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What Qualities Really Define A Business Leader Post Pandemic?

StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Petrochemical Business|8 Steps to Becoming a Better Leader Within Your Petrochemical BusinessThe seismic effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic have impacted every single aspect of our lives, with the workplace and commerce in general changing unrecognisably in the space of just a few months. As workplaces transform and adapt in an effort to overcome the unique challenges they’re facing, so too do business leaders have to change and grow in order to remain effective. The pandemic has clearly shown us that leadership is much needed, and as the future continues to be uncertain, it will matter even more as we try to salvage an economic and social recovery. The right leadership has become a matter of life and death – quite literally in a lot of cases – and strong and intelligent leaders are now required to manage fractured supply chains, piece together industries and revive customer confidence. So, what are the key traits of successful leadership in a post pandemic world?

Empathy

You may have never thought of empathy as a key trait of a successful leader. But really, the pandemic has been a collective trauma for everyone, so displaying an understanding of that is absolutely crucial. Empathy can be displayed towards your own staff and also to society in general, modelling yourself after leaders such as Joz Opdeweegh who have called for support in society to combat the worst effects of the pandemic. Implementing Employee Assistance Programs and making sure they’re functioning effectively is a must, as is providing genuine support and encouragement to staff. You may need to also review some of your HR policies, especially around areas such as sick leave, dependents leave and access to counselling. If you fear that you lack natural empathy, make sure to surround yourself with others on your organization that do – you need to avoid any responses that may be seen as tone deaf or insensitive, as you could really damage employee morale and loyalty at a critical time.

Consistency

One of the things causing such distress for a lot of people is the lack of consistency that the pandemic has brought – rules changing overnight, conditions escalating rapidly. No one likes to live with continuing uncertainty, so it’s our role as leaders to provide consistency with our approach. Always base your decisions and communications on data. Making data-driven decisions removes emotion and bias from the equation and allows you to explain your decision making. Communicate clearly and frequently, even if there aren’t many new items to relay. This gives staff a sense of confidence and a knowledge that they can rely on your updates, and it doesn’t create a void for gossip and speculation to fill.

Flexibility

This ability definitely needs to become part of your professional development goals.
The ability to pivot is more vital than ever, as customer needs, supply changes and the economic landscape around us all shift rapidly. Responsiveness will begin to define those companies who are able to thrive and those which are devastated. Review new information and circumstances constantly in order to incorporate them into your decision making.

StrategyDriven Podcast Episode 46 – Your Leadership Off-Site is Wasting a Lot of People’s Time

StrategyDriven Podcast - Marketing and SalesStrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Episode 46 – Your Leadership Off-Site is Wasting a Lot of People’s Time examines the effectiveness of leadership off-sites today and shares insights on how these events can be reshaped to deliver greater impact. We explore the reasons for this shortfall in detail and discuss an innovative approach to maximize the off-site experience. During our discussion, Dan Parisi, Executive Vice President at BTS, shares with us his insights and illustrative examples regarding:

  • the importance of leadership off-sites to strategy execution
  • who is typically engaged in designing and executing leadership off-sites and the role these individuals play in the ultimate effectiveness of the experience
  • why leadership off-sites are so often a missed opportunity
  • actions that can be taken to improve off-site effectiveness
  • bottom-line impacts effective leadership off-sites can have

Additional Information

In addition to the outstanding insights Dan shares in this edition of the StrategyDriven Podcast are the resources accessible from the BTS website, www.BTS.com.

Final Request…

StrategyDriven Podcast iTunes RatingThe strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us on iTunes by clicking here. Rating the StrategyDriven Podcast and providing your comments online improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!


About the Author

Dan ParisiDan Parisi, Executive Vice President at BTS, a leading strategy execution consulting firm focused on the development and delivery of high-impact experiential learning initiatives that drive strategic priorities. Over the course of his career, he has personally designed and facilitated business simulation-based experiences for more than 8,000 executives and managers at leading Fortune 50 organizations such as Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, Toyota, and others.
 
Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal, and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

StrategyDriven Podcast Episode 45 – Marketing & Sales: Closing the Value Gap

StrategyDriven Podcast - Marketing and SalesStrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.

