Minding the gap – Introduction to the generations

Why is Thabo Mbeki a PR’s nightmare? Why can’t you get your teenagers motivated to take on new business opportunities? Why does your father still wear a suit and tie everywhere? Why do today’s young people feel the need to pierce every part of their body? The answer lies in the generation in which you were born, writes GRAEME CODRINGTON, South Africa’s leading generational theorist.

“Why can’t everyone just be normal?”, asked my mother-in-law. After a brief pause, she added, “Like me!” Isn’t that so true? We only have one way to view the world, and that is through our own eyes. Our view of the world is normal for us. But what about everyone else?

First impressions count. The built-in capacity that each person has to make quick judgements about the world is an involuntary ‘reflex’ based on an underlying system of values. It lets us decide what is right and wrong, good and bad, normal and weird. Each of our worldviews has been defined by the influences on ourselves and our families, especially the events and emotions of the era when we were in your youngest and most impressionable years, before the age of 10.

It’s really globalisation that’s creating these generational trends � worldwide, people have had similar experiences or had to face similar situations at the same time. Not surprisingly, people of the same age who’ve been exposed to similar historical and cultural pressures, view the world in similar ways. The two World Wars, Civil Rights, the Great Depression, Apartheid, the advent of TV, personal computers, the moon landing or Challenger explosion, parenting the permissive Dr Benjamin Spock way (only the Bible sells more than his first book in America) have all been generation defining. And we can therefore see certain value system similarities in people of the same generation.

Understanding that different generations have grown up in different worlds, developing different worldviews and value systems, even if we’ve been staying in the same house, is a great starting point to bridging the generation gap that threatens so many relationships at the moment. Don’t expect others to think like you do, be motivated by those things that motivate you and don’t expect them to have the same aspirations as you do.

So, do you fit your generation?

The Silent Generation : 1930’s and 40’s
Grew up when children, ‘should be seen and not heard,’ they were raised by over-protective parents during the Depression and World War II and learnt in the midst of failed banks and businesses, not to trust others for their security, so they save, pay cash and panic if a cheque bounces. They are conformist, reasonably aloof and fairly authoritarian. Behind the scenes types, they wear suits to the corner caf� (Mbeki struggles in vain to overcome his staid image which contrasts with Mandela’s flamboyant shirts).

The Boomers : 1950’s and 60’s
Probably the most well-known and analysed generation in history, it was raised on Dr Spock permissiveness, which, along with the Pill, led to the sexual revolution of the swinging 60’s. They are seen by other generations as loud, brash and highly individualistic. They never stop talking and are always right. They believe there’s a solution to every problem â€? Neil Armstrong is an icon and they believe that if man can walk on the moon, ‘we can do anything.’ Rebellious, they trashed campuses, marched out of their schools on June 16, 1976, smoked pot, and remain highly moralistic and idealistic. They’re happy with authority, as long as they have it themselves, which they do – witness the young heads of State, America (Clinton) Britain ( Blair), Russia ( Putin). They grew up in relative affluence, with each family and community having more money than they had ever had before (remember when the Rand was stronger than the Dollar, and houses were a mere fraction of today’s prices?). They’re legislating against the excesses of their own youth â€? banning smoking, fighting against sex, swearing and violence in movies. They’re obsessed with health and wellness, attempting to be “forever young”. They’re more highly educated than any other generation in history, run the media and are lords of the 10 second soundbite and gurus of the motivational circuit. They flaunt their assets â€? power dressing, flashy cars – and are prepared to pay to get what they want.

Generation X : 1970’s and 80’s
‘X’ is the unknown factor in an algebra equation. The defining characteristic of Xers, one of the most investigated and berated generations in history, is that they don’t have one â€? a nightmare for marketers. The term, ‘latchkey kids ‘ was coined for Xers who spent long hours in empty homes and grew up on their own while their Boomer parents were working to sustain the yuppie dream of middle class suburbia or simply to survive in townships gone mad. As divorce rocketed, they spent alternate weekends with, ‘dad’s girlfriend’ and ‘mom’s previous ex-husband.’ They’re skeptical of relationships – peers and friends have become surrogate families. They were expected to grow up quickly (which they did in schools that were microcosms of adult communities with drugs, violence, sex and murders). They manoeuvre through a sexual battlescape of Aids and blighted courtship rituals (the legacy of the 60’s revolution and feminism), dating and marrying cautiously. They are risk-taking, challenge-lovers who buy experiences such as canyoning and bungee jumping in preference to Boomer-type assets. Indeed, the Gap between Boomers and Xers is the biggest ever. Xers see Boomers as pompous and dangerous while Boomers regard Xers as wild and soulless. Their most famous cartoon character, Bart Simpson, is irreverent, self-reliant, doesn’t care what adults think about him, is often in trouble BUT always lands on his feet and usually fixes up the messes of his father â€? all Xer characteristics. In our down-sizing workplace they realise long-term commitment won’t pay the dividends it did to their parents and grandparents so they opt for the car, cell phone and big salary NOW, attracting the unfair label of selfishness and disloyalty.

The Millennial Generation : 1990’s and 2000’s
This is the first generation to not remember the “old” South Africa – they are too young to remember apartheid. Their births also coincided with the ‘Baby on Board’ car stickers heralding a shift away from social trends of child neglect and negativism towards protection and support. Popular culture now stigmatises hands-off parenting and recasts babies as special. The new status symbol is a stay-at-home mom. Child abuse and safety are hot topics, and politicians define adult issues (like tax cuts) in terms of their effect on children. They receive free health care and education. They’re confident, assertive, optimistic, incredibly brand-conscious, and, raised in dual-income and single parent families, are extremely money-wise.

