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Transcending the Ambition Trap

As a high achiever, you likely gauge success by the scope of your accomplishments. Your career advancement, financial security, family growth or other goals are realized through diligent work and conscious effort. When you attain those tangible targets after years of strain and sacrifice, it validates your talents and grit.

Or so it seems initially. But in time, you may come to a sobering realization – hitting each milestone does not equate to an enduring sense of happiness or contentment. After each hard-won promotion, the thrill fades within weeks. Upon hitting your net worth targets, your appetite for more remains. Settling down with your dream partner or having kids fails to fully satisfy for long.

You find yourself needing to establish the next set of ambitions and goals once the euphoria of the last ones dissipates. It becomes an endless cycle of achievement followed by newly uncovered voids to fill. You chase the next rung up the ladder, hoping it will be the one to provide lasting fulfillment, once and for all. But it never does.

This phenomenon is perfectly encapsulated by insights into the psychology of the ultra-wealthy. In interviews, numerous billionaires admit that regardless of their princely bank balances, they do not feel truly carefree. Asked how much money it would take to make them happy, most respond “just 20% more.” Even those with more money than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes feel they require a bit more to be content.

Clearly, there are dangerous pitfalls in deriving your sense of happiness and accomplishment strictly from ambition. Yet modern society offers few viable alternatives. We feel frustration and dismay when our goals – whether career, finances, relationships or other benchmarks of “success” – are not attained on the expected timetables. If only we could get that promotion, save up enough to retire comfortably, find our soulmate or start a family, then we would be happy. Or so we tell ourselves.

Happiness as an Obligation

When voicing disappointment over missed goals or setbacks on the road to ambition, there is no shortage of well-meaning people willing to remind you that, “You should just be happy and grateful for all the blessings in your life!” They will recite all the accomplishments you’ve achieved, the comforts and security you possess, the people that care for you and advantages you were lucky enough to be born with. Just be content with what you have, they insist.

But simply telling someone they should derive happiness from their existing circumstances is rarely effective beyond temporary lip-service gratitude. It also implies there is something wrong with you for not being perfectly content and cheerful at all times, regardless of setbacks. This just reinforces unrealistic expectations of constant joy.

Yes, cultivating gratitude and perspective around what we already have can be highly beneficial. But this is most effective as an intentional, proactive exercise, not a passive obligation. The path to genuine fulfillment requires examining our relationship with ambition itself. It means understanding the neurological roots of concepts like greed, desire, and suffering. This enables consciously shaping habits and mindsets rather than being controlled by them unconsciously.

Two Modes of Wanting

An enlightening distinction made by some languages is between two different forms of “wanting” things. In English, we use the same term to convey both varieties. However, they represent distinct neurological states:

Wanting (a) refers to craving continuation or permanence of positive conditions and experiences. It manifests as ambition, greed, lust, attachment, or addiction. There is an insatiable quality, where fulfillment is always contingent on something not yet obtained. This ties your happiness to external conditions and goals not under your control in the present.

Wanting (b) means embracing and appreciating the positive elements of your reality in the moment, without requiring them to persist indefinitely. Think of deeply savoring an ice cream cone without any expectation or need to continue eating it forever. Or admiring a beautiful sunset without wishing it would never end. No attachment to continuity – simply gratitude for the gift of this ephemeral experience.

Practicing Intentional Wanting

Wanting (a) has its place in moderation. Ambition provides forward momentum and drive. But problems arise when Wanting (a) becomes excessive and grids out Wanting (b). Every positive experience gets taken for granted or leaves you needing more.

Companies often leverage Wanting (b) during strategy sessions. Teams accept current weaknesses in the business to diagnose issues before working to change course. But individuals have difficulty applying Wanting (b) to appreciate life conditions in the present.

The next article will explore daily practices that strengthen your capacity for Wanting (b). This helps short-circuit the dissatisfaction loop of unending ambition and anchors you in gratitude. By consciously focusing Wanting (a) only on select priorities, you gain control over your happiness. Your contentment then stems from within, not hostage to external conditions. This inner footing provides the stable base to sustainably grow and evolve.

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CEO: Who cares if you “win?”

The world is changing fast, and “winning” in business may already be a fool’s errand.

You are a company leader who has risen through the ranks. You enjoy the competitive side of running an organization. Why? There are obvious winners and losers defined by a P&L scorecard. Plus, you have tactics and strategies to choose from. And finally, you can see a clear correlation between your efforts and results.

But what if the changes taking place in the world are making a mockery of the race you are mentally contesting? Keep reading if you want to stay ahead.

Why You Are Like Usain Bolt

The 100m dash is undoubtedly one of the purest forms of gamified athletics ever witnessed.

