Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Q. What traits do you think most great leaders have?

A. There are hundreds of traits that great leaders may have. But the essential focus for leadership is not really about attributes. Thinking about leadership traits is a static approach. Instead, think about people continually developing their leadership as a robust and dynamic process. Leaders are creative, questioning, and continually improving their thinking and their actions.

Define some characteristics of leadership and look at how those can be improved over time. Great leaders have a confidante, a trusted advisor that continually teaches, challenges, and encourages them in a safe environment, yet beyond their comfort zone.

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Q. What kind of duties and responsibilities are best left solely in the hands of a leader and not delegated to a subordinate?

A. Here are a few essential duties of a great leader that they cannot delegate. Leaders are accountable for the system (organization) and they can not hold individuals IN the system accountable for the results of the system. This is a huge differentiator that many leaders don’t get—the difference between accountability and responsibility. Leaders are accountable for the results because only they can change the System. They need to work ON the System to improve or transform it if they don’t like the various outputs and measures. Individuals and teams are responsible to contribute to improving the system (and processes) with management.

Leaders also cannot delegate the organization’s transformation. The CEO/President/Owner leads the transformation and cannot delegate that. CEOs of Ford, GM, Xerox, etc. have owned their own transformation—it’s how they saved and turned around their organizations. Transformation is not easy. The thinking is different and difficult, but also essential and satisfying work. Leaders create the culture through showing their leadership and communicating their values, priorities, and focus. Leaders also create the environment where people are self-motivated; that’s where the power is. Leaders don’t motivate people (sometimes they de-motivate them and let “best practices” and management fads creep into their organization. Those can cause internal competition and dysfunctional workplaces.). Leaders develop and invest in their people and grow the business.

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Q. What’s the best way to cultivate a sense of self-awareness in myself as a leader?

A. As we’ve heard many times, “we don’t know what we don’t know.” It starts with what we believe. Many people believe that when they’ve graduated from high school, trade school, or college, they’ve gotten the diploma and they’re “done” with the bulk of their learning.  But their journey of learning is just beginning. They embark into personal lives and careers—and maybe multiple careers over decades and meet leaders (good and bad) who become mentors. Deep learning begins when people want to explore who they are, what they want, and where they’re going. Leadership develops when they begin to ask more questions.  Ask questions about choices, direction, and how they can contribute. How will they be authentic in words and actions?  

Developing leadership (naturally what each person has within themselves) means continual learning, studying, having meaningful conversations, and most importantly asking questions and challenging the status quo. Great leaders don’t blame, judge, and make excuses. They are creative, search for solving problems with others, and see possibilities and opportunities. People have busy days, productive days, days of struggle, and days to reflect. To become more self-aware, listen more, read more, question more, experiment more, and make more of a difference.  In doing these things, you learn more about yourself—and where you need to push out of your own comfort zone to grow.

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Send your leadership and team questions to Marcia Daszko at md@mdaszko.com.  She works with Boards, C-suite leaders and teams to pivot, innovate, accelerate and achieve bold results never before imagined. A provocative keynote & virtual speaker, strategic Deming advisor/consultant for 25+ years, she is the bestselling author of the book “Pivot Disrupt Transform.” www.mdaszko.com

Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Q. How do I hold myself accountable to lead, set good examples, and maintain standards for the people in my organization?

A. Think about what you want to accomplish and what you want your organization to accomplish. The culture and the workplace you create and the way you interact with your employees and customers is a reflection on you. What do you believe, assume, and what do you stand for—intellectually, emotionally, and in action? Do your words and actions match? These are based on your values. You want your values to blossom and be reflected in your organization. Take them from the Me to the We. Identify a few essential values and live them and communicate them every day in words and actions. When there’s a misstep, learn together (don’t blame), and move forward.

Q. As the president and business owner of my company, I sometimes need an objective perspective. How can I find someone who can provide that?

A. People need resources and advisors through life, whether it’s a doctor, teacher, or advisor. Every team needs a coach. Every student needs a teacher. Some systems provide resources like a school coach or teacher. But if you lead an organization or business, you need to find someone who is sincerely committed to guiding and educating you. There are multiple ways to find a knowledgeable resource. A common way is to ask friends and colleagues who you trust for referrals. Another common resource that is growing in popularity because it’s at your finger tips is Linked In. You can search for advisors, reach their profiles, expertise, and testimonials. See common connections you have. Connect with them and have conversations and assess if they have the personality, knowledge and ability to build trust with you. If they are a trusted advisor, they will ask many questions and help you think at a new level. If they both provoke your thinking and make you uncomfortable, yet you feel safe, you may have found the match you need to explore new options and decisions.

Leadership Unites and Partners to Deliver Rare Results

Strange bedfellows have emerged in the past year as the world addressed the pandemic. For example, GM and Ford pivoted their production lines to make ventilators, and beer breweries shifted to produce hand sanitizers.

Pharmaceutical companies around the world began the race to create vaccines to protect society from COVID19 and its variants. Independently, corporations compete to win; they are rivals. First to market, best to market—who will it be?

The pandemic has driven all of the pharma companies around the world to discover vaccines that will be safe and effective.

A Compelling Aim Unites a Collaborative Team

This week we saw the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identify and supply the funding so two typically rival mega-pharma corporations (Merck and Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson company) would collaborate, unite, and support each other. Together they will accelerate the vaccine production needed. Merck did not succeed in discovering their own vaccine, but they are scaling up their manufacturing capacity to deliver millions of vaccine vials for distribution to the people in need.

Leaders Use a Strategic Compass

The Strategic Compass is a powerful inter-dependent strategy tool that can be used to drive toward and accelerate successful results in any or across organizations and industries. The Compass has five interactive parts. It quickly helps leaders to:

• focus and prioritize

• ask and answer the essential questions, and

• communicate to the teams the extraordinary results they need to achieve.

When the compelling aim is clear, great leadership communicates it to the people who can collaborate and deliver. By what method will they achieve the aim? What values will they stand for in action, not just words? Who will they serve and what do those customers/patients/members/students need? How will leaders measure progress and success?

Strategic Compass

Whether an organization has its annual goals to achieve or a global pandemic and crisis is threatening survival of society as we knew it, leaders can focus and address their issues. The Strategic Compass is an imperative guide.

Win-Win-Win

There are times for competition, but there are more compelling opportunities for cooperation and collaborations. Businesses may compete, but during the times they collaborate, we all may win. When the Compelling Aim is enormous and too large for one organization, leaders who merge resources, creativity, and brain power, create more successes. Another example is climate change. It will take millions of people working together to reverse the impact of global climate change.