Episode 45 – Marketing & Sales: Closing the Value Gap examines the evolution of the business-to-business selling process and the gap between what customers want and what their service providers and vendors provide. We explore the value of focusing on customers’ business results and how to implement such an approach so to earn greatly increased customer loyalty and higher profits. During our discussion, Lou Schachter, Managing Director, Global Sales Practice and Rick Cheatham, North American Sales Practice Leader at BTS USA, shares with us their insights and illustrative examples regarding:

  • the evolution of the sales process and what customers are looking for today
  • how Accelerator Selling addresses the customer’s desired focus on business results
  • the difference in sales behaviors between Accelerator Selling and Product and Solution Selling
  • actions necessary to implement a selling process focused on achieving business results

Additional Information

In addition to the outstanding insights Lou and Rick share in this edition of the StrategyDriven Podcast are the resources accessible from the BTS website, www.BTS.com.

Final Request…

StrategyDriven Podcast iTunes RatingThe strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us on iTunes by clicking here. Rating the StrategyDriven Podcast and providing your comments online improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!


About the Author

Lou SchachterLou Schachter is the global leader of the BTS Sales Practice. He is the co-author of the book, The Mind of the Customer: How the World’s Leading Sales Forces Accelerate their Customer’s Success, which was published by McGraw-Hill in 2006. Before joining the BTS team, Lou had a long career in sales for professional services firms.
 
Rick CheathamRick Cheatham leads the BTS Sales Practice in North America. Previously, Rick was a sales leader at Avery Dennison, a leading producer of consumer products and pressure-sensitive adhesives materials. During his tenure, he transformed his organization into one that changed its focus from selling products to accelerating its customers’ business results.
 
Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal, and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective – The Ugly Truth About Partisan Public Project Labor Agreements

While we voice concerns about debt and spending, we also need to be mindful of the state of employers, particularly small business and their struggles to remain competitive and viable. Statistically small business, employers of at least 50 percent of our workforce, are struggling, and eager to get your business. They are begging to serve you while balancing unclear taxes, health insurance obligations, and uncertain ability to make payroll. Public project labor agreements (PLAs) provide another hurdle, unless their employees choose to pay union dues.

Here is the ugly truth for small business employers without union workers…

As the result of $50 Million in Hurricane Sandy damage, the New Jersey Senate passed Bill S24251 that approves PLAs. That means that non-union employers will not be included in the bidding process for public work or state funded contracts unless there is a collective bargaining (union) contract representing employees. This is not only bidding preference, this is a freeze small businesses out of competitive bidding unless their employees pay union dues.

In other words, non-union contractors have no place in this public work, period. The NJ Senate Bill S2425 enhanced their existing law in New Jersey for PLAs to include roads, bridges, and water treatment. The bill was introduced and sponsored by Senate President Steve Sweeney, former vicinity president of Iron Workers District Council of Philadelphia. This is a stark contradiction to Sweeney’s inaugural goals including “encourage shared public services among local governments as a way to reduce spending… and make the state business friendly.”2 This Senate Bill is hardly a cost saving, business friendly measure.

Further, in support of unions, on February 6, 2009, President Obama signed an executive order reversing George H. W. Bush’s prohibition on the requirement for project labor agreements on federal projects.3 Obama claimed “it was the government’s policy to encourage the use of labor agreements to avoid misunderstandings about the cost of labor and to ensure that one contractor’s workforce problems during a project not delay other teams involved in the contract.” What it does not address is the freezing out of non-union bidders and the increases in taxpayer costs.

Statistically speaking, only 13.2 percent of the 2012 U.S. private construction workforce belongs to unions.4 This information represents that 87 percent of this employment sector are non-union employees, a solid supposition that they are from the small business sector.

Is this precipitating and/or worsening the status quo with small business? The success of small business is largely measured on their ability to hire and maintain employees. Their success for work is neither viable nor likely considering PLAs. According to the 2012 Year End Economic Report of the National Small Business Association,

  • Just over one-third (38 percent) anticipate their firms will grow in the coming year—the lowest this indicator has been since we began asking this question in December 2009;
  • Hiring remains stagnant with the number of small-business owners who project decreases to their employment size in the coming year rising from 12 percent to 16 percent;5

The reality is that there is a major difference between supporting unions and taking away legitimate bidding power from small contractors and family owned, non-union businesses. And, the competitive bidding process is in place to assure the best look at products, quality of services, at the best price. Competitive bidding is most often used by government agencies that are required by law to open contracts for bid and must award business to the lowest bidder. This is intended to ensure impartiality in buying decisions and assure the best price.