But before the Olympics were invented, people just ran. There were no medals,

or clocks, or heats, sponsorships, television appearances, etc. Over time, these elements were added in and made this human invention appear real.

Is the game of business also fabricated? If you are a CEO, you are probably immersed in it, without question. Let’s take a step back, and outside of it, for a moment. Maybe we can discern its outline and see some shortfalls.

Ask yourself the following: Who are you competing against? Who are the winners? The losers? The middle-of-the-packers?

What do you use to measure the score? How long is the timeframe? When do you feel pangs of jealousy as opponents pass you by? Do you enjoy the intellectual, social and emotional challenges?

Notice your reaction and write them down. You might become a bit nervous as you draw this picture. Why? Because you may uncover the motivation behind your accomplishments and believe that too much insight is bad.

These feelings are natural. Most hard-driving, over-achieving, Type-A’s who tend to lead organizations don’t spend time reflecting on their competitive nature. It’s taken as a given.

Here, I speak from experience. When I finally came first in my class at Wolmers after five years of effort, I saw myself as the winner…the one who crossed the line ahead of others when it counted the most. I didn’t question it for a moment, even though I gave up playing Sunlight Cup cricket for a year to achieve the goal. Today, I wouldn’t.

Why You Are Not Usain Bolt

But the truth is that business is not an actual game. While this mental construct can be energizing, there are definite limits to seeing it this way.

Just ask Amazon.com. Reports have emerged that Jeff Bezos’ empire is about to be dismantled by the FTC. Why? Apparently, they have determined that the company is taking its winnings from one area and using it in another. Unfairly.

Consequently, the US Government may use antitrust laws to redefine the game Bezos has been playing. Remember, they did just that to Microsoft and AT&T, among others.

If you have a strong competitive streak, it could be time to step away to re-imagine the game you have been unconsciously and unwittingly engaged in. Here are some strategic reasons to revisit this construct now.

Reason #1 – You Become Blind

When a fresh substitute enters your environment but doesn’t look like a competitor, you miss seeing them. C&W dismissed the arrival of Digicel because the new entrant was playing a different game top leaders didn’t recognize.

Reason #2 – You Become Short-Sighted

If you study your current competitors too closely, you end up following their every move. And stop being creative.

Reason #3 – You Live in Short-Termism and Endanger the Planet

Your imaginary game is probably more of a sprint than a marathon. If so, long-term planning may be repeatedly delayed.

As such, Europe’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires companies to pay attention to their carbon footprint. Indirectly, they are pulling organizations into their Green Deal objective of climate neutrality by 2050.

This move implies that corporations have been playing winner-take-all games for decades, which now endanger our well-being.

As you enter this new game (by choice or by necessity), you may find that it’s not the zero-sum contests you have been enjoying. Instead, you’ll be joining companies which are focused on the triple P bottom-line – Profits, Planet and People.

Unfortunately, this is not the kind of “competitive strategy” taught in business schools. By contrast, it’s more a function of high-quality collaboration and cooperative outcomes.

In this context, it may look foolish to persist in the old game of massive profits or personal wealth. On a globe threatened by global warming, who cares?

Fortunately, you can “re-gamify” yourself and go in a different direction. You could still “win”, but so could everyone else in the entire world.

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20230806/francis-wade-winning-business-fools-errand

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Has Your Vision Statement Lost Its Punch?

You want to engage your staff around a bright, hopeful future. At some point in the past, a two-paragraph vision statement did the trick. But lately, it’s gone stagnant. What should you do to restore the inspiration it once provided? Should you change the words, or try something different?

You aren’t alone. Most companies have vague statements which sound a lot like each other. With phrases such as integrity and world-class being thrown around, you could probably swap your statement with another company’s without anyone raising a fuss.

The truth is that traditional vision statements have lost their potency, like a drug which has reached its expiry date. Today, there’s clickable inspiration available on Facebook, WhatsApp and TikTok, and your old statement just can’t compete.

But there’s a lesson here as well. In your next strategic planning retreat, you need to do more than build your vision of the future with a few flowery words. Here are some concrete steps to paint a vivid picture or end-vision employees find irresistible.

  1. Give Your End-Vision a Deadline

When you announce a traditional vision statement, if it has no year attached to it, folks in your audience do something interesting. Some believe it will be reached within a year, at most. Others assume 100 years. And if you leave this discrepancy in place, you force staff to eventually ignore it altogether. Why?

They see it as a farce. A con job.

And don’t complain that this wasn’t your intention. The world has changed and expectations have risen. Now, a vision statement needs a year attached to bring the kind of accountability which makes people sit up and pay attention.

If you already have a statement, but it’s “timeless”, launch a new effort. Don’t simply tag on a cool deadline. The way you picture the future must keep up with modern norms if you want it to be noticed.