When you’re faced with challenges and crises, look at the bigger picture to discover the power of Win-Win-Win results. Use your leadership and courage to answer the questions on the Strategic Compass, and optimize (not merely maximize) your results.

Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Send your leadership and team questions to Marcia Daszko at md@mdaszko.com.  She works with Boards, C-suite leaders and teams to pivot, innovate, accelerate and achieve bold results never before imagined. A provocative keynote & virtual speaker, strategic Deming advisor/consultant for 25+ years, she is the bestselling author of the book “Pivot Disrupt Transform.” www.mdaszko.com

Q. When should a team prepare for a crisis? Is it too early to plan for the next crisis, especially when we’re still in the middle of this one?

A. Great leaders, at work and at home, anticipate and consider challenges and how they will respond to them. Whether it’s pilots training to deal with a challenge in flight, families preparing for an earthquake or a hurricane, a driver being aware of the traffic, a company preparing for a pandemic or loss of a major client, people do a variety of crisis planning. Some companies had a plan in case they were ever faced with a pandemic. Did your company have a plan? Those that had one had created it with calm rationality and could quickly adapt it. Others had to rapidly pivot, or they struggled.

Thoughtful leaders at home and at work think ahead. They scan their environment for safety. What might they be faced with?  With your team, what do you need to think about, anticipate, discuss, plan and prepare for? It’s never too late to make a plan. That’s what leaders do. When it’s needed, leaders and their rapid action teams adapt and pivot, and respond. If an unforeseen crisis occurs, teams who have a foundation in leadership thinking, will respond rather than react or freeze in fear.

Q. What signs should a leader look out for that signal that they may not be the right leader for the job anymore or should take a different role in the organization and move aside?

A. It is not uncommon for a founder, owner or executive to move aside as an organization grows, needs to scale, or goes through transitions they have no experience in or are uncomfortable with. The enterprise may be moving and growing at a fast pace, building in complexity, or innovating into new areas of expertise. If executives feel overwhelmed, uncomfortable, fearful, or are micro-managing, they need to assess if they are continuing to find joy and satisfaction in their current position.

There are multiple ways to address this situation. Many young founders have a close mentor(s) such as a supportive CEO, Board Director or a professor who guide and advise them as they navigate and develop. Or an executive may have founded an organization and be passionate about product development, but may not have an affinity for running or growing a business. People have natural leadership within them and each person needs to decide where they can best contribute and feel fulfilled.

Pivotal Leadership: Thoughtful Action

2021 will be a year of thoughtful action for leaders and their teams.

Strong Connections

It means creating a stronger link with:

• Customers

• Collaborative team members

• Partners

• Suppliers

• Your coaches and mentors

Investments Are Essential!

2021 will be a Year of Investment! Invest in:

• Yourself; your self-care, your learning; your time to be humble and grateful;

• Rapidly developing your staff, your teams, your colleagues, and your partners; educate, develop skills, and strengthen their communication and team-building.

• Deeper commitment to communicating in multiple ways to all of your team, in every corner of your operation;

• Your systems and processes! What do you need to do to optimize your System (not maximize!) and quickly improve your processes? The status quo and small improvements are not enough.

• Your infrastructure; build out more foundational systems for scaling growth into the future. The time is now!

Reduce the Built-In Flaws, Complexity, and Waste

Organizations are full of waste (estimating 60-80%.) Ensure that you’re reducing waste and increasing productivity:

•  Conduct a Team Audit. Are your teams all focused to support the Aim of your organization? Are they making progress at the speed you need? If you have too many teams that are struggling, you’re zapping the energy of your resources. Focus on a few, and disband those that are unproductive.

• Post-pandemic planning and 2021 Strategic planning are different. Are you ready to implement both—at the speed that you will need?

• Teams are burning out, zooming hour after hour (executives, managers, and employees) are exhausted, and often are too afraid to speak up. I’ve developed new team education, processes, and policies that can increase your meeting time productivity and reduce the time in meetings by 40 to 60%. Help your teams!

6 Executives Use Pivotal Leadership: Pivot, a Powerful Business Strategy

In December, Managing Editor Josh Moss of the Silicon Valley Business Journal invited me to write the cover article for a January issue. We chose Pivotal Leadership as the topic so we could explore and share what pivots executives had made in 2020—and why pivots need to continually emerge for healthy organizations.

If you question how to pivot, to rapidly move your teams and organization forward faster, to capture new markets, and to make a difference with stellar customer experiences, contact us today at md@mdaszko.com. We can help you assess where your barriers are to pivoting and innovating and how to remove them, and achieve rapid growth you never before imagined!

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THE POWER TO PIVOT IN 2021:

Pivotal leadership — the ability to transform challenging crises into bold solutions and a new future — is essential.

The challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic demanded unprecedented responses last year that few leaders had ever had to make. Across all sectors, leaders faced new dilemmas on an hourly or daily basis.

Pivotal leadership — the ability of leaders to pivot and adapt as their world is disrupting around them — is essential. What does it really mean?

“Pivot” means to make a fundamental, often abrupt and rapid change in direction.

Leaders had to take the essential step to pivot in 2020, to either survive or thrive, and they’ll have to keep doing it this year.

As Covid hit, some executives immediately closed their companies and furloughed their employees. Others adopted a “wait and see” stance, assuming the pandemic would end soon.

But pivotal leaders quickly assessed the situation, sensed what their constituents needed, and responded. They gathered rapid action teams, brainstormed ideas, and created solutions. They designed, focused and applied on the move.

Pivoting takes vision, rapid decision-making, and ubiquitous communication. It’s a commitment to experiment and take immediate action. Time is of the essence!

Leaders who pivot have a compelling, focused aim, and a solid foundation of management thinking to draw from.

We saw auto manufacturers GM and Ford pivot and produce 100,000-plus ventilators for hospitals. Distilleries made hand sanitizers. Luxury clothing manufacturers produced PPE gowns and masks. Schools pivoted to virtual learning, healthcare to telemedicine, and millions began working remotely.

Why pivot? Current needs aren’t being met. The status quo doesn’t work. Leaders see a need and boldly jump into action.

People who continually generate the most creative ideas are the most resilient and likely to pivot, survive and thrive.

I reached out to several executives to find out more about the challenges they faced early on in the pandemic and how they applied pivotal leadership to adapt their organizations. Here are their stories.

Healthcare

“We’re doing things we’ve never done before,” said Chris Boyd, a senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente, who led Kaiser’s Santa Clara facility when Covid-19 first hit. “For healthcare the pandemic got very real, very quickly.”