Further included in a PLA is the stipulation that may require even non-union contractors to make contributions to the union benefit and pension funds for each employee. That would result in additional contributions (possibly double the cost) to employers for benefits and pensions that have already been provided.

All eyes are on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to see what he will do with the NJ approved State Bill 2425. According to Chris Christie’s Office, he will consider the bill including a possible veto when it reaches his desk. Republican Governor Christie is a union supporter, who is up for re-election in November, 2013.

We must not forget, the costs to taxpayers on project labor agreements is between 12 and 18 percent higher when union contractors are only part of the bidding process.6

House Bill HR 436 has been introduced by Congressman Andy Harris (R) from Maryland which would prohibit preference to labor unions or other discriminatory provisions in government projects.7 The Bill has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

We know our priorities, at least according to public opinion; Jump start the economy, provide avenues for small business to thrive, patronize local business – not exactly the focus of legislators. The survival of small business is being largely ignored by the elected officials of New Jersey and Washington who must remember that they also represent small businesses, and workers who choose not to be represented by labor unions.

Keep in mind that the National Labor Relations Act clearly protects the rights of employees to form and join unions but it also provides the right to refrain from association with unions. These actions could result in a process of “pay to play” – or in this case, pay to work.

Final Request…

StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective PodcastThe strength in our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us and sharing your perspectives regarding the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast on iTunes by clicking here. Sharing your thoughts improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Editorial Perspective podcast!


About the Author

Wendy Powell is the author of Management Experience Acquired. With more than twenty-five years of human resource and management consulting experience, Wendy has spent most of her career at the University of Michigan. She is currently on the business faculty at both Palm Beach State College and the University of Phoenix. A member of the Society of Human Resource Management, she received a leadership award in 2002 from the Midwest College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. She is routinely featured on The Huffington Post and has appeared on Fox Business’s The Strategy Room. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management and a Master of Arts degree in organizational management.


References

  1. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2012/Bills/S2500/2425_I1.HTM
  2. http://www.impact-net.org/news/iron-workers-district-council-president-steve-sweeney-sworn-in-as-nj-senate/
  3. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/EXECUTIVEORDERUSEOFPROJECTLABORAGREEMENTSFORFEDERALCONSTRUCTIONPROJECTS/
  4. http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t03.htm
  5. http://www.nsba.biz/?p=5242
  6. http://thetruthaboutplas.com/get-the-truth/
  7. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00436:@@@D&summ2=m&

StrategyDriven Professional Podcast Episode 4 – Skills Mismatch: Business Acumen and Strategy Execution

StrategyDriven Professional PodcastStrategyDriven Professional Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques business professionals can use to accelerate their careers and personal goals achievement. These podcasts elaborate on the principle, best practice, and warning flag articles found on the StrategyDriven Professional website.

Episode 4 – Skills Mismatch: Business Acumen and Strategy Execution explores the importance of acquiring and maintaining business acumen skills as a key component of strategy execution. During our discussion, Rommin Adl, Executive Vice President and Global Partner at BTS USA, shares with us his insights and illustrative examples regarding:

  • business acumen and its importance to strategy execution
  • marketplace shortage of executives and managers with business acumen skills and the impact on companies with this skills deficiency
  • business acumen skills differences between executives and managers
  • actions that can be taken to close the business acumen skills gaps
  • trend towards and benefits of using business simulations over traditional classroom training

Additional Information

In addition to the invaluable insights Rommin shares in this podcast are the resources accessible from his company’s website, www.BTS.com.


About the Author

Rommin Adl, Executive Vice President and Global Partner at BTS USARommin Adl is Executive Vice President and Global Partner at BTS USA, a leader in the development and delivery of high-impact experiential learning initiatives that drive alignment, mindset, and capability around strategic priorities. For over twenty years, Rommin has advised leaders at companies including Aetna, AT&T, GlaxoSmithKline, Honeywell, Humana, Time Warner, and many others on issues of strategy development and implementation.

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.