  1. A Vision Needs to Be Both Quantitative and Qualitative

Executives often make the mistake of believing that staff are motivated by financial results the way they are. Why? Most leaders’ rise up the ranks is a function of their ability to impact the bottom-line. Consequently, when they join the C-Suite, they are fluent in a certain language: the drivers of shareholder value.

However, employees aren’t interested as much.

Instead, a vision must be described in terms that do more than benefit the wealthiest 1%. Today, staff want to make a difference in the work they do and smart leaders develop empathy for this fact.

As such, the best executives describe holistic “visions” in detail. What do they look like? For a particular target year far off in the future, both quantitative and qualitative terms are used. They include as many as 20-40 descriptors and metrics. Together, these paint a rich picture of an end-game that pulls everyone in.

  1. A Vision Must Include ESG Goals

At the moment, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goal-setting is in its infancy. For most companies, it’s a response to investors’ complaints.

As such, organizations are adding a layer of ESG tactics on top of their profit motives.

But most of these efforts are reactive and will miss the boat completely. Why? The ESG movement is actually a revolt against short-termism.

How did it come about? By focusing only on 5-year results, corporate leaders forced organizations to be profit-driven only. As such, other factors and impacts were overlooked.

It’s an easy error to make. For example, many international companies doing business in Jamaica have ignored their surrounding communities. That is until their executives have to be airlifted and escorted from the compound in the middle of a violent strike.

But there’s a solution. Take your company through the process of developing a 15-30 year vision along with a strategy to accomplish it. This will return the balance. Why? When you plan far into the future, you are forced to consider all salient factors.

However, if you try to squeeze ESG concerns into your five-year plan, prepare for your staff to decry its stupidity. They may not complain openly. But their reaction will be to seek inspiration elsewhere, where they can find some authenticity, e.g. church or social media.

Not that this is easy. Big picture, long-term engagement is not taught in business schools.

But it can be learned and coached into existence. And it can be programmed into your business by following a sound long-term strategic planning process.

The world is approaching a time when only holistic visions, which are big, realistic and balanced, will gain respect. Investors have begun to notice and so have employees. Don’t let short-termism ruin your leadership.

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On Boring Your Staff with Small Goals

You’re a corporate leader who wants to inspire your organization. But you aren’t naturally charismatic, nor are you famous. Is there a way to energize and motivate stakeholders who must play a part in the transformation you envision?

A startling number of CEOs forget what it was like to be inspired in a manner that leads to hard work. They think of themselves as unicorns, born to lead. It’s a mystery to them why everyone doesn’t wake up with the energy they have, excited about the chance to accomplish great things.

Some give up. Their secret sauce cannot be replicated, so they don’t try. The best they can do is threaten, trick, or bribe staff into compliance. That’s “the only way to treat these people”, they convince themselves.

However, you may be different. Inspiring others is a leadership skill few possess, but you should be interested in learning what it takes. One of the critical elements is BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), as articulated by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. How can you use them to lift workers to better performance?

  1. People Want More Than Business as Usual

The easiest way to disengage staff is to send a signal that “there’s no need to pay attention.” This probably isn’t what you intend. Instead, you want board members, executives, managers, and employees to be sitting on their edge of their seats. In this mode, they bring their best ideas, maximum energy, and highest creativity to every task they do.

Recently, COVID-related emergencies have infused organizations with a kind of fake vitality. However, as the pandemic wanes, everyday operations resume. People are drifting back to ordinary standards.

If, as a leader, you don’t replace this temporary intensity with something more durable, expect your staff to be disappointed. They want to be like Apple and Netflix – companies which are moving forward. They enjoy using their products or services. Plus, the people who work for them are proud.

Meanwhile, some of your employees refuse to wear company uniforms in public.

But don’t see this as a rebuke. It’s a natural regression to dull, humdrum, mundane, corporate life. Daily work becomes a vision-less routine if you fail to disrupt it with your BHAG.

  1. People Want to Believe

However, you must be careful. Some leaders specialize in inspiring themselves…in isolation. Others may inspire a few colleagues – the ones they work with directly. But this should be an organization-wide game.

To communicate, lazy executive teams try to get by with traditional vision and mission statements. Unfortunately, times have changed. The usual saccharine bromides no longer work – they are just too vague. If your statements can be swapped with that of another organization without anyone noticing, consider them to be stale.

Instead, you need far more details to make your plan credible and worthy of an emotional investment. Skeptical staff need to see metrics and milestones stretched out over several years. They want a concrete bridge between today and the final outcome. Something they can trust. After all, their future careers are on the line. Why should they bet on your company? And your vision?