Parents listen when they advise on car (or grocery) buying; they own cell phones, credit cards and fund raise for school functions without teacher or parental support. Indeed, they regard their parents as out of control, hold their parents’ hands in scary movies, keep the light on to comfort dad when he’s just read Harry Potter â€? the biggest selling children’s book ever. Millennials are readers. Hollywood’s replacing the Xers child devil and lost kids movies with child angels (Home Alone: Matilda) and child superheroes (Power Rangers: Kundun). However, this generation lacks heroes and has substituted celebrities like actors, models, pop and sports stars whose claim to fame is being famous for who they are rather than what they do. Style is more important than content. They play video games, listen to music on digital compact discs, programme the family VCR and surf the Net for homework projects. They’re smarter than their parents. They’re civic minded, practical, get involved.

So, do you fit?

Hunting Season

One of the big debates in Britain at the moment (overshadowed recently by the Hutton Enquiry and Iraq) is whether or not to ban fox hunting. New legislation is progressing through Parliament to outlaw this ancient activity in rural England. I have personally never really understood the thrill of hunting � of any kind. I don’t even understand fishing � it looks a lot more like doing nothing and drinking beer, than a real sport. But don’t mind me. I know many people who do enjoy hunting. There’s something primal and powerful about it. But whatever your view about hunting animals, the fact remains that it’s the end of hunting season in human experience.

For most of human history, people have had to go hunting for the things that matter. In the earliest days of human life on our planet, this involved hunting for food and safety on a daily basis. As we moved to more agrarian based economies, it involved hunting for the land that was the basis of economic success � and this often meant leaving the crowded home country and setting sail for the unknown land with its promise of wide open spaces. In the more recent years of the Industrial and Information eras, people have to go hunting for capital and investment in their factories and schemes.

… Continue Reading

A few trends that will shape our future

Corporate strategy is always focused on the realities of the future, yet when strategic planning sessions get underway, the mindsets are still mired in the past. A fundamental break with the past is required, as the most important lessons we can learn in the next decade are those that will come from the future. You cannot use an old map to find new land.

… Continue Reading

Converge: Beyond the technological paradigm

Contemporary thinking regarding the Internet is currently founded firmly in the client-server paradigm. The current-server paradigm can be defined as the reigning mindset where the World Wide Web and access to it via Internet Browsers, is seen as the mainstay of Internet applications. This mindset is based on the view that the information on the Internet can be accessed and leveraged by a human, sitting in front of a Personal Computer who can access and manipulate information on Internet connected servers that holds shared and protected information.

Both the terms ‚E-commerce‛ and ‚E-business‛ obtain a new meaning as soon as the paradigm regarding our thinking of the Internet undergoes a fundamental change. The next phase the Internet will enter is called the Ubiquitous Internet paradigm. This paradigm will enable a new viewpoint to be established, and will help in changing the limiting mindset which restricts the true potential of E-business and E-commerce. In order to provide context to this new paradigm, a number of new technologies, devices, networks, applications and implications will be introduced to describe the impact that this new paradigm will have.

The Internet as a utility

The traditional viewpoint of describing the Internet is fundamentally that the Internet is a utility. Just as electricity and water are described as utilities, the Internet is seen as the new utility. The concept of a utility as that an organization cannot survive long without it. How long would a bank, a hotel or university function without water or electricity? The length of time an organization can continue with its daily activities without these core services can be measured in hours, or minutes at best. The Internet is already seen in this light in various organizations, where normal business activities are severely hampered without access to the Internet.

This description of the Internet is correct, yet still founded in the client-server paradigm. A more comprehensive description is required in order to understand the real nature of the Pervasive computing paradigm.

The description of the Pervasive computing paradigm is quite simple, yet it is deemed important to take a slightly longer route to provide a broader understanding of the Pervasive computing paradigm and the impact it will have on organizations, business and society at large.

Internet connectivity everywhere

The longer route to understanding where the Internet is going starts with this command to you, the reader.

Stick your finger in the air. At your fingertip you will find waves that carry at least radio 100 radio stations and more than 60 television stations. (If you do not believe me, use a radio receiver and a TV satellite dish to verify my claims.) At your fingertip you will also find radio waves that you can use to access the Internet. This may be via GSM data channels, GPRS, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Within a few seconds you can log onto any Internet server or website via your cellular phone or PDA with a press of a button.

The Internet will undergo a substantial alteration as optical technologies allow the transmission of many trillions of bits per second on each strand of the Internet’s fibre-optic backbone network. The core of the network will remain optical, and the edges will use a mix of access technologies, ranging from radio and infrared to optical fibre and the old twisted-pair copper telephone lines. By then, the Internet will have been extended, by means of an interplanetary Internet backbone, to operate in outer space.

This simply means that Internet connectivity will be available everywhere you are. You will be able to access the Internet in the middle of the ocean, or if you find yourself in the International Space Station. Your access to the net will then be directly via satellite, whereas your choice of access on land will be far larger.

The most common link to the Internet when you are in travelling across the country is the data line provided by your GSM network, and in some cases their GPRS service. In cities and towns you will find Wi-Fi hotspots (IEEE 802.11b) wireless Internet connectivity hubs. You will incidentally find these in airports and even in aircraft from 2003 onwards. The whole west coast of the USA will be covered before the decade ends. The cellular companies will find themselves in a new playing field as cellular devices become both GSM and WiFi enabled. This will truly changes the rules of wireless communication as more and more people will be able to automatically choose their type of Internet activity, purely based on price and performance criteria. Bluetooth and Ultra Wide Band technology will also play its role in making the Internet accessible wherever we are. This is the true nature behind the Ubiquitous Commerce paradigm, as we become more and more connected, linked to the Internet 24 hours day, 7 days a week, wherever we are. No longer does an Internet server have the sole ability to be always connected to the Internet, we as humans will be always connected with the devices we carry in our pockets.

