In my last post, I wrote that One of a CEO’s primary roles is handling difficult people. This is because . . .

The CEO is the Chief Talent Officer of the company.

Yesterday, a CEO I work with shared how he has been managing talent at his company. He had two stories.

………………….

Leaders are accountable for the caliber of people working under them.

Okay Leadership students. Take out your pen and paper and answer this question for today’s pop quiz:

What is your vision for how you will change or grow as a Leader between now and December 31st?

Pause to think about your answer before reading further . . . .

Labor Day is upon us. A change of seasons. With it, daily indications that the worst of the economy’s downturn is behind us. Some leaders have been stuck in neutral with their companies — trying every trick in the book but unable to grow sales. Others have continued to (painfully) cut employees and close stores — trying to stay afloat and ahead of the lenders. And some have been weathering things well, but have shifted themselves into neutral for summertime.

Well, it’s time to get to work — opportunity awaits! What is your vision for where you want to be 120 days from now?

“I think my biggest challenge right now is time management.”

I ask this Leader, “how, exactly, are you spending your time?” “Well, I’m doing this and this and this . . .” he rattles off the list of meetings (that’s always a big culprit!), phone calls, studying of reports, returning emails, etc. that occupy every leader’s day. The “activity” list comes easily.

When I sense he’s starting to wind down, I ask “what are the most important things you need to be doing right now? What are the key results you need to achieve today . . . this week?”

This brings a pause, hesitation.

Isn’t this a great challenge for all of us? Maintaining a clear understanding of what results we need to be focused on — from our vantage point as Leader of the organization? The blizzard of ACTIVITY white’s out our perspective on RESULTS.

“Lieutenant McKinnon, you are dead!”

I’ll never forget those words, barked at me by the Captain evaluating me on a dusty, hot morning at Fort Knox, Kentucky, early in my officer training. I was leading a six-man team of fellow officers through a series of Leadership Simulation Exercises — the Army’s version of leadership training scenarios like you might encounter in an Outward Bound-type setting. We had a problem, in this case, getting our entire team to the other side of a “room” laced with tripwires and “explosives,” that we had to solve in a limited amount of time. Rapid-fire assessment, delegation, direction-setting, monitoring and action were demanded in a pressure-filled, time-limited environment. The grade would either by Mission Accomplished or Mission Failure — no in-between.

Sound like one of your days at the office?

What are your plans for the new year? How will you be as intentional as possible in defining this year, as opposed to passively letting the year define you?

Here are a few thoughts for you if you’re feeling the nudge to put some stakes in the ground.

A Sampling of Wall Street Journal Headlines from the past week . . .

* New Fears Jolt Credit Markets (March 6)

* Housing, Bank Troubles Deepen (March 7)

* Jobs Data Suggest U.S. Is in Recession (March

* Grim Reaper of Jobs Stalks the Street (March 11)

How do these affect your thinking first thing in the morning . . . as you head in to lead your company?

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” — Jewish Proverb

Leaders must be intentional about their thought life. Everything they DO is traceable to how they THINK.

“Change before you have to.” — Jack Welch

How are you focused on changing and growing as a Leader over the next six months?

Top Five reasons to NOT be a Learning Leader in the coming months (pick yours):

__ “I have no time to focus on this.”

__ “Nothing comes to mind that I really need to learn.”

__ “I want to grow, but I don’t like to read business books and don’t know of any other resources.”

__ “This is great to think about the first week in January, but the demands of my job will overwhelm me by next week.”

__ “I don’t really need to learn anything new; instead, I need to be teaching my direct reports how to improve as leaders.”

I’m learning that effective leaders cultivate simplicity.
Simplicity begets . . . Clarity begets . . . Focus begets . . . ACTION!
When I first begin working with Leaders, here’s a sampling of questions we discuss:

How clear are you on what your organization most needs from you as Leader today?
How succinctly could your direct reports [...]

I’ve noticed that corporate Strategy and corporate Culture often show up in separate conversations with Leaders.

In fact, focus on corporate strategy . . . execution . . . results often receives far greater attention than the corporate culture in which those results are generated.

Why do we have Strategic Planning off-sites, but we don’t have Culture Retreats? We have Performance Reviews and Strategic Reviews, but . . . what would a Culture Review look like? My guess is a 90:10 ratio between activity spent on strategy / performance review and culture. What’s the ratio at your company? When is the last time your executive team sat down to focus specifically on your corporate culture?

I’ve learned that Culture will eat Strategy for lunch every day of the week . . . unless they are intentionally linked.