  1. People Want to Act Now

Ever had a conversation with a child who wants to become a surgeon? They are probably two decades or more away from realizing their dream.

But one benefit of their public commitment is that there are clear and immediate expectations. For example, wherever they are on their journey, academic excellence is required. “Are you studying hard right now?” This clarity orients the child towards daily priorities and choices.

Contrast this with the corporate world, where the opposite tends to happen. A CEO announces a BHAG. Then employees go back to whatever they were doing before, safely knowing that it’s the path of least resistance.

The fact is, no-one translates the vision into everyday action. Between retreats, the BHAG flops.

The solution? Craft game-changing projects. Then, enlist sponsors and participants who understand their importance and believe in taking action.

They’ll probably need to set aside other projects and delay competing commitments. But this is exactly what you want. If this is important, other efforts must cease so that you can focus people’s attention.

Fail to do this and you’ll be dismayed to see people going through routines which should have been eliminated. They’ll waste time on email messages and meetings simply because of inertia. You’ll fail to make progress as people sit on the sidelines…bored…waiting for something interesting to happen.

Instead, gather your leaders together and lead from the front, with BHAGs which inspire everyone. You’ll tap into discretionary effort which has remained dormant and assure a sustainable future for your organization.

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Is Your Company Being Led by a Great Strategist?

Each day you go into the office, you want to be inspired by your work. Elevated by what your organization can accomplish. But if that’s not your daily experience, does the quality of strategic leadership have something to do with it?

Perhaps you have seen the stories of companies led by executives with breathtaking strategies. These top teams produce game-changing innovations which revolutionize industries. Millions of lives are transformed. The likes of Facebook and Netflix displace also-rans who look stale by comparison, capturing hearts and minds in every corner of the world.

But when you compare what happens in these model organizations with your own, you see a big gap. Are you making an unfair contrast? Are the elements you focus on the right ones to examine? What are the naked truths you wish you could explain to your leaders if you had the chance?

  1. Bold Vision

COVID has led many CEO’s to limit the scope of what they say they want to achieve. Times are hard and uncertain, they admit, and things are changing too fast to think about big goals.

All they have is energy for survival. A vision would be a distraction.

Unfortunately, research shows they are likely to fail. Creating Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs) is, according to Jim Collins and Jerry Porras of Built to Last fame, essential. Their comparison between companies that use BHAGs versus those which don’t is stark.

However, this doesn’t mean you should throw together yet another vision statement. In fact, these pronouncements can damage productivity if they are vague, undated and insulting to the average person’s intelligence. When employees deduce a lack of seriousness, such declarations destroy motivation.

Instead of nebulous promises to be “world class”, create the kind of vision that paints a clear picture of a single destination. This means it must have a date, and an unequivocal set of target metrics, at minimum.

  1. Feasible Pathway

BHAGs are an essential part of great strategies, but in 2022, they aren’t enough. We have become more immune to aspirational statements than we were in 1994 when Collins/Porras published their book. Why? Oftentimes they include little more than wishful thinking.

The way to bring corporate dreams into existence is to go deeper in the planning stages. How? Craft a credible pathway between today’s reality and the final destination.

This is no easy feat to accomplish. It takes a small team an intense effort to lay out a plan that covers 15-30 years. It gets complicated: within each time period, certain financial and operational milestones must be hit.

While there are projects introduced during this planning horizon that drive the numbers, these should be realistic. In fact, it pays to be conservative.

This powerful exercise forces teams to confront realities that otherwise would be ignored. For example, a client’s strategy called for entering Latin America in a big way. The price? Moving the company’s headquarters to Miami.

This was too heavy a tax to pay and the plan was moderated.

Another client required the acquisition of competitors. But the firm had never undertaken such an activity and would need to hire expensive specialists. It shelved the idea.

Weak strategists leave such details to others. To save face, they pretend to buy-in, which dooms the effort to failure.

  1. Customer Obsession

Who would think that Carnival revellers would pay more for amenities such as mobile bathrooms, cool-down mist and makeup facilities? Tribe Carnival from Trinidad and Tobago has introduced a slew of innovations like these ever since its inception. Over time, they have produced exponential growth for the business, even though it charges a premium.

In a similar manner, clients of JMMB swear by a comparable approach to innovation in its investment operations. Like Tribe, the company has a relentless focus on the customer that leads it to do things other institutions scoff at.

From a strategic point of view, few companies understand their customers well enough to innovate around their deepest unmet needs. Such in-depth study is simply too hard and expensive to undertake.

As such, they end up following the lead of competitors like Tribe and JMMB. But this is the coward’s approach to innovation…to copy what others are doing after it’s been proven to work.