Immediately, the leaders at Kaiser identified its needs: Safety, personal protective equipment, a command center, and accelerated and widely dispersed communication.

“At first, the projections were so dire, but we succeeded in doubling the capacity of the hospital,” Boyd said. “By the second surge, we were well prepared.

“Communication was crucial, and it had to be different for everyone. We did video visits with patients to video broadcasts to employees, but we also needed contact with others who were not at a computer. Executives took a beverage/snack cart and visited staff to address their fears.”

Great leaders are always pivoting, creating, innovating — finding new solutions and markets. They see a crisis or amazing possibilities and bold opportunities.

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Serial entrepreneur Toby Corey founded GetVirtual in March 2020. The Santa Cruz-based organization connects small businesses affected by Covid-19 to tech-savvy university students who could help pivot the businesses online with digital tools.

TOBY COREY

Social entrepreneurship

In March 2020, serial entrepreneur Toby Corey founded GetVirtual.

The Santa Cruz-based organization connects small businesses affected by Covid-19 to tech-savvy university students who could help pivot the businesses online with digital tools. Students receive college credits from partnering universities (it started at U.C. Santa Cruz and has spread to other Bay Area universities), invaluable experience in entrepreneurship, and an opportunity to give back to the community.

“The need is extraordinary. Everything is a process,” Corey said. “There are already 100 students working with 100 small businesses. The students want to be social entrepreneurs, be intellectually curious, and experiment.”

Corey said that altruism is important and that Generation Z is especially altruistic.

“Modern thinking is mindful,” he said. “It’s paying it forward; we’re doing that. We inspire greatness, disruption and innovation.”

The mindset of leaders who are able to pivot are focused on growth, the future, and meeting new needs with bold solutions.

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Kavitha Mariappan, Zscaler executive vice president, customer experience and transformation.

SCOTT R. KLINE

Cybersecurity

Leaders pivoted for the safety of their employees, contractors and customers, locally and globally. For Zscaler — a San Jose cloud security company that became 2018’s biggest Nasdaq tech debut — that meant also dealing with a new level of security.

“One pivot has been the rapid, higher-level emergence of IT for business continuity. IT has been a savior,” said Kavitha Mariappan, Zscaler’s executive vice president, customer experience and transformation. “Preventing disruptions, addressing threat activities (the Zscaler cloud processes 140 billion transactions per day), being resilient, and innovating are what we do to protect the ‘crown jewels’ and protect our customers.

“We talk to our customers about transformation, and pivoting is critical, for security, safety and scaling for the future,” she said. “The pandemic was a true test in leadership authenticity and empathy. It’s a time of growth. We accelerated our initiatives and invested more in our people, infrastructure, and customers. We have a ‘rest and recharge day,’ a day to take a break. We’re anticipating, ‘What does re-entry to the office look like?’”

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Executive Briefing Centers

The conferences and trade show sectors, as well as travel and hospitality industries, were impacted or devastated in 2020. The initial impact on global executive briefing centers where sales teams meet with customers was also felt.

Elizabeth Simpson, president of the Association of Briefing Program Managers, reported how rapidly her 600 business members pivoted with each other.

“It was a tsunami of sharing,” she said. “Members immediately asked for resources to go virtual. We didn’t have them, but two members responded with help for the whole community.”

She continued, “One of our members, Pam Evans, senior director of the Executive Briefing Programs at Palo Alto Networks, made a powerful pivot with her team. She met with the VP of sales to say, ‘We’re open for business. We can take care of our customers virtually.’”

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Bob Linscheid, the new CEO of the Silicon Valley Organization, is the past president/CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, as well as CEO of Linscheid Enterprises Inc.

TOMAS OVALLE/ SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Business advocacy

Bob Linscheid joined the Silicon Valley Organization last fall to help the wounded organization get on a new path forward.

After an internal upset caused the previous CEO to resign, Linscheid was tapped to be interim president and CEO. He said he is ready to make a pivot that heals the 133-year-old organization.

“My job is to find the SVO’s path to reconciliation. As the No. 1 most innovative city in the U.S., San Jose is expressing its needs.” Linscheid said. “I’m doing a massive amount of listening to 1,200 diverse members’ voices and processing a lot of information. We have problems to solve, and we’ll be stronger as a group to make a difference. Great leaders hang out in uncertainty, but will be the most innovative.”

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San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan with linebacker Isa'ako Togia at CEFCU Stadium.

TOMAS OVALLE

Sports

From his first day four years ago, Brent Brennan, San Jose State University’s head football coach, began a holistic approach to develop the young men on the team.

In his first two years, the Spartans won just three games. This season, he took the team to the Mountain West Conference championship and won — something that hadn’t been done in nearly 30 years.

With 110 players, Coach Brennan defined success by many measures, not just on the scoreboard. They focus on academics, health, training, and engaging with the campus and community. The team supports other athletic events, delivers dinner kits, and visits schoolchildren.

“Football is the best sport to learn about systems and holistic thinking. The game is a good training ground to pivot. It’s the process, the struggle. The players need to lean on each other. The pieces come together,” Brennan said. “The mindset is (to) keep moving forward: Go to class, get stronger, make good choices, contribute to the community, deal with setbacks together. Their pivotal growth as a team came when they each started caring more about each other and giving to the team. They are more connected.”

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2021 pivots

What do you anticipate in 2021? Are you ready to pivot at the speed you will need? What leadership strategies and creativity do you need? Have you assessed your ability to lead and done your pivot audit for 2021? It will not be business as usual.

Pivoting means that leaders will transform and go where they never before imagined!

Marcia Daszko has been working with senior executives for more than 25 years. She guides leaders to pivot to survive, rapidly scale, and achieve bold results. The bestselling author of “Pivot, Disrupt, Transform,” she serves on various boards and has taught MBA classes at six universities. Contact her at md@mdaszko.com.

TOMAS OVALLE/ SILICON VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Pivotal Leadership for 2021

The challenges caused by the 2020 pandemic demanded unprecedented responses that few leaders had ever had to make. Across all sectors leaders from business to healthcare to education to non-profits, faced new dilemmas on an hourly or daily basis.

 Pivotal leadership--the ability of leaders to pivot and adapt as their world is disrupting around them--is essential. What does it really mean?

Pivot means to make a fundamental, often abrupt, and rapid change in direction.

 Pivoting is essential to survive or thrive. Leaders had to pivot in 2020 and will continue in 2021.

 Some executives immediately closed their companies and furloughed their employees. Others adopted a “wait and see” stance, assuming the pandemic would end soon.

