8 Common Themes in Business

Great Leaders Pivot
What does the President of a 100 yr old business, a Women's College Soccer Coach and a high school drop out have in common?

Everything......  

Yesterday I had the privilege of hearing 3 amazing leaders share their stories and also participate as a panelist on operational excellence at a President's forum.  

All 3 leaders are very successful at creating high performing organizations, with very common themes.  

These themes were also validated in our panel attended by dozens of CEOs and Executives.  

Here is what I learned (or validated):
Change is a decision. A hard decision. It is a constant decision. If you are not willing to make it as a leader, your success will not be sustainable.
Change requires a willingness to create an environment of continuous learning. Leaders must be humble enough to learn from their teams, and seek outside counsel if they really want to make sizable changes.
Most businesses have at least one Susie in their organization. The business firefighter persona that they put too much pressure on. This creates bad habits of accepting reactive as acceptable, instead of steering towards a proactive business model.
To make meaningful sustainable progress you must be: Process driven. Change management driven. Knowledge Management driven. Metrics driven. All required, and requires adopting them as habits. They only work if there is an all in commitment. You have to establish muscle memory here. When you do, it becomes part of what you do without thinking about it.
Alignment over agreement. You cannot get everyone to agree, but you do have to get everyone aligned.
Right People Right Seats, is critical once you have defined your north star (vision) and strategy. You cannot get there with half talented half capable resources. If you are All In, Go Get the right people to make it happen. This may in many cases require some outside help.
Once you make the decision to go, you must engage and commit to creating a clear vision. That vision also cannot just be written down and emailed. It must be a living and breathing organism in your business. You cannot expect everyone to engage if they don't know where you are going.
Change is hard, but running a business is hard. If you are going to put your energy towards something, don't you want it to produce results instead of just treading water?
Conclusion
The journey of leadership is one marked by pivotal decisions and unwavering commitment to growth. Through the insightful narratives of diverse leaders, we uncover a common thread of resilience, adaptability, and vision. As we reflect on these invaluable lessons, it becomes evident that success lies not merely in navigating challenges, but in orchestrating transformative change that propels organizations towards sustainable growth and meaningful results.