Humans are no longer born in radio space; they are born in Internet space

Learning from the fairies of the magic hill – A leadership challenge

The magic spoken of, lies in the hill itself. It is an innocuous enough looking hill, seemingly no different from the many that precede it and not distinguished in any remarkable manner from the many that would follow. It lies silently in wait for the unsuspecting traveller revealing its magic only to those who, having summated the hill, are then willing to stop and apply the handbrake on the decline. Do that and you will experience the magic, and what magic it is!

… Continue Reading

A glimpse into the future – Good news / Bad news for leaders

We are heading towards a ‘relational economy’. But the smart leaders already know this and it is reflected in the way they think about the world and in particular, the way they lead and do business.

… Continue Reading

The rocket science of leadership

In the current series of Survivor one of the participants has the unenviable career description of being a ‘rocket scientist’. ‚No really‛ must be something he is quite used to saying having had to repeatedly answer the stock question we all get asked, ‚So what line of business are you in?‛ I can only guess that one advantage of being a rocket scientist is that he must get to meet a lot of brain surgeons and helicopter pilots as others try to match his apparent wit and creativity! I mean come on, how many rocket scientists have you met?

… Continue Reading

Change has changed

One of the major reasons that interventions, training and change processes don’t work as effectively as we would like them to, is that we fail to take the time to create the necessary framework of understanding at the start of these processes. Simply put, we do not understand the nature of change itself. Too often we expend our energies trying to make numerous small changes. In doing so, we expend great energy, and continually find ourselves frustrated by forces pushing against us.

The solution, I believe is quite simple (conceptually, anyway). I’d suggest we focus more on helping people understand change itself – this may take a lot of energy, and time, but the benefit will be to develop people who actually are not just able to change, but keen and willing to do so, too.

We need to help people understand the great tectonic movements of history that we perceive as change. The earth is always (literally) moving under our feet. Besides the spinning that gives us a great sunrise (why do we still insist on calling it that, when we’ve known for 500 years that the sun doesn’t rise? Its tough to get all romantic about a great “earth turn”, though, isn’t it?), the earth actually moves. Its on great big plates that move slowly apart or together (depending on where you live). We don’t feel this movement, but every now and again, the pressure that builds up over years and even centuries finally reaches a critical moment, and some major shake happens. We call this an earthquake, and volcanoes can also fire up. Its fierce, its sharp, and its short lived. But it changes the landscape, and rattles those who happen to live through it. These quakes are largely unpredictable, yet they are predictably unpredictable. We know they will happen, and MUST happen. Yet, we’re almost always surprised when they do.

… Continue Reading

Best beats good every time – Something smart leaders know

It was Peter Drucker who first coined the expression, ‘knowledge worker’ � and that was back in the 1960’s! Today it has become a cliche to talk about business as being in the ‘knowledge era’ and that the greatest knowledge available in any business, is spread throughout the many minds that make up that enterprise. While many leaders will nod their heads in agreement with this notion, most by their very actions, will squeeze any potential life out of the patient.

… Continue Reading

The channel that changes everything

The news that has dominated South African newspapers in recent weeks has been the reports about a hacker who has targeted a number of people in the Western Cape area of Bellville. The hacker has been able to access and remove funds using these people’s Internet banking details with ABSA bank. The media has picked up on this particular topic and has run with it, and talk shows have allowed fairly wild speculation and complaint on a daily basis. The issues related to this particular instance of hacking are actually quite simple.

… Continue Reading

Inviting your customer in: the next level of customer service

Over the last few days I heard two stories about customer service in the car industry. These two stories have highlighted for me the fact that customer service is no longer just about providing a quality product – its about inviting our customers to join with our company and participate in its future. This is part of the holy grail of marketing…

… Continue Reading

Learning from the poison chalice – Understanding leadership in an information age

Physicist, John Wheeler suggests that information may be the basic ingredient of the universe itself. In an ‘information age’ it certainly becomes a key indicator for both organisations and leadership alike. Recently there have been a few high profile stories reported in the national media that serve to illustrate the contrasting attitudes towards the sharing of information. In effect the differing approaches to information reflect the leadership attitude that underpins each of the stances adopted. It is a revealing insight!

… Continue Reading

The death of an agent

The following article has received thebiggest response of the articles we’ve written so far. The style of the article is forthright and challenging, and its possibly the style, rather the content that has got people hot under the collar. We encourage you to read the article objectively, and then also to see the email response sent to some of the people who have taken the time to respond to this article and challenge Graeme on his ‘attack’ on estate agents. By the way, we’ve also had many people compliment us for this article, and verify for us that thethere are people who have had similar experiences with agents.

So this was it then. After weeks of back and forth negotiations, sleepless nights, fervent prayers, discussions with bankers and tiring searching – this was it. I was standing with two documents in my hands – one for the sale, and one for the purchase. And there were two smiling estate agents. So why did it feel so hollow? Something was missing. We had just sold our home – the home that we had brought our two daughters back to from the hospital after they were born. We had just bought a larger home closer to the school our daughters will be attending from next year. It should have been fantastic, but it wasn’t. There was something missing.