 But pivotal leaders quickly assessed the situation, sensed what their constituents needed, and responded! They gathered rapid action teams, brainstormed ideas, and quickly created solutions. They designed, focused, and applied on the move! 

 Pivoting takes vision, rapid decision-making, and ubiquitous communication. It’s a commitment to experiment and take immediate action. Time is of the essence!

 Leaders who pivot have a compelling, focused aim and a solid foundation of management thinking to draw from.

 We saw auto manufacturers GM and Ford pivot and produce 100,000-plus ventilators for hospitals. Beer distilleries made hand sanitizers. Luxury clothing manufacturers produced PPE gowns and masks. Schools pivoted to virtual learning, healthcare to telemedicine, and millions began working remote.

Why pivot? Current needs aren’t being met. The status quo doesn’t work. Leaders see a need and boldly jump into action.

 People who continually generate the most creative ideas are the most resilient and likely to pivot, survive, and thrive.

 Pivots Drive Transformation in Healthcare

As with any pivot, Chris Boyd, senior vice president & area manager at Kaiser Permanente, Santa Clara said, “We’re doing things we’ve never done before! For healthcare the pandemic got very real very quickly.” 

 Immediately the leaders at Kaiser identified its needs: safety; PPE; a Command Center; and accelerated and widely dispersed communication.

“At first the projections were so dire, but we succeeded in doubling the capacity of the hospital,” Boyd said. “By the second surge, we were well prepared.”

“Communication was crucial, and it had to be different for everyone. We did video visits with patients to video broadcasts to employees, but we also needed contact with others who were not at a computer.  Executives took a beverage/snack cart and visited staff to address their fears.”

Great leaders are always pivoting, creating, innovating—new solutions and markets! They see a crisis or amazing possibilities and bold opportunities.

Pivot to Social Entrepreneurship and Survival

In March 2020, serial entrepreneur Toby Corey (US Web founder, Solarcity, Tesla) founded GetVirtual.  The Santa Cruz-based organization connects small businesses affected by Covid-19 to tech-savvy university students who could help pivot the businesses online with digital tools. Students receive college credits from partnering universities (it started at UC-Santa Cruz), invaluable experience in entrepreneurship, and an opportunity to give back to the community.

 “The need is extraordinary. Everything is a process,” Corey said.  “There are already 100 students working with 100 small businesses. The students want to be social entrepreneurs. Be intellectually curious and experiment. Altruism is important. Generation Z is very altruistic. Modern thinking is mindful. It’s paying it forward; we’re doing that. We inspire greatness, disruption, and innovation.”

 The mindset of leaders who are able to pivot are focused on growth, the future, and meeting new needs with bold solutions.

IT Pivots As Saviors for Business Continuity

Leaders pivoted for the safety of their employees, contractors, and customers locally and globally. For cloud security company Zscaler, that meant also dealing with a new level of security. “One pivot has been the rapid, higher-level emergence of IT for the business continuity. IT has been a savior,” Kavitha Mariappan, executive vice president, customer experience and transformation, said. “Preventing disruptions, addressing threat activities (100 billion per day), being resilient, and innovating are what we do to protect the ‘crown jewels’ and protect our customers.”

 “We talk to our customers about transformation, and pivoting is critical, for security, safety and scaling for the future. The pandemic was a true test in leadership authenticity and empathy. It’s a time of growth. We accelerated our initiatives and invested more in our people, infrastructure, and customers. We have a ‘rest and recharge day,’ a day to take a break. We’re anticipating, ‘What does re-entry to the office look like?’” 

 Executive Briefing Centers (EBCs) Go Virtual

Industries such conferences, trade shows, travel and hospitality were impacted or devastated in 2020. The initial impact on global executive briefing centers where sales teams meet with customers was also felt.

 Elizabeth Simpson, president of the Association of Briefing Program Managers, reported how rapidly her 600 business members pivoted with each other, “It was a tsunami of sharing! Members immediately asked for resources to go virtual. We didn’t have them, but two members responded with help for the whole community!” She continued, “One of our members, Pam Evans, senior director of the Executive Briefing Programs at Palo Alto Networks, made a powerful pivot with her team. She met with the VP of Sales to say, “We’re open for business. We can take care of our customers virtually.”

 Pivot to Healing and Innovation

Interim President & CEO Bob Linscheid joined the Silicon Valley Organization (SLO) to help the wounded organization get on a new path forward. After an internal upset caused the previous CEO to resign, Linscheid is ready to make a pivot that heals. He is listening to the 1200 diverse voices of the members in the 133-year-old organization.

 “My job is to find the SLO’s path to reconciliation. As the No. 1 most innovative city in the U.S., San Jose is expressing its needs.” Linscheid said. “I’m doing a massive amount of listening to 1,200 diverse members’ voices and processing a lot of information. We have problems to solve, and we’ll be stronger as a group to make a difference. Great leaders hang out in uncertainty, but will be the most innovative.”

 Pivoting a Football Team

From his first day four years ago, Brent Brennan, San Jose State University head football coach began a holistic approach to develop the young men on the team. In December 2020 they won the Mountain West Championship (for the first time since 1991.)

 With 110 players, Coach Brennan defined success by many measures, not just on the scoreboard. They focus on academics, health, training, and engaging with the campus and community. The team supports other athletic events; delivers dinner kits, and visits schoolchildren.

 “Football is the best sport to learn about systems and holistic thinking. The game is a good training ground to pivot. It’s the process, the struggle. The players need to lean on each other.  The pieces come together. The mindset is keep moving forward: go to class, get stronger, make good choices, contribute to the community, deal with setbacks together. Their pivotal growth as a team came when they each started caring more about each other and giving to the team. They are more connected.”

 2021 Pivots

What do you anticipate in 2021? Are you ready to pivot at the speed you will need?  What leadership strategies and creativity do you need? Have you assessed your ability to lead and done your Pivot audit for 2021? It will not be business as usual.

Pivoting means that leaders will transform and go where they never before imagined!

Marcia's Leadership Q&A

Send your leadership and team questions to Marcia Daszko at md@mdaszko.com.  She works with Boards, C-suite leaders and teams to pivot, innovate, accelerate and achieve bold results never before imagined. A provocative keynote & virtual speaker, strategic Deming advisor/consultant for 25+ years, she is the bestselling author of the book “Pivot Disrupt Transform.” www.mdaszko.com

Q. What are some of the issues executives need to address in 2021?

A. Issues that challenge executives are the health of the business: identifying their priorities and planning how they will achieve their goals. These topics demand a high level of interactive communication, decision-making, and delegating with clarity. Smart leaders will keep high-touch with their customers and employees, too. As one of my favorite quotes goes, “Everything we do, we do through people.” Don Petersen, retired CEO, Ford Motor. The pandemic has required people to adjust, but it also has taken a toll on people from computer fatigue, reduced in-person people interaction, fluctuating productivity, and unhealthy boundaries at home or at work. These all impact morale, retention, and employee engagement.

