My updated version of a previously very popular article about talent, talent management and why companies should rather look for potential, engagement and willpower instead of purely focusing on pure talent.
“Learning by doing” can be a very powerful way of learning.
Leadership in IT departments does not have the luxury of time for such an approach. IT leaders of today need to be capable of a multitude of skills, from IT knowledge to influencing board members, from finding the right people to keeping existing legacy systems running.
Our unique signature program “IMPACTFUL LEADERSHIP FOR IT EXECUTIVES” for IT departments fills the gap of current leadership development approaches.
It’s 100% tailor made for the needs of IT departments, based on 15 years of experience in the IT industry with an outstanding track record regarding its positive impact on the leader and his people.
When we are successful, sooner or later we tend to expect the success to come to us, because we are successful.
This might even work for a while. So we become lazy.
And then things change…
…but we lost some of our capabilities.
…or let’s say it differently: we did not use our capabilities and therefore we don’t trust them any more. Instead of using them, we rather expect the success to come back.
Watch this amazing video and you will change the way you see success:
One of my very successful clients, a self-made man with several companies & hundreds of employees before he turned 40, is aware of the fact, that he might be successful not only because he is good, but despite behavior that might be destructive.
Therefore he gave me green light for a project called “Start – Stop – Continue” where I am going to talk to all of his executives, managing directors and direct reports including assistants to identify, what they see as necessary to prepare the companies for the future.
He expressed his concerns, that
he might be the limiting factor for talents, because of his personality
he might feel challenged by potential successors (since his dream is to step back and become an advisor instead of running the business) and fight with them instead of fostering the potential
he destroys the creativity of his teams with his analytical and rhetorical skills
This is a true leader – he identifies a potential threat to his business (= himself) and takes action!
As a dedicated ultra marathon runner, with currently 5 Two Oceans Ultra and 3 Comrades medals, I had the priviledge of being the running guide for the well know South African blind runner Hein Wagner.
Hein was born blind and became a successful sales manager, extreme adventurer and motivational speaker.
I never guided a blind runner before and received the request just 5 days prior to the 56 km Ultra Marathon in 2013. I am glad I got the opportunity and took it – I learned a lot from it!
On April 8th I am going to talk about what I learned at the Social of my running club Atlantic Athletics Club in Cape Town. The name of the talk will be “We don’t see what we see“.
If you are interested in this talk for your own club or business, please get in touch with me.
1. Get a reward immediately
or
2. get a bigger reward, but you have to wait for a while?
A famous experiment in the years 1968 – 1972 called “Marshmallow Experiment” makes it obvious and funny to watch, how children handle such a temptation. And it teaches us a lot about adults…
The remarkable result of this study is not the result of the first test. It’s the way how you can predict success:
The kids who did NOT chose to get the immediate reward where more successful when they grew up than the ones who chose to eat the marshmellow immediately.
When you are dealing with employees or business partners always keep in mind, that we tent to prefer the immediate reward, (almost) no matter what you promise for the future.