… Continue Reading

Thirteen things smart leaders know – How to thrive in a relational economy

Leadership is about who you are. It is about character. It is about looking inwards in order to lead outwards. The best leaders are those know themselves, know their strengths and play to those strengths. They understand something of the connected, relational and paradoxical nature of the world in which they live and lead. They embrace change as an opportunity rather than a threat and they remain humble, lifelong learners who find wisdom in the small, the simple and the overlooked. So just what will it take to lead in a relational economy? Well here at least are 13 practical pointers as to what it takes…

… Continue Reading

I can see clearly now

In a relational economy (and that is where are heading!) transactions are less important than relationships. Businesses are arriving, albeit in drips and drabs, at the understanding that pushing around notes and coins is less useful than developing and sustaining continuous collaborations or relationships.

It can be argued that money causes people to fixate on transactions rather than relationships and it is the money involved in the transaction that gives the transaction value, even when there is no objective means for doing so.

Now before you throw up your hands in horror and assign me to the ranks of another lunatic predicting a ‘moneyless society’ let me say that we are not about to do away with money � however attractive that thought might be for some! However, it is obvious that money can and does create certain inefficiencies as evidenced when the economizing powers of money are overtaken by the cost of using money. In other words, when the cost of monitoring, billing and revenue processing are more than the cost of the product or service being offered in the first place. My favourite example is the monthly statement I receive from my travel agent. I always pay by credit card immediately, and so I get a blank page with a ‚zero balance outstanding‛ note � in an envelope, on printed stationery, and a stamped envelope!.

But this is not the point I wish to explore. Back to the understanding that as we move increasing into a relational economy, those companies which understand this will be the real winners. Those businesses which see the transaction as secondary to the relationship will emerge as the leaders in this new economy.

Let me give you a case in point.

Today I had my car windscreen replaced. Thanks to a stone which had pretensions as a scud missile, this action became a necessity. Having duly acquired two quotes, both from well known glass fitters, I received the okay from my insurers to go ahead and effect the replacement at either one of the outlets. Fair enough. As to which one, and having no real experience to go on, I merely picked the one that had issued a computer generated quote (as opposed to a rather scruffy handwritten one) and whose showroom looked more inviting and was certainly the cleaner of the two. Cost and convenience were, somewhat surprisingly, not major considerations.

Having spoken to the fitter of my choice on at least two occasions I arrived with the car in question. The three hour wait, through some schedule negotiations and assistance from a colleague had been reduced to a wait of an hour. While waiting in the waiting room (which is another story that I will get back too) I learnt of a great service provided by this company. They can affect this repair at your home or work place thereby saving you the inconvenience that my rescheduling had caused. Not only that, they also provide a pick-up / drop-off service for their customers to save them the wait!

‚Ah, Sir, most of our customers know about this‛ was the answer I got from the bright young person behind the counter when asking the obvious question as to why no-one had thought to informed me of these great service features. My response of, ‚but I didn’t know that‛ (having first checked to see whether or not I had missed any notices informing me of these services) was met with a somewhat dismissive, paternalistic, ‚what kind of planet are you from‛ look. What made this even more bizarre was the large signage in the reception area which gave all who cared a breakdown of reasons why customers could be lost to their business.(the one that I can recall was that death accounts for a 1% customer loss!)

So, here is the situation. Two time-saving and convenience driven services, ones no doubt designed to create a differential between this company and its competitors, were not passed on to the customer in question. Not only that, but no one took the initiative to belatedly offer a lift once this omission had been pointed out during the marathon wait. But then again the wait, one befitting a long-service award, was one bereft of even the hint of an offer to provide me with something to drink. Amazing!

But what about the clean waiting-room which I referred to earlier? Well it was clean, no doubt there. However, the incomplete newspaper (don’t you just hate it when the sports section is missing!), the most recent magazine (a 2000 Rugby magazine � though I do confess that I didn’t check through all the magazines), the unplugged TV � a nice but useless touch, and the lack of any coffee or vending machine rendered the once ‘inviting’ waiting area a dummy of note.

Is this a big issue? Of course not, however it does serve as a good example of what it takes to ensure that lofty service goals are aligned with actual delivery. It serves to highlight a ‘transaction’ experience rather than a ‘relational’ experience. It is a pity as today people are drawn to places and services which provide something more than efficient transactional experiences. Today people are attracted to places that offer a story, a relationship, places that give compelling reason for a return visit. These are the places and experiences which create loyalty, word of mouth advertising and, dare I say it‌ repeated transactions.

I can see clearly now (at least until the next scud comes knocking)‌I only hope that my feedback enables others to see things a little clearer. After all, learning in any shape or form is reliant on the process of action, feedback and synthesis.

Did I mention that my feedback was met with the same ‘alien in our midst’ expression that I received during the initial conversation with the bright young manager? Although, to be fair, he was polite and did assure me that next time I would get their chauffer service‌that is of course, assuming there is a next time!

In search of the marketing holy grail – Generations and Advertising literacy

Many models (gender, income, cultural groupings, age) do a great job. Each has a place and each describes an important aspect of the market. But is there room for yet another model or framework that significantly adds to our understanding of the market from an marketing point of view?

There is, and it is known as ‘Generational Theory’ � in other words, understanding and describing the market in terms of ‘generational attitudes’. Generational Theory is a theory of social history that describes and explains changes in public attitudes over time. It was first systematically described by Neil Howe and William Strauss, in their 1991 book, Generations, and further developed in the follow up, The Fourth Turning (they also have an excellent website: http://www.fourthturning.com).