Great leaders will invest more in their people in 2021 in various ways. They will offer more personal development opportunities and classes that support their teams. They’ll invest so employees can purchase what they need to have a better working environment. They will be creative and engage employees in interactive, robust exercises on-line. Some organizations have announced No Meeting days so people can regenerate, take some time to re-energize in their own way, or have some quiet time to get their work done without interruptions. There are many possibilities.

Q. We’ve never experienced this kind of upheaval that has impacted society across all sectors. How will we rebound and operate post-pandemic?

A. We’ll rebound well, the more we believe we can do it together. It will be tough work! And here is a lot of tough work to do—the work that was happening when the pandemic hit and got sidelined (like other medical research.) It means every individual must think about taking responsibility for him/her/self and some responsibility for their neighbors and community. Thankfully, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Three corporations have announced the development of vaccines with higher than 90% safety in their clinical trials, and the FDA will confirm that within weeks. A military general with a specialty in logistics will lead the roll out of the vaccine distribution plan.

As Alan Weiss commented in his weekly Morning Memo (Nov. 23, 2020): “If we can do this in the face of serious illness and deaths, sheltering and lockdowns, isolation and shortages, we can certainly fix our infrastructure, improve our schools, provide quality healthcare to all, and develop an intelligent immigration policy.” Our work continues as we need to transform broken systems. The question is, what leadership foundation, thinking, and plan will you have in place for 2021 and post-pandemic? The time is NOW to do your strategic thinking and planning. Time is of the essence! If your sense of urgency is a “wait and see” attitude, you’ll be struggling in 2021, not leading. It’s a choice!

Preparing for 2021 uncertainty

Ask Marcia: Leadership Q&A

November 2020

Q. If 2021 is another year of uncertainty (and it will take time to get us past the impact of the pandemic and the economic hit), how can we best prepare?

A. Get your team very focused on the business (or parts of the business) that best makes a difference to your customers. Let other projects that don’t add value fall by the wayside until you have the resources to pursue those. Second, together have conversations with your staff regularly about ways to improve the business. Bring problems to the teams and have everyone contribute to solving the problems. They’ll feel more engaged when they contribute and during challenging times, and the company can use all of the ideas it can get!

Q. How can we reduce the fears that people have about the rest of this year and 2021?

A. Identify what those fears are. Share them.  While there is uncertainty about the future, there’s always uncertainty.  It’s just at varying degrees. Together brainstorm and discuss what you do know! You’ll find that that list is long. From that foundation, you can plan the actions you will take. More productivity will emerge from having control of what you do know. Then you can anticipate and consider your options. The more you communicate effectively (short, focused, action-item meetings), the greater difference you can make Together.

GET IN TOUCH

Marcia answers leadership questions - how to keep in touch and stay focused

Marcia answers leadership questions

October 2020

Q. My team feels disconnected from our customers. What are people best doing to keep in touch?

A. It’s fascinating during these times when communication is paramount that some customers feel that their vendors and partners have disappeared. Others find that they are in constant contact and well-supported. During these first eight months of chaos, teams either stepped up, assessed the new situations, and pivoted to meet customers’ needs, or they hunkered down.

We’re more than eight months into this pandemic. Organizations need to pivot and escalate to meet clients’ or a new market’s needs rapidly. Communicating frequently with various methods (calls, emails, text message, newsletters, Zoom meetings, webinars) are all possible. Use a variety and see what works best for your customers.

Q. With so many issues bombarding my executive team and our project teams, how do we decide where to focus?

A. Being able to prioritize and focus is a path to developing great leadership. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur with a long To Do list, or you’re managing 10, 100, or 1000 people, there are only 24 hours in a day and only a few issues you can focus on. To decide what to prioritize and where to focus your time and your organization’s time, start with your Aim and its link to your Customers. What are you trying to accomplish to serve your customers? That’s where you begin.

Make time to listen to your customers. Start everyday with that focus. Read their e-mails and talk to them. If you spend several hours a day focused on communicating with customers and then planning with your team how to deliver what they need, the clarity of how to lead your people and manage your business should become very clear. Then step back and think, Will this take us into the future? What’s your vision in the short and the longer term?

GET IN TOUCH

Have a great week!

Marcia answers leadership questions

Marcia answers leadership questions

October 2020

Q. Our society is full of opposites, and it overflows into the workplace. It has resulted into people withholding information, competition, and lack of collaboration. How do we unify our team?

A. Fear drives people to take an emotional stance. Often people go in opposite directions based on their reactions and perspectives. Your role as the leader is to unite people with a unifying purpose. People split apart when they focus on either what they may lose or what they most hope for. You can create harmony by bringing the extreme factions together. Begin by acknowledging the perspectives of all of the people. They are both right as individuals, but they need to act as a team. Understand that now the team is looking at either/or, good/bad, or win/lose perspectives.

Leaders pivot and refocus the team on the issues that they care about and need to accomplish together—what are the problems that need to be solved? Together they need to work to find the answers. They need to also agree on who they are serving. When the people can work together, they can optimize the system and the results they need to achieve. Optimization is key and leads to improvement, innovation, and transformation.

Q. Some of my employees are adapting to the changes in their lives to stay inside during the pandemic and due to the West Coast wildfires and air quality. Other employees are still struggling, overwhelmed, and stressed. We continue to be supportive. What else can we do?

A. Different people will pivot and find the opportunities during the crises that they face. They will make the adjustments in work or home that work for them. Those who struggle may put too many expectations and pressure on themselves. To support your team more, discuss with them what challenges they face.

Understand their workload and make sure they take breaks through the day and have the resources they need. Help them prioritize, and have a beginning and end to their day with distinct boundaries. Teams may want to achieve perfection. Reassure them that finding success, happiness, and customer satisfaction emerges from their happiness and the control they have. Keep them focused on what they control, and let go of what they don’t control or uncertainty.

GET IN TOUCH

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Marcia joins The Drop in CEO podcast

Marcia joins Deborah Coviello on the The Drop In CEO podcast. They discuss the difference between motivating vs. helping emerging leaders self-motivate, redefining outcomes, and the value of making education fun.