If your company is being led by a strong strategist, expect to see a struggle to capture customers’ unspoken sentiments. Once these are defined, they should be driving every new product and process development. If no such link exists, the strategy is likely to be ordinary.

This list of three activities great strategists undertake is not exhaustive, but it is essential. Use it to judge how your company is being led (not just managed) and to distinguish if today’s actions are inspired by more than mere survival.

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Why CEOs Need to Think Like Chief Learning Officers

As the top leader, it’s your responsibility to create sound succession plans. But how do you ensure that there is a pipeline of leadership talent available at all levels, such as the board and executive suite?

Extraordinary executives see themselves as developers of people. They take a 360-degree view of their world, paying attention to every scrap of expertise they can rely on to get the job done.

This perspective is an unusual one to adopt. After all, the default assumption is that by the time someone reaches the top of an organization, they should be fully ready for the role. In other words, all the training they need should have been completed.

Recent responses to recessionary pressure have not helped. Since the downturn of 2008, learning and development budgets have been cut, and have never recovered. Most companies have narrowed their focus to provide training for essential jobs only. The whole activity is now seen as an expense to be incurred only when it’s an absolute must.

This practice has affected all employees, but especially those at the top. Gone are the two-week to four-month executive development programs in overseas universities. Need a coach? That’s a personal investment. The idea is: “If you don’t have the skills needed at this high level, you shouldn’t have the job.”

But this logic is deeply flawed. Things are changing so quickly in our world, fueled by new technology, that no-one should feel secure in what they know today. Instead, their only lasting weapon is their capacity or ability to grow. How can you produce this transformation as your company’s leader?

  1. Make it safe to have gaps

If you’re the kind of leader who must demonstrate superior knowledge and skill at all times, you’ll be in trouble. Why? Your competitive nature got you the top leadership job, but now it’s preventing you from helping others.

For example, your peers may believe that you don’t have gaps (or don’t see them.) They’ll return the favor. How? They’ll follow your lead and pretend to know what they don’t, or do what they can’t. Neither response is productive. As a CEO, you need to tackle the fear people have to reveal their gaps openly.

The remedy is simple: become the most active learner in the company. Share your developmental needs with staff and your plans to close them. As you do so, create opportunities for others to share as well. Encourage them to be open.

  1. Look in All Directions

This may sound unusual, but you should also engage board members and chairpersons in their development.

If you fail to do so, expect your board to make decisions they don’t comprehend, but think they do. The fact is, much of their knowledge is probably outdated and their skills are stale. Yet, they must decide between competing proposals in board meetings the best they can.

The same, of course, applies to the occupants of the C-Suite. Realize that most companies under-invest in training at this level. Somehow, the thinking goes, smart people should train, coach and develop themselves. Apparently, they have all the time in the world to do so.

This folly leads CEOs to ignore the developmental needs of others immediately around them. When things fall apart, some seek knee-jerk solutions: firing colleagues and hiring replacements immediately upon failure. This short-term thinking mistakenly assumes that new staff members will fix the problem. Instead, they’ll become stale themselves – it’s only a matter of time.

Only consistent 360-degree feedback plus training interventions from the CEO will permanently correct the situation.

3. Become the Chief Learning Officer

The Learning and Development function in Jamaican companies was, before the 2008 recession, a highly respected role. Since then, many practitioners have disappeared, merged into Human Resource departments, becoming freelancers or migrating.

But their reappearance would not necessarily solve the problem of stale executive skills. Why? Persons in this position aren’t suited to determine the training needs of those far above them in the hierarchy. For example, few L&D Professionals can effectively guide a board.

The fact is, the CEO should step in and play the role of Chief Learning Officer. This person can coach those at the top of the organization to higher performance.

Unfortunately, most CEOs don’t have skills in this area. Yet, they must have developmental conversations with C-Suiters and also Board Members. No-one else is equipped. Failing to act is the same as allowing the company to languish.

As such, CEO’s should think like CLOs to help organizations succeed. In these tumultuous times, the need is greater than ever before.

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Signs of an Unhealthy Probation

Years ago, I mistakenly worked for someone I shouldn’t have. Since then, I have wondered: could I have foreseen what transpired? Were there early warning signs I overlooked?

Abundant research shows that employees don’t leave companies; they leave bad managers. We need look no further than the outgoing White House, with its record high turnover, to find an outstanding example. Many high-profile staffers depart (and have left) amidst a storm of tweeted insults.

I had a manager who did the same: publicly bad-mouthing me to others long after we had parted ways. Since then, I have scoured my memory to determine what the predictors of an unhealthy relationship with a boss might be. After all, if I could see them happening in real-time, I could confront them, knowing that they never go away by themselves.

