Board Dysfunction
Policy Governance A couple of years ago, I had the great pleasure of attending John and Miriam Carver’s seminar on ‘Policy Governance’. I figured it would not be too many more years before Dr. Carver retired and I wanted very much to hear him in person so I booked a ticket and registered for the […]
The Dangers of Leading a Turnaround
Acceptance There is an old Samurai tradition that admonishes warriors that, before battle, they must “accept their own death.” Only in this acceptance can they be fully present for the battle. Accepting the reality that one might die makes that warrior fearless and thus more likely to survive. The same is true for the would-be […]
The Skills of a Turnaround Artist, Part 3
Primary Skills of a Leader Strategist, Cultural Anthropologist, and Healer. I would argue that these are the top three skills needed by a leader faced with the task of turning around a dysfunctional team, division, or organization. Earlier posts delved into the skills of Strategist and Cultural Anthropologist, now let me turn to the skill […]
The Skills of a Turnaround Artist, Part 2
Cultural Anthropologist The leader who desires to turn around a dysfunctional organization has no easy task. Nicolo Machiavelli was likely not the first observer to note this, but he forever captured the heart of the difficulty when he wrote: “And it ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, […]
The Skills of A Turnaround Artist
Dysfunction For as long as I can remember I have been frustrated by ineffective organizations. My first such memory was around age ten when my family moved and we tried a new church down the street. I didn’t like it. Something about that congregation felt wrong to me. I begged my parents to return to […]