Entries by gmader

Cross-functional and cross-business teams are ‘real teams’

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Most large companies today operate within a matrix management model. They scale through cross-functional and cross-business collaboration because no single function can deliver a complete customer solution alone. The Sales function can’t succeed without the Product function. Product can’t succeed without Engineering. Engineering can’t succeed without services and support, and so on. Conceptually, everyone understands this. But in practice, most organizations still behave as if every function lives in its own silo. I hear the same refrain everywhere: “This isn’t really my team.” “We don’t report to the same leader.” “This is more of a committee than a team.” That mindset quietly undermines performance. The Illusion of the Matrix Matrix management was designed to drive […]

“Agreeing to disagree” is leadership failure

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How many times have you sat in a senior team meeting where the conversation went nowhere? The debate gets heated, people defend their positions, personal preferences surface, and when it’s time to reach a conclusion, everyone is exhausted and no closer to an aligned decision. Someone says, “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.” And the room nods. Meeting over. On the surface, it sounds civil and respectful. In reality, it’s one of the most damaging phrases in leadership. “Agreeing to disagree” is never an acceptable conclusion. It’s always a collapse. It signals that the team has chosen comfort over courage, ego over ownership, and personal preference over collective responsibility. And the cost is […]

Trust is not a nice-to-have. It’s your edge.

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Trust is not just a feel-good word. It is the backbone of every high-performing organization. Without it, even the best strategies fall flat. With it, teams move mountains. Too many leaders talk about trust as if it’s a soft, secondary value. It isn’t. Trust is oxygen. Without it, your culture stagnates, your performance lags, and your results fall short. Here’s a real-world story to make the point. A national technology-based service company acquired another firm with adjacent services to expand their offerings. On paper, it made perfect sense. The acquiring company was a leading brand in the commercial sector, while the acquired company had a strong reputation in government affairs. Their services complemented each other. […]

Strong Teams Tackle Tough Conversations. Weak teams avoid them.

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If you want to know how powerful your team is, just see how team members deal with sensitive and tough topics. Sensitive and tough topics often require the leaders and team members to put their own personal feelings, egos, and agendas aside for the greater good of their company or team. They could large organizational-wide trade-off topics like deciding which team to invest in, which team member to promote or re-allocating people and budgets from one leader’s team to another. It could also be one-on-one topics like giving honest feedback to colleagues, your boss or subordinates about bad behavior, lack of accountability or poor performance. When it comes to sensitive and tough conversations the line […]

Don’t confuse efficient compliance with real transformation

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For a significant transformation initiative to succeed, the CEO must ensure that all their senior executives are fully (genuinely) aligned and own the transformation purpose, outcomes and process. Large-scale transformation processes are often complex and messy. Many CEOs use a Project Management (PM) function to oversee, track, and manage the transformation execution process. A strong PM function can make a significant difference in achieving the transformation outcomes. However, a strong PM function can also undermine and jeopardize the transformation’s intent and purpose. A powerful transformation is never just about achieving better outcomes. By design, it is always about aspiration and inspiration. And no matter how complex the change initiative, senior leaders cannot outsource or delegate […]

Six barriers you must overcome to achieve your transformation goals

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It takes extraordinary courage, determination, and faith to pursue a bold change initiative, stay the course and see it through. No one in their right mind would dare to climb Mount Everest without preparation. Similarly, you shouldn’t embark on a bold transformation journey without adequate preparation either. In a bold transformation process, there are always unpredictable events, circumstances, and challenges that cannot be anticipated or prepared for in advance. These unanticipated events often lead to the most significant changes and breakthroughs. At the same time, however, some challenges always arise in one way or another. If you do not anticipate, expect, and prepare for them, they could easily become barriers that impede your ability to […]

Why Bold Visions Fail – And How to Make Yours Succeed

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I have coached many teams and organizations in creating bold and aspirational strategies that take their success to the next level. Every transformation begins with setting ambitious goals. And every team emerges from this initial exercise highly optimistic, energized and eager to achieve a better future for their company and themselves.

Time and time again, I am impressed and inspired by leaders’ genuine enthusiasm, commitment, and resolve to realize aspirational goals that, at the outset are often viewed as beyond current.

Unfortunately, when it comes to fulfilling aspirational goals and transformational change, there are two types of leaders: those who stay the course and those who don’t.

Complete 2020 in the most meaningful way, especially given COVID-19.

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Completing a chapter effectively can be a meaningful and powerful endeavor if you approach it with a deliberate and conscious mindset. Unfortunately, most people tend to focus more on starting a project and executing it, and when it reaches its end, they just move to the next one. We tend to underestimate the power and value of completing things effectively, not merely finishing or ending them. The dictionary defines ‘Finishing‘ as ‘Bringing a task or activity to an end. It defines ‘Completing‘ as ‘Making something whole or perfect’. You don’t have to do anything for something to end. It is the nature of any cycle. Things begin, go through their evolution, and end. A year, […]

Are you standing in your future or in your past?

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In 1899 Charles H. Duel, then Director of the U.S. Patent Office, said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” In 1895, Lord Kelvin, who was President of the Royal Society, said, “Heavier than air flying machines are impossible.” In 1905, Grover Cleveland, then President of the United States, said, “Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote.” In 1943, Thomas Watson, then Chairman of IBM, said, “There is a world market for about five computers.” We all say and think things every day that we sincerely believe to be true, even though they are not true at all. When we think or say positive things, it could be motivating. Even though sometimes […]

How different will the future be?

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When COVID was in its infancy, and we were all just starting to understand its scope, longevity and impact on the world, the hope of most businesses was to be able to continue to conduct business with minimum challenges and interruptions. Most businesses moved to a virtual model smoother than they expected, and in the beginning, many, perhaps most, found the virtual model surprisingly effective. In fact, as I wrote in my blog on June 17th “Will you lead or lag the virtual revolution?” many companies started to see that in many ways working virtually is even more productive and effective than the way they worked before when everyone was working from the office. However, […]

Is the grass really greener on the other side?

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I could tell you the tale of a handful of senior executives from a variety of well-known companies and industries who invested more than fifteen years of their life and career in their organization. They rose through the ranks by taking on greater responsibilities every year or two, building strong teams around them, demonstrating great cross-functional teaming and collaboration, and delivering results beyond expectations. All these successful executives on my list demonstrated great leadership in their company’s turning points. In many cases, they delivered great improvements in their company’s trajectory, adjusting the strategic direction every few years to follow the evolving market and consumption trends. Many of these individuals are world-class leaders, recognized in their […]