Last week’s essay promoted the value, perhaps even the necessity, of first dealing with strategic weaknesses, whether in ourselves or in our organizations. To use a familiar metaphor, if there are big holes in the dike, no amount of water coming in will solve the problem. This discussion would not be complete without a look at the other side of the coin – your strengths. Once the strategic weaknesses are resolved, then your strengths can be elevated to their rightful position of influence.

Food for Thought ~

On a personal level, your strengths may be called talents, aptitudes, gifts or skills. On the organizational level, they may be called core competencies, strategic advantages, unique capabilities, or some other term-of-the-month. Whatever you call it, your core strengths are your most valuable and meaningful assets. Whatever you do uncommonly well, that sets you apart, is the source of your greatest potential success. Some people and organizations are very clear about what they do especially well and how to convert that into a viable business advantage. Others are not so clear, and may resort to imitation, price competition, or settling for less than optimal achievements. A thorough and honest self-appraisal or organizational assessment should yield a wealth of information. Customer feedback also can be a great source of insight and opportunities. Find a way to identify your unique, or at least special, strengths and then capitalize on them. They will set you apart and set your course for success. A caveat: a boast, claim, or wishful thinking is not the same as a genuine strategic strength.

Question for the day ~

Have you done a good job of taking stock of your current personal and/or organizational strengths? If so, have you been innovative in capitalizing on those strengths?

A Footnote ~

Kudos to those of you who took to heart last week’s message on strategic weaknesses and had the courage and discipline to conduct a self-assessment and make some changes. Good work!

People are still reading my recent Quarterly Newsletter; and if you haven’t yet had a chance to do so, you can click here.

Mary

Scotland born Robert Louis Stevenson, is perhaps best known as the author of Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I recently came across something Stevenson wrote, and it translates well into good advice for leaders. It’s strong medicine. He said:

“You cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?”

Food for Thought ~

One of the classic components of a comprehensive strategic planning process involves taking stock of your organization’s weaknesses. This requires courage, self-confidence and integrity. I don’t know a business that does not have weaknesses; even so, it takes courage to conduct an honest appraisal of what isn’t going well. Serious problems, unaddressed, can become strategic weaknesses that may prove disastrous. It also takes self-confidence, in oneself as a leader and in the others on your team, to trust that you can do what needs to be done to remedy the problem or correct the weakness. And all of this takes integrity – to look at the issue squarely and take responsibility for the solution, a far cry from finger pointing and blaming. A significant problem is not going to go away by itself. A serious weakness only gets larger and more complicated with time. Hence the wisdom in his advice ~ deal with it, here and now.

Question for the day ~

Have you made a recent analysis of your organization’s weaknesses? Have you used that assessment to find solutions and opportunities for improvement?

A Footnote ~

If you missed my Quarterly Newsletter last week, you can read it here.

Those of us who live in Northern California may also know that Stevenson spent a summer on Mount Saint Helena, near Calistoga, and wrote a fine, short memoir about his experiences called The Silverado Squatters.

Mary

In my post a couple of weeks ago introducing my new article on 25 Universal Principles of Leadership, the phrase that summarizes the essence of that short essay is sustained achievement and success. And within that phrase, the operative word is “sustained.”

Food for Thought ~

We have all seen companies come and go; even what appear to be very successful enterprises can implode, wither, or otherwise fail. There are times when circumstances work against even the most diligent leaders, but there are also many times when organizations seem to lose their sense of discipline and direction. I admire the long-established, successful companies that I see, and I’ve observed that their leaders are able to maintain a steady and effective approach year after year. One of the hallmarks of these organizations is their continuous adherence to solid management and leadership practices. Yes, brilliance and innovation are delightful to behold and can be the stuff of great accomplishments. However, those talents must be skillfully managed and partnered with excellent leadership principles and practices in order for their potential to be realized. This is how organizations achieve sustained success.

Question for the day ~

How are you and your organization doing in your adherence to sound leadership and management principles? Where might you need to “get back to basics?”

A Footnote ~

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to read my article on the 25 Universal Principles of Leadership, please click here.

Mary

Sometimes synchronicity plays a major role in the topics I select for these blog posts; themes seem to “present themselves.” This was one of those times. I have a niece who started college this fall, and her birthday is this week. In the birthday card I sent to her, I wrote about the importance of following our dreams: Our dreams are our deep hopes, wishes, desires and aspirations. They provide us with insight into ourselves and can teach us what we hold dear. They can inspire us to work toward making them come true. With every decision we make every day, we can either go toward or away from our dreams. Just two days later, I was a guest at an intimate birthday party for a dear friend. Around a campfire after dinner, another friend asked the guest of honor about her dreams for the year ahead. After first describing her ambivalence about “admitting her innermost dreams, not knowing whether or not they will come true,” she spoke clearly about her heart’s desire. We were enthralled. She then invited everyone else to talk about their dreams, and a heartfelt, deeply enriching conversation ensued.

Food for Thought ~

In the realm of organizational leadership, the term “vision” is often substituted for the word “dreams.” Around that birthday campfire, our conversation later turned to the strong attraction people have to leaders who are passionately pursuing their dream, their vision. Very often, we may even want to be a part of it, to share in striving toward making the dream come true. An inspiring dream can be profoundly compelling.

Question for the day ~

Do you have a dream, for yourself or your organization? Have you shared your dream with others?

Footnote ~

In a further touch of synchronicity, this quote came my way just today:
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the voice of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They already know what you truly want. Everything else is secondary.”
Steve Jobs

Mary