You’ll learn why leadership complicates the message of service. Marcia will share tips on how to make simple changes in order to help team members understand and align with the organizational mission.

Start listening

Navigating through these times

Email newsletter - September 15, 2020

Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Marcia answers leaders’ questions. Send your questions to md@mdaszko.com.

Q. Our company is offering a few long-term team members an opportunity to take a sabbatical for 2-3 months. I’m excited but anxious! How do I prepare?

A. Embrace this opportunity! The more you mentally and physically prepare, the deeper your emotional experience can be. A sabbatical is a dedicated time (generally 2 to 12 months) to pivot. Go in a new direction where you focus your energy, time, interests and create a new purpose. It’s time to enrich yourself, achieve new goals, learn new skills, travel, volunteer in a foreign country, write a book, or hundreds of other pursuits.

The choice is yours. It’s a time to focus and create a new opportunity. Examine a deep passion you have. Logistically to prepare, plan where you will take your sabbatical—in the den or across the world. Preparing your living arrangements, finances, family and friends’ interaction, all need to be considered and addressed. Think about how your work will get done while you are gone and how you will re-enter with your team. Think about the end of the sabbatical: what is your vision? If you begin with a few ideas and also leave some open space for new possibilities, you’ll get more out of your time away.

Q. I hear about people spending all day in meetings, on Zoom calls and in webinars. Who has time for those? We’re swamped trying to keep up with our business and meet our customers’ deadlines.

A. Some companies are scrambling to keep their businesses open, doing deliveries, pivoting the way they do business. Every moment is reacting, responding, and following their processes. They may take little time to plan, improve, learn, or develop new skills.

It’s challenging, but the organizations that navigate through crises do take the time to plan, strategize, communicate with each other, listen to customers, and invest in some new training or learning—even if it is only one hour a week. People need to develop new skills together. They need to feel progress and forward movement. Ask periodically, “what can we improve?” Then apply those ideas. Over time, the work flows better and better.

Take these 5 steps to diffuse stress

Email newsletter - September 8, 2020

Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Marcia answers leaders’ questions. Send your questions to md@mdaszko.com.

Q. The past six months has been overwhelming, and I feel like I’m sitting on a powder keg of stress at home and at work. I’m going through the motions to do what needs to get done. How can I diffuse my stress?

A. You’ve taken Step One—you are aware that you are holding your stress inside. There are multiple and quick ways to release the stress and get you to a healthier place mentally and physically. There are also many resources (articles, books, music) to support you.

Step Two is to make a mental decision to make changes. Commitment is essential. If you want different results, you must take different actions.

Step Three is to make a list of ways that you can try to take care of yourself and diffuse the stress. You might feel that time and personal space is in short supply (and it is), but everyone has 24 hours in a day. Think about your ideal day and work toward that.

Carve out time during your day for three deep breaths (in through the nose for 4 seconds, out through the mouth for 5+ seconds; you can do this in the shower or when you’re driving.) Take a few minutes at the beginning and end of the day and think about or better, write down what you are grateful for (it might take one to ten minutes.) If writing is an outlet for you, keep writing and let your ideas flow.

Step Four is to take your list of activities and schedule them. Alone or with family, schedule time to eat (not at your desk), take a walk preferably with nature, read (to a child), choose one of your hobbies and sports and do it. Self-care with sleep, healthy eating, and exercise are your foundation. 

Step Five is ask for help: a partner, a colleague, a neighbor, a friend. If you need a free hour or evening, ask for help so you get some space. Then offer to help someone else.  Build your support community at home and at work. Be creative. The more you adapt to challenges, the easier life flows.

Q. My team is in slow motion. What do I do to motivate them?

A. First, there is a decades-old assumption that you can motivate others! Leaders don’t motivate others. Leaders create the environment where people are self-motivated! Repeat that! That’s where the power is! Managers may try to motivate people with fear, incentives, quotas—and it may work for the short term, but it’s not healthy or sustainable. If your team is slow, assess your own leadership.

How do you inspire, teach, develop, give them challenging work, show respect, and give gratitude? If you want your team to hasten their pace, are you clear about the purpose of the work? Do you continually communicate with the team and ask them what ideas they have to improve the work and connection with the customer? Are you creating the workplace where people can learn and work TOGETHER? If you have departments and silos and they don’t communicate, you’re on your way out of business. It’s time to pivot your thinking and your leadership. Action starts with you, in leadership.

Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Email newsletter - August 13, 2020

Marcia answers leaders’ questions. Send your questions to md@mdaszko.com.

Q. We thought the pandemic meant we’d be at home one or two months. Our company has now said we can work remote into 2021. How do we pivot and think about being home long-term?

A. Life is a perpetual pivot. It helps if we adopt that thinking. We are always adapting to changes in life, so it’s great to look ahead and prepare for the changes you know about. You’ve probably been adapting over the months, from working in bed in your sweats to creating a comfortable workspace with better lighting, seating, computer set-up, plants and pictures.

Think of your work style and your environment. What can you enhance to make it more effective for you? What do you want to upgrade? What will be some of your future needs? It’s helpful if you keep some variety in your setting.

Build in some of your routines (start time, ending time, break away from your office and do a 30-minute lunch and walk or yoga class.) Then build in some variety every day to keep you fresh. Connect with someone you haven’t talked to for a while. Make a plan for the week-end and mix up the activities. The key to being resilient and productive is to not get into a rut; be creative! Do at least one new thing a week!

Q. I’m working independently with occasional connections with my team. How do I continue to be productive?

A. Productivity begins with clarity about what you need to achieve, how you will accomplish your tasks, and what resources and support you need to be successful. You and your team can initially make your Plan about what you want to accomplish and who will do what. Identify the timeframe and expectations. Communication that is effective for all of the team members will help remove barriers and allow the team to feel supported. Identify your needs and ask how you can support others.

As you do your work, have a Plan for your day and build in some structure as well as some flexible and break times. Remove distractions. Tackle the harder tasks first while you have energy and also have time to reach out to other team members if you need help or questions answered. When the “must-do” priorities are done, assess your progress, what can you adjust and improve in the future, and reflect on the learning and contributions you’re making. Communicate with your team for fun, for progress, to plan, and to celebrate progress and results.

Tips for effective communication

Email newsletter - July 30, 2020

Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Marcia answers leaders’ questions. Send your questions to md@mdaszko.com.

Q. After more than five months of remote work, some of our virtual teams are feeling exhausted. How can we revive all of us?