… Continue Reading

Signposts for success – Learning from the journeys of others

During 2002, Keith Coats, of TomorrowToday.biz, wrote briefly about the merits of a Concept Caf� in business today.(http://www.tomorrowtoday.biz/article/article_003.htm) He suggested that it could be used to, ‘discuss leadership and some of the more personal / inner aspects to leadership, which are seldom given space in the work environment for meaningful discussion’.

As we have worked inside companies and organisations (in our GameBreaker project) we are often stunned by how much wisdom and value is present within and yet so much effort and time is spent looking on the outside for answers. We find very few intentional forums in which meaningful dialogue can take place, and effective learning transferred.

Using Keith’s thoughts as motivation, I set out on a quest to interview people I have long respected for the success they have attained in their own businesses and personal lives. My question to them was simple, ‚What 2 questions would you ask someone you admired if you had 15 minutes of their time, and you wanted to learn as much as you could about their success (personal or professional)?‛

I ended up with 30 – 40 questions that I’ve synthesized into a list of 12. I’ve tested them out on both the contributors as well as other interesting people. We’ll be including some of these interviews in our Monthly E-Zine from now on, shared wisdom from which you too can benefit.

The most interesting part of this process has been the manner in which the respondents answered my initial question. Their ‘two questions’ assumed a whole lot about successful people. Remember, these were already successful people (in my eyes) that I questioned. They didn’t want to know how to attain success; they wanted to learn from others’ journey toward success. In other words, they weren’t interested in the how? as much as the what? and the why?

For example, they didn’t send back questions as to whether or not fear played a role, they wanted to know what their biggest fear was? They didn’t ask if there was a turning point, they asked what the turning point or great moment was? I could continue with each question, but you’ll get the picture as you read through the list.

1.What was your great moment or turning point? Was it part of your plan?

2.What choice or decision did you make in you life that made all the difference and why?

3.What would you tell yourself at age 21 if you could go back then?

4.What is your biggest fear?

5.What mechanisms have you put in place to ensure focus?

6.Have you always had a long term plan?

7.Who was/is your mentor? Why them?

8.Who are individuals that have inspired or impacted your life, and why?

9.What is your personal ‘big idea’?

10.What has been the cost of success?

11.What inspires you in your day to day life?

12.Is it possible to have a successful professional and family life? How?

From the responses I received, it would seem that the signposts that mark the journey towards success are as follows:

“A great moment or turning point“Choices and decisions that make a difference

“Fear

“Focus

“A long term plan

“Mentors and inspiring people

“A ‘Big Idea’

“A cost

“Daily inspiration

“Balance

Watch out for the interviews with interesting people in the issues to follow. Certainly we can promise you some really good reading and learnings from people who have, as they sometimes say, been around the block a couple of times.

Leadership for tomorrow

It is hard enough coping with the current demands of leadership so why worry about tomorrow? At first glance this seems like a reasonable question and may well get several heads nodding in agreement‌including yours.

The notion that today’s leaders are under greater pressure than ever before is one that carries some weight of evidence. The blinding pace of change across many fronts � be that social, economic or political; the complexity of globalization, and the continuous technology revolution to name just three of the convergent forces that impact upon contemporary leadership. Leaders from Moscow to Washington, from Beijing to Beirut or Johannesburg, cannot ignore the inter-cultural currents in which they swim. Currents that can change without warning and which threaten even the strongest, most seasoned swimmers.

Of course the study of leadership is not new. Countless theories abound regarding just how ‘to be a leader’. Most of which are enticingly wrapped in ‘seven easy steps’ or ‘five essentials’ that promise quick-fix answers to what it is to be a leader. Such publications are consumed with relish yet appear to have had little impact as we hurtle into a century that guarantees nothing but change, uncertainty and the promise that yesterday’s success will count for little in tomorrow’s world. Few would argue that our old paradigms need to change, that yesterday’s answers will not provide the way forward, and that the trustworthy maps and familiar territories of the past have little use for the territories that beckon. The need to rewrite our maps and create new reference points is as essential as it is urgent.

What then of these new constructs that require our attention?

Firstly, there is the need to recognize that the nature of organizations has and is changing. Yesterday’s world of big business had the DNA of set structures, predictable environments and one in which ‘things’ could be measured, controlled and managed. Or at least that was the intention. Change was often greeted with denial: the kind of denial that was disguised by simply working harder, redoubling efforts and producing more of the same. A ‘one size fits all’ mentality towards leadership and managing people predominated. In fact for many years the prevailing maxim of management stated: ‘Management is getting work done through others.’ Experience counted more than ability and respect was guarded in role, title and position. Status symbols and entitlement were the benchmark of seniority. Decisions and responsibility was easily deferred, innovation and creativity lost in a belief that the current formulae worked best. And so the often quoted adages, ‘why change a winning team?’ and, ‘don’t fix it if it isn’t broken’ were unchallenged mantras that made perfect sense. Not forgetting the unbroken succession of organizational fads, each promising greater effectiveness and most of which failed to deliver.

Several forces came together during the last decade of the previous century that was to forever change the way in which we do business. The massive downsizing of the early 1990’s created a surplus of capable, resourced people who had little option but to embark upon new careers of entrepreneurship. This trend was further aided by the emergence and availability of technology and software that created ‘virtual offices’ from the comfort of one’s own home. In a sense anything and everything became possible. The power of the network, speed of delivery, customized service and unbounded resourcefulness enabled these new entrepreneurs to not only succeed but to make inroads into the previously unchallenged monoliths of big business.
The fundamental DNA of organizations has had to change. Today survival and success are dependent upon speed of response, relationship, an understanding of the core of what drives the business, adaptability and innovation. Developing this DNA is not easy, painless nor instantaneous. But then neither is developing this DNA optional!

