Lessons From Leadership Failures
The Greenfields Approach
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Lessons from Leadership Failures: The Greenfields Approach Powerful and practical case history of do’s and don’ts from executives who’ve made it . . . and for those on the way up.
Do you have an organization or Business Unit that is not working, or where growth and profits have stalled?
Do you have great business, financial, production or marketing plans, but their implementation always falls short?
Are you in a professional services group that lacks a cohesive direction or which fails to effectively implement a marketing plan?
Are you in a management or leadership position where you cannot get sustained high-performance results from your teams?
Has your career stalled?
Are you struggling for ways to improve your own performance and your career?
. . . then this book Lessons from Leadership Failures: The Greenfields Approach will provide you with the strategic and leadership questions to be "asked" and "answered" in order to achieve optimal results, or to know when to cut your losses if the strategy, business or operating plans are badly flawed. Additionally, it provides focus on your individual leadership performance and career strategy.
It is not just another text on leadership. This practical book demonstrates leadership failures or mistakes across key business disciplines and more importantly the lessons learned. But it does not end there. In each chapter and following the examples there is a "Doing it differently" section.
By learning from and not repeating the mistakes and failures of others you will improve the success of your business or professional situation, and your career.
"Well that is just common sense" - you would be amazed at both the number and size of business failures. Common sense is just not so common when it comes to business. An average of over 44,925 corporations filed for bankruptcy per year, over the last five years. Do you need more proof?
If you have an Operating Unit or Business that is not working, then this book will provide you with the leadership questions to be "asked" and "answered" in order to achieve optimal results, or to know when to cut your losses if your business plan is badly flawed.
There are seven chapters to the book. An example of failures, lessons learned, together with Doing it differently are provided in each.
Chapter 1. 1 - 11 THE 18-MONTH CLUB
In the past year over 1185 CEO’s have left major US businesses. Fired or resigning CEO’s are part of the new 18-month Club – their typical tenure. The common thread for this turnover being just a poor financial result.
With this constant turnover it becomes difficult to implement strategies over the longer term, prevent the turnover of other senior managers, or to be able to develop trust, confidence and a sustainable culture.
Chapter 2. 12 - 20 STRATEGY AND OTHER FABLES
Many of the dot-com’s [which have been failing at the rate of 10-20 per month] simply did not have a business model capable of success. Caught up in the euphoria of the "deal" investors have lost billions of dollars, millions of dollars recycled through advertising and marketing programs and dot.com staff are being laid off at the rate of 5,000 per month.
Not restricted to e-business, a sick puppy is a sick puppy, and there are many traditional manufacturers, distributors and retailers whose business model is no longer appropriate under the new pace and intensity of business. And yet they hold on, whether it is from ego issues, simply not knowing what to do or grimly hanging on waiting for a white knight.
Chapter 3. 21 - 30 SEND IN THE BEAN COUNTERS
Only two sections of this book require an advanced understanding, Effective Leadership as well as this section on Finance.
Too often either the financial information is not acted upon or the projections and anticipated results are based on flawed assumptions.
The type of person I would rather work with more than any other is an effective Financial Analyst.
It is not their title, but their effectiveness that I find appealing, and it is the person who understands trends, will not accept assumptions made by management without first testing them, who understands financial projections and sensitivity testing and then provides accurate month-by-month cashflow forecasting.
Would the real analysts who have influence with senior management please stand?
Chapter 4. 31 - 40 OUR FUNNEL ISN’T WORKING
Branding, Differentiation, Marketing and Selling – ultimately, the questions to be asked and results delivered revolve around:
Who are your target audiences?
What is your differentiation and how can you retain a long-term competitive advantage?
How do you position yourself in the mind of the buyer?
How do you build customer/client loyalty?
How do you build and sustain market share at the right gross and net profit margins?
Chapter 5. 41 - 50 FLAVOR OF THE MONTH
Event though consultants may at times be branded with creating the demand for their services by dreaming up labels for new processes and methods, there is, however a common thread to their processes, which is that they are all designed to produce results – bringing intensity of focus to a problem or opportunity, until you successfully implement a cost-effective solution. Are you trying to work with a fad, or do you have a process that will provide a cost-effective solution?
Chapter 6. 51 - 58 ULTIMATELY IT’S PEOPLE
"People are our greatest asset" is the myth dressed up as reality by many corporations both large and small.
For example, a corporation, through its evaluation process, has an unwritten rule that mandates that 10-15% of the poorer performers be replaced following each evaluation cycle. Not immediately, but there is an understanding that they will not see another evaluation with that company.
Their objective, clearly, is in building the strongest team, but unfortunately their emphasis is on replacement and not career development.
But ultimately, business success does result from channeling the talents, energies and gaining a long-term commitment from those working with you. For this to happen there must be a shared benefit in the attainment of both individual and corporate goals.
Chapter 7. 59 - 63 BUT IT CAN BE DIFFERENT
Ultimately, businesses succeed or fail through the goodwill of those you work with and your ability to harness their enthusiasm toward a sound common goal. A goal that will produce an above average profitable results over the longer term, thereby making it a major player in your industry.
It is easy to second-guess what went wrong in a particular situation, but now you have a challenge. That challenge is to adopt a Greenfields approach to both your business invo
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About the Book
Powerful and practical case history of do’s and don’ts
for executives who’ve made it . . . and for those on the way up.
Not just another text on leadership. From work with over 200 organizations internationally, from startups to Fortune 500 companies, this practical book demonstrates leadership failures or mistakes across key business disciplines and more importantly the lessons learned. But it does not end there. In each of the 63 modules and following the examples there is a "Doing it differently" section.
By learning from and not repeating the mistakes and failures of others, you will improve the success of your business or professional situation, and your career.
"Today as never before, a lot of our company icons are in trouble. If Denis Orme’s book can help others from going down the same path, he will make an enormous contribution to good thinking." - Jack Trout.
From today your implementation of the Greenfields approach will drive a successful, profitable, long-term future.
About the Author
Denis Orme
From multi-nationals to government departments, over 200 organizations in three countries, at times with an implementation role as the interim CEO or COO, has provided the foundation for this book.
This consultation has included being a court-appointed receiver or liquidator; taking companies through turnaround situations; advising on business startups; and providing "hands-on" support from an operational, strategic, or marketing perspective. This work gave rise to The Greenfields Approach.
His criticism of some consultants is that they just write reports or make recommendations and engage too little in sustained follow-up to ever find out how valid their advice was. His philosophy has always been to provide that "hands-on" support and to make sure things work as recommended.
While you are implementing change, the economy changes, the market moves, technological changes will keep your head spinning, and most of all, your people need strong centrally directed leadership (not autocratic management) to keep the focus and achieve the result, with effective leadership being the key to success in every situation.
Denis is recognized for his keen insight and intuitive ability to discern and leverage core organizational strengths, eliminating functions that impede revenue growth, and in building rapport and creating motivated, high-performance teams.
This book results from his ongoing experiences.