 It’s easy to sit back and do nothing… but is that good for business?
As the turbulence for business continues, how often do we sit back and ask ourselves whether our business leaders, actually have the foresight, vision, strategic thinking etc required to know where the future lies for organisational success.
But if you are feeling that perhaps some of your leaders don’t, take some comfort, for they are in esteemed company……….
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."
Charles H. Duell, Director of US Patent Office, 1899
"Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote."
Grover Cleveland, 1905
"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"
Harry M. Warner, Warner Bros Pictures, 1927
"There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom."
Robert Miliham, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923
"Heavier than air flying machines are impossible."
Lord Kelvin, President, Royal Society, 1895
"The horse is here today, but the automobile is only a novelty - a fad."
President of Michigan Savings Bank advising against investing in the Ford Motor Company
"Video won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night."
Daryl F. Zanuck, 20th Century Fox, commenting on television in 1946
"What use could the company make of an electric toy?"
Western Union, when it turned down rights to the telephone in 1878
So do any of these particularly amuse or astound you? Hindsight is of course very easy, but are there any things you can do right now to ensure your current leaders don’t make similar mistakes?
I’m sure you have ideas of your own but here are four of mine…..
- Risk assess your directors – who has a closed mind, who doesn’t listen to suggestions, who lacks vision, who mocks those who come up with creative ideas. Who is as a result posing a business risk by inhibiting future success?
- Support – do the ideas people in your business have support or are they usually laughed out of town by those who rely on past precedent for future business success? What can you do to change this?
- Team balance – do you have at least one if not two innovators or creative thinkers on your board or in your senior team? Perhaps over the coming year you need to change the balance of skills and strengths?
- Dinosaur hunt – Is it time to identify and deal with those one or two directors or senior managers who actively hold back change? You might love these people but can you really afford to employ even one dinosaur when life is changing so fast?
Want to bounce any ideas past me…..you know where I am and I always say ‘yes’ to a coffee!!
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