Anyone who is considering a new position can do the same. For most jobs, companies offer a probationary period to test an employee’s suitability. In their eagerness to please, few new hires consciously realize it’s also a unique opportunity to ask: “Are there early warning signs of an incompetent manager who will eventually make my life miserable?” While these aren’t easy to pick up, here are three red flags you should look out for on your next assignment.

1. Being Liked

Arguably, it’s a natural desire to want to be liked, but becoming a competent manager involves outgrowing this everyday tendency. Over time, good managers learn to place the welfare of others and the mission of the company above their own need to be accepted.

In this context, a probationary period is a chance to see what your manager does under stressful situations. Will they stick to principles, or give in to the weakness to say and do things which are popular, or avoid getting themselves into trouble…all in order to be liked?

If you witness your manager “throwing people under the bus” i.e. blaming others in order to be liked or accepted, watch out. It’s safe to assume that the worst treatment meted out to others will one day be directed at you.

But this doesn’t mean that your manager is a “bad” person. They may be very well-intentioned…and completely clueless. Your task in this phase is to uncover the raw truth about their competence and act accordingly, setting aside any wishful thinking so you can take decisive action.

2. Looking Good

Another faulty behaviour to watch out for are those intended to make a manager look good…at all costs. There are many variants of the theme: some focus on physical objects such as their clothing, cars and houses. Others try to show off using their kids or spouse. A few lord their intellectual or artistic achievements.

It all amounts to a relentless campaign to compete with, defeat, and dominate those around them. As a new employee, if your manager uses you as a tool to further his/her ego-based objective, it’s corrosive.

Why? The moment will eventually come when you make a mistake. If your manager’s reaction under pressure seems bombastic (i.e. out of proportion), he/she may be putting the welfare of others in the back seat. Instead, their efforts to avoid looking bad include a tendency to become abusive.

3. Not Stepping Up as the Owner

As a new employee, perhaps the most difficult (but important) trait to detect in your manager surrounds taking responsibility. It’s a skill many managers struggle with, finding it to be unnatural. After all, it flies in the face of self-protective human behaviour which is so essential to our basic survival.

In fact, holding oneself publicly accountable equates to putting oneself in harm’s way…at risk. The act of doing so on a continuous basis is the very definition of a capable manager.

Yet, it remains a tricky behavior for employees to flag, especially early in their careers. Here’s a useful shortcut: observe if your manager apologizes sufficiently when he/she makes a mistake. You’ll be able to know by measuring the degree to which the apology restores the trust and goodwill that existed before the error was made.

In fact, if you work for a manager who publicly apologizes for a mistake you (not him/her) made, pay attention. Their resistance to the temptation to hang you out to dry, may indicate that you have a true winner.

This positive “warning” sign may mean that you shouldn’t leave. However, if all you can sense are the other incompetencies listed above, consider your probation a success: you have detected a manager you should probably quit.

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Thought Leadership in the Age of Technology

Are you someone who leads by sharing your best ideas with a defined audience? As a “thought leader” you may have noticed that technology has made certain tasks easier, but the overall challenge has become formidable.

As mentioned in my column dated October 4th, I have been hosting multi-day virtual conferences. For each one, I have invited thought leaders to be presenters, but recently, a separation has developed between experienced experts (Elders) and tech-savvy communicators (Youngsters).

The former have been thinking about issues in their field for some time: publishing books, articles, or conference presentations. Spending a decade or more in reflection and study, their deep content is provocative. Furthermore, they have probably assisted many other experts over their careers.

In general, they are in no hurry, as they are accustomed to cycles lasting months or even years between major outputs. From their point of view, it takes time to develop sound ideas; the wait between the first draft of a book and its appearance in a bookstore.

At the other extreme lies their young, digital counterparts: Youngsters who also intend to influence others with their thinking and creative products. However, they use the newest technologies to dramatically shorten the cycle between inspiration and public consumption.

Employing the latest virtual channels, they disseminate a high volume of content. As such, they are conscious of their online image, measuring success by the number of likes, followers and subscribers they garner.

Recently, these groups have been drifting further apart, leading to complaints. If you belong to or interact with either group, here is some advice.

Why Elders Must Pivot Their Delivery

I recall a conversation with a colleague who had some fine ideas about marketing products in Jamaica. When I suggested he share them publicly, he refused. “Someone will steal them!” he complained. When he migrated a few years later, all his plans went with him. But his limited thinking lives on in the heads of too many Elders. They grew up in an environment of scarcity, where an original theory or solution was rare and the opportunities to reach an audience were few.

Case in Point: As a young management consultant in the 1980s, I struggled to produce papers and give speeches due to the cost and time involved.

Today, such barriers have been removed, but most Elders have not caught up. They may know how to find and download ideas from other thinkers, but don’t know how to use a blog, vlog, podcast or social media to build an audience.