If the very nature of the organization is changing, what then of leadership?

It is obvious that the kind of leadership that worked in the old style organization will not be sufficient in the new, emerging organization. No longer does ‘leadership by decree’ carry the day. Gone is the automatic respect that came with title and rank. Obsolete is the dichotomy that ‘leaders think’ and ‘workers work’. In the world of tomorrow, where power is nodal and the network vital, leadership needs to reorganize and recreate itself in such a way that it recognizes the new environment in which it serves. This change is fuelled in part by the new breed of workers that are emerging. Generational Theory teaches that there are some major value differences that underpin the respective generations. It is these differences that lead to real conflict within current structures as the different generations fail to understand each other’s motivation, attitudes and behaviour. As greater numbers of younger people (Generation X and Generation Y), enter the work environment, so greater diversity is inevitable. Failure on the part of leaders to understand and manage this diversity renders them helpless to its inevitable results � unhealthy conflict.

New descriptors and analogies that depict the role and function of leaders are needed. Wheatley in her book Leadership and the New Science lists some of the new metaphors for leaders as: gardeners, midwives, stewards, servants, missionaries, facilitators and conveners. Certainly understanding leaders as, ‘storytellers’ is not out of place in this new terrain. Storytellers will hold organizations of the future together: they will be the ones who weave the magic and invoke meaning and purpose.

Just how will they do this?

In part by asking significant questions � questions such as, ‘what called you here? What were you dreaming you might accomplish when you first came to work here? They will share information; create space, nurture evolution throughout the organisation and facilitate networking. They will understand the importance of synthesis rather than simple analysis, of recognizing patterns � trying to stay curious rather than certain. They will embrace diversity and relish the challenges of exploration and invention. They will readily acknowledge and recognize their own peculiar lens through which they interpret the world around them and then strive to add to that framework where it limits, reduces or impinges on a wider vision. In short they will be ‘learners’ rather than experts.

It is clearer than ever before that the character of leadership matters. Character is not something that ‘happens’ overnight, nor something that is acquired by attending a seminar or reading a book! Unfortunately, it would also seem that character is shaped primarily through adversity � by staying true to one’s sense of purpose and values when it would be easier, or even prudent, to abandon them.

Leadership into the future will be about relationship. Understanding this will require that leaders change what they pay attention to within their organization. Their agenda will shift from being one that focused on forms, structures, tasks and controls, to one where there is a fundamental focus on the things that determine and drive relationships. The ‘new’ questions will be ones such as: Do people here know how to listen and speak to each other? Do we respect and embrace diversity? Do we live out our organizational values and purpose? What does trust look like amongst us? Can people speak truthfully? Is innovation and collaboration honoured? Do people have access to one another and to information throughout the organization? In what ways are we learning from one another, the system, and the network?

This is a tough transition. Moving from a predictable world to a process world is not easy or even natural. It requires the kind of leader who understands this transition as one which Kellner-Rogers describes as, ‚I start anywhere and follow it everywhere‛. It is what Wheatley describes as relinquishing the role of ‘master creator’ and moving into the ‘dance of life’.

Already I can sense some of you shifting uneasily in your leather-backed swivel chair. But let me remind you of a responsibility leaders share, something you already know: Leaders are obligated to help the whole organization look at itself, to be reflective and truthful about its activities and decisions.

Never before has it been more imperative that you exercise this key responsibility!

A lesson in spam

We hear that the world is changing all the time, and yet often we don’t see any significant shifts taking place. Well let me tell you about one that rocked my world for a day or two. It happened to us at TomorrowToday.biz, and it can easily happen to you.

… Continue Reading

Will the real champions please stand up

Right Said Fred’s catchy song, Stand-up for the Champions has been used to powerful effect by MNet to capture Joe Publics attention. The champions are portrayed as those sportsmen and women whose heroics leave us enthralled, entertained and at times dismayed.

Today these champions are paid (over-paid many might say) vast sums of money for not only displaying their skills, but endorsing a range of products from hair gel to motorcars. In fact many of those at the pinnacle of careers earn more from the endorsements than they do from plying their skills. ‚Well good luck to them‛ is the somewhat envious response heard from the terraces or armchairs, ‚‌they might as well milk it for as long as they can because more often than not their sporting careers are short-lived‛. Fair enough.

But, there is another side to all this.

In the dogfight for product coverage and brand exposure, large corporates are forking out vast sums of money to secure the exclusive rights to have their branding displayed at sporting events. Naturally, the bigger the event and stage, the higher the cost. In the early days of this practice those who failed to secure such rights resorted to what has become known as ‘ambush marketing’. Quite simply ‘ambush marketing’ is raining on someone else’s parade. It is simple, cost-effective and does the job without paying the rent. You get to enjoy the meal and someone else picks up the tab! Of course those who have paid a premium to secure the rights to display their banding have not taken this laying down and the current Cricket World Cup provides a startling example of the direction their response has taken.

Their response has been one of lockdown‌imposing draconian measures to exclude, eliminate and blackout any hint or sign of opposition branding from not only the gladiators arena itself, but any association with the entire event. Herein lies the problem. In the sponsors zealous fervor to safeguard their investment they have chosen a route that ultimately, in today’s world, equates to Custer’s last stand‌and we all know how that episode ended!

