The Leadership Challenge, part 2 – What’s in it for Them?

How will you motivate your team, Pascal-san? 

A cherished mentor asked me this question decades ago. I was a young engineer & manager trying to absorb the legendary Toyota Production System. A lot has happened since those days, but his wisdom still informs me. The leader’s job one today is ambidexterity. How will we both protect the core business, and ignite new Growth? These entail very different mindsets and ways of working. How do we motivate our team members to make such extraordinary efforts?

How will you motivate your team, Pascal-san? 

Ambidexterity entails the ability to both 1) Protect the core business with the proven methods of OpEx/Lean, and 2) Ignite new Growth using Digital methods. It’s an immense challenge, and I’ve described blockers in earlier blogs. So, how do leaders motivate team members to take it on?  Here’s how I would answer the question.

We’re asking you all to help us transform our business. Why? Because it's a big challenge and we can't do it without you.

It's a big ask - life is hard nowadays and many of us are just hanging on, doing our best in a sea of seemingly endless change & turmoil. So, why should you put your backs to the wheel, why should you go the extra mile to help this organization get to the next level, and prosper in the long term? Bluntly stated, what’s in it for you?

First, the bad news.  I cannot guarantee that your jobs will not change.  And it’s likely some positions will be eliminated. As ever, we will do everything within our power to maintain employment stability.

If your job disappears, you’ll have every opportunity to apply for the new jobs we create. If you chose to seek other opportunities, or to retire, we'll be fair & generous.

Regardless, all of you will have the opportunity to grow and to learn. We’re going to invest in you so that you’re multi-skilled & invaluable to our organization.  We’re going to strengthen your capabilities in Operational Excellence and give you the opportunity to learn cutting-edge Innovation skills.

Why? Because we want you to help us continually improve our processes, and to share your innovation ideas so that we can continue to surprise our competitors and delight both existing and new customers.

You’ll have the opportunity to learn by doing through bootcamps, hackathons, our Shark Tank program and other interesting channels. We want you to become ‘employable for life’. We hope you choose to stay with us.

What about AI, you ask? Isn't it going to obsolesce the human & take our jobs?

I believe AI is going to be a tremendous enabler for us. I believe the teams of the future will comprise both people and AI agents, the latter doing specific tasks that free up people for higher level work, especially oversight to ensure our AI agents don't hallucinate and destroy value. But AI will never replace people. AI without acumen equals garbage at the speed of light. We will always need capable, committed people, and that's why we want to invest in you.

So, what's in it for you? Fun, growth, opportunity and being a part of kick-ass team in a kick-ass organization committed to doing the right thing, in the right way.

Best wishes,

Pascal

Smart Growth - the Hustler

 Impactful innovation requires three quite different personalities – the Hipster, Hustler, and Hacker. The Hustler is the often quarterback.

Smart Growth (applied innovation) requires three different personalities, working together & fully caffeinated. In earlier blogs, I described the qualities of the Hipster and Hacker. Now, let’s talk about the Hustler, who is often the quarterback in the 3H model.

Hustlers know how to make money. Business acumen, like Design or Technical acumen, is a type of super-power. Effective hackers share the following qualities:

●      Financial Literacy: They understand financial statements, key metrics (esp. ROI, EBITDA, gross margins), and how business decisions impact profitability & cash flow. They know how to ‘manage a P&L’ and understand the power of OpEx/Lean.

●      Adaptability: They are flexible & able to pivot in response to changing circumstances. For example, a good Hustler will accept that traditional metrics like ROI & EBITDA do not apply in initial stages of an innovation launch. Why? Because they are all zero! And so, the Hustler will accept Innovation Accounting measures to assess traction. Moreover, a good Hustler understands & appreciates the contributions of the Hipster & Hacker.

●      Market Awareness: Hustlers understand their industry, competitors, and customers. They identify opportunities, anticipate challenges, and position their teams & organization for competitive advantage.

●      Strategic Thinking: Capable Hustlers can see the entire chessboard. They understand ambidexterity - the ability to both protect the core business AND ignite new Growth. At the macro level, they develop & execute innovation strategies that align with the company’s aspiration & winning logic. At the micro level, they adapt based on the results of Lean experiments. They understand the distinct phases in the innovation ‘hockey stick,’ and the critical tests of Smart Growth:

○      Does it wow?

○      Can we make money?

○      Does it work?

●      Resilience: Hustlers bounce back from setbacks, view ‘failed’ experiments as learning, and maintain focus despite obstacles.

●      Communication & Emotional Intelligence: Effective hustlers articulate their vision, expectations, and feedback clearly, fostering trust and alignment within their teams. Good Hustlers understand & manage their own emotions and build strong relationships & healthy work environments.

●      Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills: Capable Hustlers make decisions based on data & adapt both the macro & micro approach accordingly.

Such traits help Hustlers to make good decisions, get results, and guide their teams through the uncertainty, complexity & fog of innovation.

Famous Hustlers? Jeff Bezos, Jack Ma, Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey, Andrew Carnegie, Debbi Fields, J.W. Marriott, Jamie Dimon. Feel free to add more names.

Hustlers, Hackers & Hipsters working in tandem are an unstoppable creative force. Our challenge as business leaders & innovators is to build healthy 3H teams & address the blockers that hinder them. More on blockers in articles to come.

Best wishes,

Pascal Dennis         E: pascal.dennis@leansystems.org

#SmartGrowth #InnovationTeams #BusinessHustler #StartupSuccess #LeadershipMatters #3HModel #NewProductLaunch

In case you missed our last few blogs... please feel free to have another look….

Smart Growth (continued) - the Hacker
Innovation Fundamentals - Radical Collaboration & the 3H Model
My Hockey Stick Curve, part 1
OpEx/Lean, Innovation and Wakefulness