If you are an Elder, one place to start is to develop an “owned” asset – one that you control completely, rather than “renting” temporary space on a social network. Establish a website which allows you to share your creative outputs via text, audio, video or graphics.

Then, create a catalog of your best products. When you have at least ten or twenty decent units, publish them in sequence and start to build an audience. Use your friends on social media as a foundation and send out links to other thought leaders.

Why Youngsters Must Use Precedents

Thought-leaders who are tech-savvy are often enamored with their increasing ability to create followers. It’s never been easier to do so, and some self-proclaimed youthful “experts” have been able to attract millions. As such, they spend a great deal of time seeking better social media tricks, slicker graphics, more effective hashtags, and nicer filters. They look up to established influencers who are using these tweaks to extend their reach.

However, if you dig a bit deeper, you may find that some Youngsters are “all hat and no cattle.” In other words, while their followership is growing, their content comprises no more than shallow ideas and worn cliches.

As such, their followers tend to be young and impressionable, honestly believing that they are hearing brilliant, breakthrough insights. Before the inevitable loss of interest comes, there is something Youngsters could learn from their Elders: how to solve novel problems using existing research and fresh imagination. Following this approach would allow them to develop a better-quality audience that sticks around for truly original thinking.

By the same token, many Elders are waiting for their wisdom to be tapped. Consequently, they just aren’t learning the aggressive techniques Youngsters have acquired to reach their audience: they need to become active, skillful users of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

For now, the momentum lies with those who use the latest technology, but it should swing back. Unfortunately, we can’t wait. In these tumultuous times, we require both Elders and Youngsters to develop the skills needed to make their contribution.

If it means embracing an uncomfortable challenge, so be it. The world needs people who combine high-quality thinking and channels of easy access to help solve the pressing problems of the day.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20201018/francis-wade-thought-leadership-age-technology

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Why Your Kids Shouldn’t Migrate, But Stay to Run Your Business

If you own a company, should you encourage your children to one day take an ownership position? Or should they pursue a more lucrative career overseas? We Jamaicans need to challenge our habit of exporting the next generation.

“My son is a pediatrician in New York.”

There are few things that give a Jamaican parent more pride than the apparent success of their child in a foreign country. He may be miserable, divorced and barely making ends meet in a cold corner of the South Bronx, but these dull facts are disregarded in the telling of the tale.

His parents could even own a profitable business in a small town, the sole supplier of an essential good or service. Their life may be comfortable. They live well below their means as they navigate a world they understand. When the son complains about his life, they tell him to stay put – things are far worse back home.

But are they?

I lived on both sides of the equation: 21 years in the USA, returning 15 years ago. I met scores of overseas Jamaicans trapped in jobs or neighborhoods they hated. They longed to return to what they knew, but couldn’t. Few re-migrate from Canada, the UK or America even after the environment becomes hostile.

In the meantime, their parent-owners did no succession planning. Eventually, these founders passed away, forcing their children to come back to pick up the pieces.

There are countless versions of the above scenario. It’s a sad accumulation of small, seemingly disconnected decisions that result in a huge loss of inter-generational wealth. Here are three new thoughts that might help.

1. Don’t under-estimate what you have here

In error, we Jamaicans often think we are “special” – facing problems that no-one in the rest of the world has.

For example, someone who struggled to start their own business believes that if they had only been born in America, they would have had an easier path to success. As such, they encourage their children to migrate to a life with fewer obstacles.

Unfortunately, they don’t realize the advantage they already have. Their company has figured out how to succeed and is now a big and growing fish in a small pond. This advantage is hard to comprehend when viewed from home, but the global research is clear: most wealthy families pass on material advantages from one generation to the next.

I know too many Jamaican families who ignore this fact, encouraging the next generation to abandon the massive lead their forefathers created. Sometimes it’s due to shame – a belief that what is Jamaican (or Black) cannot be good.

Fortunately, this opinion is changing but there are local families destroying value by reflexively pushing their children to study and live overseas, no matter what.

2. Don’t over-estimate the challenge of starting over

I have spoken to a few Jamaicans before they migrate, and the overwhelming impression I have is that they equate a move to another country with one to a place like Montego Bay. In other words, they naively believe it won’t be that hard to transition.

Part of the problem are the falsehoods returning Jamaicans tell. With newly acquired accents, clothes and pictures of cars, they defend their decision to migrate by exaggerating life in their new country. I did it too.

The false impression it leaves is that migrating from Jamaica is an accomplishment. In fact, it’s more a case of “swapping brown dog for monkey”. To whit: most of us know several dogs, but have never seen a single monkey. 

