Re-imagining leadership: The big eleven (page 2 of 2)

8. Portfolio Management. I love the idea of "portfolio" or "bell-shaped curves" (the ubiquitous "normal distribution"). Effective leaders carefully craft portfolios. Of everything. Some safe bets. Some risky bets. Some way-out bets. But the idea is thinking ... all the time ... about portfolios. Are there enough "weird bits" in my portfolio of (1) employees (2) board members (3) customers (4) suppliers (5) consultants to ensure that I will be pulled/dragged into the crazy-weird future?

9. Failure Management. No failure. No risk. No survival. To fail is to grow. Period. Most enterprises live by "playing it safe." And fumble. (Mid- to long-term.) Winners stick their necks out, take their tumbles ... and perhaps live to see the sun rise the day after tomorrow. Enterprises (and individuals) who can live with screw ups that necessarily accompany risk taking ... beyond one's comfort zone ... up the odds of long-term success ... dramatically.

10. Cause Management. Causes jerk people (you, me) out of bed in the morning. The lack thereof keep people in bed. Leaders make employees long for the end of the weekend ... so that they can get back to work. No bull. Sound odd? Sound weird? Sound outrageous? If it does, Mr./Ms. Leader, you are not a leader in modern/chaotic times.

11. Passion Management. Passion makes the world go round. Period. (Period.) Why must I say more? Well, I want to say much more. Leaders who, especially in strange times, don't "get" the role of pursuing passionate causes should have their cards pulled. (As I said ... more than once ... period.)

Bon chance!