A. Zoom fatigue (from any platform) has become an unexpected side effect of remote work. There are countermeasures team members can take to monitor and reduce the fatigue or stress. It also means that you have to implement the tips for reducing the fatigue, not just think about it or think that it sounds like a good idea. It means having healthy boundaries for yourself.

Here are a few tips! See what works best for you. Before getting on a Zoom call, take a few minutes to prepare yourself. Get a beverage, go to the restroom, and do some breathing exercises (simply do deep inhales through your nose and long exhales out your mouth) several times. If you’re leading the meeting, prepare an agenda and do a quick review of it as you begin Start with a focused warm-up. You might ask for people to describe in two words how their week-end was or how they feel today. If you ask an open-ended question such as, “How are you or how was your holiday?” you might be 30 minutes into the meeting time before that stops. Instead, schedule a time for a luncheon or Happy Hour for the team or employees to join if they choose.

Another tip is to schedule meeting for 50 minutes, not 60 minutes so you have breaks and meetings aren’t back-to-back. Then people can refresh, summarize notes, or prep for a few minutes for the next meeting.

Throughout the day schedule breaks for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour. Get up and move away from the computer. Change the scenery by going to a different room or go for a walk around your yard or around the block. With even 30 minutes, you may be able to take a short drive.

Periodically, give your eyes a rest by looking away from the screen.  Blink more often. Look across the room; look outside and to the horizon. Take a nap for 15 minutes or at lunchtime to refresh. The most important thing is to take breaks, walk around, do some self-care, exercise, and change your scenery. If you tend to sit at your computer and be on calls four to sight to ten hours a day, this will be a major, but much needed pivot for team members.

Q. Great communication is essential, but especially while we’re working remotely. What are some important ways we can keep improving our communication?

A. At the beginning of every meeting or interaction (by phone, virtual platform, or socially distant in-person), be clear about your aim. What do you need to accomplish together? What help do you need? What problem are you trying to solve? Many people assume these answers, but the reality is that often people are unclear about the direction the company is going, what the team needs to do, or what’s expected.

Communicating purpose saves so much time! It allows for better productivity and great worker satisfaction. Clarity allows workers how best they can contribute. When people understand what to do, why they’re doing it, and then can create together the solutions, work, information, and communication can flow. People excel when they can ask questions, discuss options, look at data in context, and make decisions to apply. Through these times, making a difference and experiencing personal satisfaction to help others contributes to more open, healthy communication. Ask questions, listen, laugh, share, include people, be creative! There are so many ways to communicate!

Marcia’s Leadership Q&A

Email newsletter - June 30, 2020

Marcia answers leaders’ questions. Send your questions to md@mdaszko.com .

Q: During this time of uncertainty, we have been able to keep all of the employees. A few left to move or retire. I’ve been transparent about the unknown future, but as sales fluctuate, how can we approach keeping our employees if we can?

A: Cash flow is paramount for organizations. But this is also the time to examine your leadership and your culture. Based on those, leaders have choices to make. Some companies reacted and laid off employees immediately. Some companies put their employees’ well-being first and closed down quickly to keep their staff safe. Financially some have no-layoff policies and financially ensure their employees stability. After looking at many factors, leaders make decisions about how to keep the operation sustainable.

Some owners will suffer in the short-term to ensure the company survives. For example, sales may be slow now. But if business comes back in three, six or twelve months, managers do not want to lose staff that they have invested in. Some companies have cash reserve. Others have only enough for a month or two. Does it make sense to borrow? Have you applied for the government funding? If it looks like your business will survive but be temporarily doing less work, think about where you make investments. Gather the people together to learn and work together. Get ready to re-open. What needs to be different?

Q: We’re able to keep our employees in 2020, but we don’t have a lot for them to do since our customers are on hold. How should we use this time?

A: You’re very fortunate. Think ahead to 2021. Assess the reality of where you are today. Then gather the managers, your teams, or the most creative people in the company together. Lay out the issues, and ask the question, “How can we revive, thrive, and survive in 2021?” Put them in groups across the company (not by department) because people will speak up more easily. Have a few sessions.

Encourage people to share ideas, and let them be as wild as can be! A wild idea from Sandra may not work, but may lead Brian to think of an even wilder idea that can work! What does your company see as needs of your customers? What do they see as needs outside of your current customer base that you could meet? Create a new market. What are problems your company can solve? Get people working together.

Q: Next month, we may need to cut costs or furlough people. How do we do this?

A: If cuts need to be made, who can participate in those decisions? Depending on the size of the company or department, there may be options. Perhaps everyone can take a 20% pay cut and executives can take 40%. Can people take their vacation now? Are there people who want to go part-time? If there is no work that you typically do, can you use this time to invest in classes, train employees with more skills, or coach teams to prepare for the future? Can cleaning, re-organizing, repair work, painting, or redesigning the offices be done now? There might be another company that is booming. Can your employees go help out that company during their surge in business? Keep looking for options. If you have to do layoffs, can you or another profitable company support your workers to volunteer in the community? Keep being creative!

Dynamic podcast with InsightOut host: Billy Samoa Saleebey

It was a deeply moving experience to share ideas with Billy Saleebey about how to pivot leadership and organizations to thrive. Have a listen and explore your thinking about these provocative ideas. Enjoy!

• Apple: https://apple.co/3i3Hcx9

• Spotify: https://spoti.fi/388sfoP

• Google:  https://bit.ly/2YAWgdR

YOUR INFLUENCE IS UNKNOWN—YOU MAY NEVER KNOW!

Email newsletter - June 23, 2020

A SURPRISE CALL

One of my closest friends, Jill from Minnesota called me this week.  Before I barely said hello, she was already talking to me, “Marcia, I didn’t think I’d like your book. I don’t really read those kinds of books (non-fiction, business, leadership?) But I LOVE your book. It’s like it was written yesterday! You’re talking about things that are real, that we’re facing like the riots and things I face in work and life! I love the stories already.” After a few minutes, she said she had to go; she wanted to continue reading.

THANKS, JILL FOR SHARING AND ENJOY!

YOUR INFLUENCE IS UNKNOWN—YOU MAY NEVER KNOW!

You can make a difference and have an impact. Most of the time you do the best you can. Others do, too! 

It may be rare that by one moment of kindness, one kind comment of encouragement, one thank you, one hand-written card, you can positively influence someone’s career, direction, or life.

In challenging times, the support you can give that takes one minute can be meaningful for a lifetime to someone else.

Remember the time when:

• You asked someone’s advice and then did something amazing with it?

• A teacher or coach encouraged you, and it helped?

• Your coach complimented you on your teamwork or efforts?

