By Mark Dembo
Jim Collins kicked off the World Business Forum today, (over 4000 people attending from 65 countries) discussing the four phases of organizational decline from greatness, while discussing the “antitheses” of these factors. At the heart of his message: becoming great, and sustaining greatness comes down to one thing: Leadership – and that even if you stray from the path, it’s (almost) never too late to turn things around – if you can break away from the hubris and unbridled personal ambition that often derail. A real message of hope – and a welcome start to the conference. In my mind, a great signal that the mood of business is shifting.
One of the key take-aways from his talk was a to-do list – a top-ten list if you will, for surviving and thriving. These are some great take-aways, regardless of rank, title or level in an organization.
1. Do your diagnostics – assess where you are on the “Good to Great” journey – a free tool can be found on his website.
2. Focus on Building pockets of greatness, don't focus on career. If you build those pockets of greatness, career success (and organizational success) will follow.
3. Ask “what percentage of key seats are filled with the right people?” And, “what are your plans to get as close to 100% that you can?”
4. Double your questions to statements ratio.
5. Ask yourself: “How is the world changing and what are the brutal facts?” Do a brutal facts inventory.”
6. Turn off your electronic gadgets - create white space for deep thinking and analysis at least once every two weeks.
7. Decide what to Stop Doing: We can only manage our time - not our work, and what we choose to spend our time on is one of the most important decisions we can make.
8. Make commitment to get inside your own personal hedgehog. Collins talks about finding the “sweet spot” of doing what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at (or “genetically encoded to do”), and that can make a difference in the world.
9. Stop doing "titles" – don’t focus on a “job”, rather focus on responsibilities.
10. Set a “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” for 15-20 years in future based on your “hedgehog.” Focus on being useful, not successful.
Follow our live tweets from the WBF and stay tuned here for more updates on trends and observations over the next two days.
Mark Dembo is a manager for Development Dimensions International (DDI).
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