By imposing on you and me what we can and cannot eat, drink and wear to the cricket games for which we have paid good money to be at, is a source of major irritation to most. The significance of this practice, one being taken to the extremes by the branding police who vigilantly patrol the grounds, is not lost on a thinking, perceptive public: Where will this end? If I am being told what I can’t wear will the next step be to impose on me what I must wear?

In an age of networked communication and the power of personal choice, adopting a stance which alienates and antagonizes the public is not only shortsighted but is indeed perilous. Recent media reports tell of irate Indian fans, dismayed at their team’s poor performances, initiating widespread consumer boycotts of products endorsed by Indian cricketers. Just how did they manage to pull something like this off? The answer is tens of thousands of SMS messages that have spread overnight like an epidemic and which remain immune to boundaries and censure. Today’s ‘hacker mentality’ combined with the technology that makes it possible, ensures that the tighter the controls the greater the likelihood that they will be breached, brought down, massacred. This ‘war’ is being played out in the music industry and those who watch the trends and interpret the signs of our times tell us that participation, access to information, networked communication and unbounded tribal affiliations (e.g. the ‘International Federation of Britney Spears’) dominate the landscape. In other words, ambush marketing wins!

I believe that the current practice adopted by fearful and shortsighted sponsors has crossed a line. By intruding on our rights to wear what is comfortable and eat and drink products of our choice, they have lost the plot and will lose the war. By opting for brand exposure exclusivity they have abandoned the creative, innovative, make-me-smile path that would have served their end so much better. They have chosen to hit harder rather than box smarter. They have paid a high price to secure what they think are the best seats in the ground‌ but I suspect the real price to be paid is still to be invoiced by a public who are the champions. Champions who won’t be dictated to in this manner, champions who once mobilized represent an irrepressible force; Champions who will find a ‘better way’ (and I have a few ideas already – but that is another story!); Champions who will succeed in navigating an entirely new landscape in the marketing war.

Will the real champions please stand-up…

10 Skills for future success

The Economist magazine ended a survey of e-business with a review of the skills necessary to successfully manage an e-world business. Now before you discount what is to follow because you might argue that you are not involved in an e-business, have a look at the list. It is no different from skills that Tom Peters, Charles Handy and others have been punting for the past 20 years!

… Continue Reading

Finding the 10th planet

Quaoar! What a discovery. Isn’t it amazing that in 2002 we can find another planet? If you’re anything like some of the people I interviewed this week, then you’re probably aware that something was discovered, and you may even know it was given that name ‘Qblhgrphgzzk’ (at least you’re trying), but there’s some fuzziness as to whether it was a planet or some kind of space object, or something? Right?

Hey you’re not alone. My local newspaper carried the story for an hour or so, the local TV news had some stuff to say, but there’s been no real clarity as to what’s really gone down, or if it’s of any significance or not. Not even the search engines are carrying anything. Google brought back a paltry 9 suggestions of which only 7 were relevant. I went to Fast (alltheweb.com – bigger than Google) and got only 28 suggestions.

… Continue Reading

Relationships – The economic return of the future

Of course in today’s cynical, hard-pressed business environment, swallowing the prediction that relationships will be the economic return of tomorrow is a little like asking you to believe that bullets will one day bounce off vests made from the mixture of a spider’s thread and goats milk – right?

Wrong…very wrong!

Setting aside the bullet-proof vests notion as distracting trivia for now, let’s focus on the former assertion: that relationship will dominate the way in which we see and do business, the way we lead and manage companies into the future. Relationships will be a key economic measure and currency of the future.

… Continue Reading

Dumb moments in business

A dozen Burger King marketing execs suffer first and second-degree burns while walking over hot coals as part of a teambuilding retreat in October. One of the injured, a VP for product marketing aptly named Dana Frydman, tried to put a positive spin on it by remaking to the Miami Herald, ‚It made you feel a sense of empowerment and that you can accomplish anything.‛

Mobile Office Enterprise unveils the Express Desk, which attaches a notebook computer to the steering wheel of a car. For use only while parked, of course.

In a co-sponsored contest Coca-Cola and AOL mistakenly inform 100 people that they have won $10,000. AOL attempts to propitiate the non-winners with $200 gift certificates and three free months of AOL.

Sept. 11 Inc., Some things are better left unsaid: The October issue of the Association of Lloyd’s Members newsletter announces that terrorist attacks represent a, ‚historic opportunity‛ for insurance underwriters to make money.

… Continue Reading

Avoid being hit in the temple – Leadership challenges into the future

Written by Barrie Bramley & Keith Coats.

As a leader within any industry, one of their key result indicators surely has to be a concern and interest in the future. Leaders are often the ones who carry the responsibility of ‘looking out of the window’, removing themselves from the hustle and bustle of every day operations, in order to gain some perspective of the world to come. It has been said that, ‚The future very rarely hits us between the eyes; it hits us in the temple.‛ Surely sufficient motivation to be investing time, energy and resource looking toward tomorrow!

In his book, ‚The Dream Society‛, Rolf Jensen maps out a helpful time-line that ends with an interesting observation for those of us tasked with preparation for the future. He suggests that human history is roughly 100 000 years old, give or take a day here or there. In those 100 000 years there have been four main societal types. The title of his book is his suggestion of the fifth societal type currently being ushered in.

… Continue Reading

Why companies fail

By: Ram Charan & Jerry Unseem
Fortune Magazine (Europe Edition) #11

Charan & Unseem explore the critical question of corporate failure and come up with, ‚Ten Big Mistakes‛ that they maintain are the ‚standard stuff of corporate folly‛. The article is based on researching a number of the 257 public companies with $258 billion in assets that declared bankruptcy last year. One point that is sure to grab your attention is the authors’ assertion that it is a done deal that your company has made at least one of these fatal mistakes!