• A mentor asked you questions and you discovered your passion?

• Your friend referred you to someone who helped you?

• Your parent had your back?

Remember to appreciate and encourage a child rather than criticize and put them down.

Remember to give the space to others so they can do some self-care (time for a nap, exercise, read, journal, daydream.)

Remember to make a phone call and spend time with those who you take for granted.

What Pivots Can Inspire You?

Email newsletter - May 27, 2020

Our lives are not what they were two months ago. Some have lost jobs, businesses and their routines. Some have worked harder and longer hours to help others live or make progress. There’s wide variation in our experiences. 

Everyone has shared some kind of pivot. Whether at work, at school, at home, without friends and entertainment, there have been different experiences.

What is a pivot? It means we make a fundamental, often abrupt and rapid change in direction.

A pivot is thrust upon us when it’s necessary, for example in the case of the COVID19. The only counter-measure for a pandemic is physical distancing.

In various organizations or industries, the leaders choose to pivot when they need to survive or when they want to pursue new opportunities.

Variety of Pivots

There are multiple types of pivots: service, product, business models, systems and processes, etc.

Who Pivots?

People are capable of pivoting. Leaders guide a pivot. Some people resist a pivot. They don’t like change and like the status quo, whether it’s been good or not. It’s what they know. People who don’t want to pivot immediately begin to whine, adopt a victim mentality, and wonder who’s going to help them. They don’t take responsibility or become creative to transform their situation. They’re stuck.

Great leaders will revive bad situations. They see possibilities and opportunities. Even if they lose a job or a business, they’re not failures. They will learn lessons and move forward and make a difference.

People who pivot are inspiring leaders. They use a Strategic Compass, continually adapt and implement a Pivot Strategy rapidly. Pivots require focus and speed.

Pivot Examples

Here are some examples of Pivots that we’ve seen in the past few months:

Athena Security makes software that allows security cameras to detect more than 300 types of firearms.

Pivot: Its software now applies the same rigor to detecting fevers as it goes to spotting guns. It uses thermal cameras to watch for elevated temperature as people move through halls and doorways.

Sesame

Pivot: Quickly transformed its business and introduced a new virtual appointment and telemedicine system which accounts for 86% of its bookings.

Bacardi Rum

Pivot: shifted production at some of its distilleries to help supply ethanol to make hand sanitizer, and the company is donating half a million 10-ounce hand sanitizer units to local communities. Bacardi also launched the #RaiseYourSpirits initiative and pledged $3 million to support restaurants and bars affected by COVID-19.

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Pivot: Live streamed a performance of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony to a live audience that peaked at 4500 and gathered thousands of subsequent viewers.

Zoos Victorias Animal House 

Pivot: Live streaming lions, giraffes, snow leopards cubs, penguins and the occasional dancing zookeeper.

When you need to pivot at any time in your life or business, step up, embrace it and move forward to make a difference. Don’t get stuck in old thinking.

Ask Marcia Leadership Q & A

From her column in the Silicon Valley Business Journal | Email newsletter - May 13, 2020

Please Share this with Board Members you know. Let’s help each other!

Q: What is the Board of Director’s role as this pandemic unfolds and looks to be a disruption in our lives for months to come?

A:  There are a variety of Boards from large corporate boards to small non-profit boards.  Some are solely focused on their fiduciary and policy-making responsibilities. Others are hands-on Board members who are intimately involved in committees and working closely with staff members. In a crisis situation, a Board of Directors plays a crucial role.  As events with the crisis changes day to day, the Board’s role is to pivot and adapt its leadership, communication, and collaboration. The Board has to reflect on its own strategic thinking and leadership. As one voice, they need to give guidance to the CEO and the organization’s leadership team. 

Needs

In a crisis, the Board needs to understand and ensure that:

• The CEO and leadership team have a realistic grasp of the issue facing them

• They are addressing it and are not in denial or receiving bad data

• If the organization has to drastically pivot and adapt to be safe and healthy or to serve clients, or to stay solvent, it is capable of rapid decision-making

• Leadership is anticipating various scenarios about the impact of the crisis on the business and steps are being taken to mitigate the risks and preserve the organization

• Any necessary coaching, mentoring, or team development needs are met.

Decisions

The Board needs to make the best fiduciary and policy decisions for sustaining and ensuring the survival of the enterprise and its ability to achieve or modify its aim. The Board communicates with leadership to provide necessary guidance or support of the staff for adjustments to the strategies and projects.

Policies

With a further vision in a crisis (it may be a month or a year), the Board needs to vigorously do its own work. It may need to continually review its policies and procedures and create new policies and protocols as the crisis unfolds. It may need to develop deeper policies about employee and customer safety. 

Opportunities

It may be a time to consider new investments, acquisitions, or sales. The Board examines the organization’s budget, its cash position and stability.  If the organization is in need of cash immediately or soon, where will it come from?  What are the alternatives? What’s the valuation that can impact equity incentives? If cash is low, how will the organization retain its employees? What are the options? What are the values of the organization and how do they impact the decisions the organization will make and the legacy they want through this time?

Board leadership and direction is essential. Collaborating with the organization’s leadership to serve its employees, and its customers or members is the higher order of business. In a crisis, leaders must have the capability to pivot and create a new future for the organization.

HOW MANY DOLLARS WOULD YOU HAVE FOR PIVOT?

Email newsletter - May 11, 2020

Do you wish you had a dollar for every time you heard the word Pivot in the last month? I do! Who knew a few months ago it would be so important? Individually, at work, in our schools, hospitals, and organizations, WE have had to pivot! We have to adapt and plan for tomorrow and for the future. While the future is the unknown, it is possible to daily gather more and more information, data, and look at how all of the pieces must work together for survival and for progress.

Check out this short 2-minute Forbes article that defines the outcomes of pivots and shares industries that are pivoting out of necessity!

READ THE FORBES ARTICLE

PLANNING FOR THE POST-PANDEMIC: What will the world look like?

If you have a picture of what your world might look like in six months, or a year or two, it might be easier to prepare for it. Begin now to have these discussions with small groups throughout your organization. Gather ideas.

• What do you want to see? Create it.

• How do you want to serve customers? Serve them.

• What new market can you identify? Seize the opportunities to deliver quality.

• How do you want to be remembered during this crisis? Put the VALUES IN ACTION. You’re creating your LEGACY.

• How will your community or society impact you? Plan, adapt, and keep pivoting.

Contact me to discuss your current challenges, explore workshops (Lunch N Learns to virtual retreats) you want for your team, or to plan your post-pandemic strategies.