The truth? When I lived in the US, most Jamaicans I met wished they could return, a majority that Trump and COVID-19 have probably increased.

Why? While there are exceptions to the rule, most migrants who left family businesses behind struggle to achieve the quality of life their parents had back home.

Living abroad is hard. And it’s new. Research shows that the combination delays business success and in the case of a family-owned enterprise, permanently disrupts the transfer of wealth.

3. Starting Too Late

If there is any truth to the two mistakes described above, the best time to start correcting them is as soon as you, a company owner, have children.

While they shouldn’t be promised an easy ride, it’s a good idea to teach them to love and cherish the business they could inherit.

One day, their appreciation may pay off if they choose to stay home to keep the chain alive. While you must not force them, their decision to continue what you began can do more than make you proud. It can build a solid foundation that serves generations to come.

Francis Wade is the author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity, a keynote speaker and a management consultant. To search prior columns on productivity, strategy, engagement and business processes, send email to columns@fwconsulting.com

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20200405/francis-wade-family-business-succession-why-your-kids-shouldnt-migrate

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Can Your Leaders Lead Without Personal Integrity?

“All I have is my word.” Back in the day, this was a common saying among working professionals. For them, keeping one’s word was the only honorable, accepted thing to do. But times have changed: Is there a place for that sentiment in today’s Jamaica?

In 2020, many people have a contingent relationship to the promises they make. In other words, they will keep their commitments if the stars align in just the right way.

When they do, it’s because their feelings and circumstances are in the perfect place, and the gain far exceeds the cost. To summarize: the result is not really up to them, but a fortuitous confluence of external events. It provides them with a psychological back-door: a way to escape any future obligation.

Some people specialize in this kind of behaviour, even while seated at a boardroom table. But it’s human: we hate being trapped by promises we made in the past. Some refuse to make them altogether, explaining that compliance is up to God, not them.

While such behaviour is convenient to those giving their word, it wreaks havoc in the world around them. Here are two ways.

1. Reputational Risk

If you have ever been ghosted (i.e. stood up) by someone with a flimsy excuse, you probably made a decision. Perhaps you resolved never to trust him/her again.

However, if you are a habitual “flake”, you may be upset to hear what we won’t tell you: “If you can’t be trusted to satisfy simple obligations, then you certainly won’t be considered for others which are more substantial.” Also, while we may consent to meet with you again, we’ll be calling ahead to “confirm” (aka micromanage) the appointment.

But don’t relax. Whereas this trick may work for small matters, it fails for important commitments. Instead, we’ll just call someone else.

Unfortunately, you may never understand why you are no longer on our list of invitees, or why we don’t return your calls and email messages. Your inability to generate the willpower to keep your promises has resulted in lasting damage.

2. Organizational Weakness

Hire enough chronic promise-breakers into the same organization and you have the perfect recipe for bankruptcy.

Case in Point: A founder, known for honouring his word, dies and leaves the company to an unreliable sibling. The inheritor never understands the invisible glue of integrity that enabled the company to thrive. Consequently, promises are broken on a whim so customers, employees and other stakeholders start a steady exodus to better alternatives. It’s a lack of integrity writ large: a violation of the brand promise, employee compact, or shareholder trust. These are all unwritten expectations no company can break for long.

Arguably, the rise and fall of the quality of Digicel’s mobile service is such an example. When it entered the market in 2001, it delivered a striking, powerful salvation from C&W’s monopoly. But recently, the government reported a meeting with the company to complain, on behalf of consumers, about its poor service: a dramatic reversal for a favorite brand.

What can leaders of companies like Digicel do? They can undertake a return to workable standards on a personal, but public level. 

In an era in which the President of the United States freely reverses his stated commitments to people, precedent and principles alike, the world is short of those who lead by example. It appears that the practitioners of “situational integrity” are “winning.”

This has not gone unnoticed in Jamaican society, however. Organizations like the NIA and CAFFE are pushing to return our country to a simpler standard: a time when people did what they said they would, just because they said they would…especially when it’s hardest to do so.

But the key is not to merely be wary of making promises. The deeper challenge is to relate to one’s word as if it were as important as oneself: a reflection of character.

Unfortunately, when life is working as it should, the challenge seems to fade in importance.

For example, several local politicians have apologised for disparaging remarks made on the campaign trail about an opposition Member of Parliament. In essence they said: “Those comments are not a reflection of who I am.”

The irony is that Digicel and other organizational leaders could see their recent shortcomings as an opportunity to return themselves to who they really are. Jamaica yearns for this kind of leadership: the kind that willingly reveals itself when mistakes are made, at the moments when it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable and unprofitable.

These opportunities demonstrate how to live old-fashioned principles in modern-day life and empower everyone of us to do the same.