The big 10 (in no particular sighting order) are:

#1 Softened by success:
The point is made that people are less likely to make optimal decisions after prolonged periods of success. Most mountaineering accidents occur after reaching the summit. Quoting Boston College sociologist, Diane Vaughan, the point is made that people don’t surrender their mental models easily and thereby resist change.

… Continue Reading

Concept Cafe

Concept Cafe is a creative way to accomplish a variety of goals in the workplace, from developing and mentoring staff to brainstorming ideas and concepts.

… Continue Reading

The future of leadership

In our last issue we said that we’d begin to review how leading thinkers today are re-looking at the concept of leadership. As you consider your own models of leadership and some of the thinking that has influenced you thus far, here are some thoughts for your consideration:

“Leadership is not so much the exercise of power itself as the empowerment of others,‛ and the idea that ‚the leader controls, directs, prods, manipulates‌ is perhaps the most damaging myth of all. The leader must be willing and able to set up reliable mechanisms of feedback so that he cannot only conceptualize the social territory of which he is an important part, but realize how he influences it.‛ (see Concept Cafe below)

- Bennis, Nanus and Slater (as quoted in The Future of Leadership, Jossey-Bass Pg 111)

“One line I liked summed up what I thought about leadership: ‘The people with whom I have been associated have worked harder, enjoyed it more, although not always initially, and in the end, gained increased self-respect and self-confidence from accomplishing more than they previously thought possible.’”

- Jack Welch (Jack pg 84)

‚Yet it is not enough for leaders at the top to forget themselves in their function. That delight, that sense of vocation or passion, must be possible right through the organization. That requires space, space to express oneself in one’s work, space to experiment, space to fail � and enough space to correct the failures before too much damage is done or too many people notice. It won’t be possible to create those spaces in an excessively tidy organization. Elephants have to be loose-limbed if there is to be room for fleas other than at the top.‛

- Charles Handy (A world of Fleas and Elephants)

‚Leadership is defined as anyone who wants to help at the time.‛

- Margaret Wheatley (while in South Africa during November 2001)

The conventional view of leadership emphasizes positional power and conspicuous accomplishment. But true leadership is about creating a domain in which we continually learn and become more capable of participating in our unfolding future. A true leader thus sets the stage on which predictable miracles, synchronistic in nature, can-and do-occur.

The capacity to discover and participate in our unfolding future has more to do with our being-our total orientation of character and consciousness-than with what we do. Leadership is about creating, day by day, a domain in which we and those around us continually deepen our understanding of reality and are able to participate in shaping the future. This, then, is the deeper territory of leadership-collectively ‘listening’ to what is wanting to emerge in the world, and then having the courage to do what is required.‛

- Joseph Jaworski (Synchronicity)In our last issue we said that we’d begin to review how leading thinkers today are re-looking at the concept of leadership. As you consider your own models of leadership and some of the thinking that has influenced you thus far, here are some thoughts for your consideration:

“Leadership is not so much the exercise of power itself as the empowerment of others,‛ and the idea that ‚the leader controls, directs, prods, manipulates‌ is perhaps the most damaging myth of all. The leader must be willing and able to set up reliable mechanisms of feedback so that he cannot only conceptualize the social territory of which he is an important part, but realize how he influences it.‛ (see Concept Caf� below)

- Bennis, Nanus and Slater (as quoted in The Future of Leadership, Jossey-Bass Pg 111)

“One line I liked summed up what I thought about leadership: ‘The people with whom I have been associated have worked harder, enjoyed it more, although not always initially, and in the end, gained increased self-respect and self-confidence from accomplishing more than they previously thought possible.’”

- Jack Welch (Jack pg 84)

‚Yet it is not enough for leaders at the top to forget themselves in their function. That delight, that sense of vocation or passion, must be possible right through the organization. That requires space, space to express oneself in one’s work, space to experiment, space to fail � and enough space to correct the failures before too much damage is done or too many people notice. It won’t be possible to create those spaces in an excessively tidy organization. Elephants have to be loose-limbed if there is to be room for fleas other than at the top.‛

- Charles Handy (A world of Fleas and Elephants)

‚Leadership is defined as anyone who wants to help at the time.‛

- Margaret Wheatley (while in South Africa during November 2001)

The conventional view of leadership emphasizes positional power and conspicuous accomplishment. But true leadership is about creating a domain in which we continually learn and become more capable of participating in our unfolding future. A true leader thus sets the stage on which predictable miracles, synchronistic in nature, can-and do-occur.

The capacity to discover and participate in our unfolding future has more to do with our being-our total orientation of character and consciousness-than with what we do. Leadership is about creating, day by day, a domain in which we and those around us continually deepen our understanding of reality and are able to participate in shaping the future. This, then, is the deeper territory of leadership-collectively ‘listening’ to what is wanting to emerge in the world, and then having the courage to do what is required.‛

- Joseph Jaworski (Synchronicity)

A New Model of Leadership

The 21st century model is all about, collective thought, invitation and relationship. It’s about trust, respect and optimism. It has everything to do with connections, whether they are visible or not, and a fundamental belief that all people, no matter who, can shape their reality and be leaders of, if nothing else, their own destiny.

… Continue Reading

Jack Welch on being CEO

From Jack Welch’s new book, entitled ‘Jack’, we’ve taken exerts from his chapter ‘What this CEO thing is all about.’

… Continue Reading