. Diversity...

Leadership: doing it on points

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +1100

Like everyone else, I receive a monthly Frequent Flyer email telling me my points balance and where I could fly. Imagine for a moment that your team members could issue “Great Leader” points*. Would your current balance be sufficient to ensure they’ll transport you to the outcomes defined in the current business plan? Or, might you fall out of the sky when you’re only part way there? As leaders...

Leadership: early adopter, or genuine adapter?

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +1100

In this digital age, “early adopters” are heroes. Embracing each product that Apple or others rush to market. Each one changes their life and how they live it. They adopt – and adapt. Like a leader, who reads a new book and puts it into practice. But, many leaders don’t. They buy, perhaps read but don’t change. So, do any of the shortcomings below apply to you?

Christmas 2012

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 01:00:00 +1100

Dear All …

Many thanks for your support in 2012.

Our very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

The next Potshot will be mailed on Monday, 7 January.

Timothy

Leadership: you don't have to shout

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 01:00:00 +1100

“The stuff that changes everything starts on the fringe, captures the imagination of a dozen, who bring along colleagues or friends, and then it's a hundred and then ..... *”. This is a quote from Seth Godin. And he adds “Make whatever list you want … they all became hits without being anointed by the loud folks first.” So, in building your leadership are you being noisy and seeking the attenti...

Leadership: ten quick ideas

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 01:00:00 +1100

Here’s a bit of fun. Leadership’s needed everywhere: in business, in sport, in the military and the not-for-profit sector. It’s universal. So, here’s a test. From what field did the following ten suggestions come? I’ve changed the wording a bit but not the intention.

Leadership: the vowels of victory

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 01:00:00 +1100

I was asked to give a speech on leadership recently. And wondered how to provide a relevant takeaway: something to help people lift their leadership in the current climate. I called it the Vowels of Victory and below is a summary – using the five English vowels as a mnemonic: a simple reminder for troubled times!

Leadership: of knowledge workers

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +1100

Each era of leadership comes with its buzz words. Today’s includes “knowledge workers” and “interaction jobs”. But, for many of us, this jargon seems like a new pitch for an old product. Knowledge workers have been with us forever: people with particular skills – in tracking deer, sharpening arrows or making glass. In fact, the glass makers were so prized in Venice that they were subject to the...

Leadership: faster and more fun

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +1100

In a recent blog, Seth Godin highlighted that we remember the exciting parts of journeys*. Not the time spent in traffic or waiting at lights. It’s the same with work. We remember the high-energy parts: the successful meetings and important problems solved. But, as he reminds us, “we spend most of our time in preparation, or circling or considering”. So, how can you ditch the dross and lift you...

Leadership: necessary but not sufficient

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +1100

In 1984, when Jim Koch started his Boston Beer Company, he already had three Harvard degrees and seven years’ experience with Boston Consulting Group*. Brewing skills were clearly essential. But, he also had to learn to sell – even though, he regarded the activity as “slightly questionable.” Like many business builders, he learnt that quality is necessary but not sufficient. For him, selling wa...

Leadership: the power of the quiet achiever

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +1100

There’s ample evidence that you can lead effectively without charisma or aggression. In fact, many calm leaders have changed our world. Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, is a good example. Fifty years ago, hers was the spark that fired up the environmental movement – and the regulation of dangerous pesticides. She wasn’t a noisy politician or media-junky; but, an author. According to Nanc...

Leadership: happy and unhappy families

Timothy Pascoe — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 01:00:00 +1100

There’s often something old-fashioned, even romantic, about a family business. It seems more personal and engaging than one run by hired executives. In addition, a recent study also suggests it may perform better long-term. Whether right or wrong, the authors’ differentiating attributes merit attention – as also, I believe, some negatives I’ve seen when working with family companies. Let’s star...