Published on: Thursday, October 14, 2010

Finding the Will to Survive…and Thrive

 

As I watched (along with many of you) the joy on the faces of each of the Chilean miners and their families during yesterday's rescue, I couldn't help but think of another survivor who has been a powerful presence in my heart and mind since I was honored to meet him just six days ago.

What single characteristic drives a survivor to persevere and then prosper post-crisis? One word ties Nando Parrado to these miners we celebrate today: Commitment. In both cases, the commitment to live.

Shortly before his talk on the stage of Radio City Music Hall near the end of the World Business Forum, I met Fernando (Nando) Parrado, one of the 16 survivors of the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in the Andes in 1972. His cordial smile and calm demeanor come from an experience so tragic that we can't imagine it any more than we can really imagine what it has been like for the 33 miners trapped underground since August 5^th.

Published on: Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Powering Individual Decision-Making Improves Company

 

Report from World Business Forum, New York

Companies improve when they acknowledge that coaching their team members to be great decision-makers 5 to 9 (pm) is as important as teaching them to be great decision-makers 9 to 5.

Speaking during a private event to a select audience of World Business Forum attendees, Daniel Harkavy, executive coach and CEO of Building Champions, asserts it takes more than just a focus on the tactics of the business to create a culture of intentional decision-making. You have to acknowledge that if people can be successful 24/7 — at work, at home, in their relationships — they will be more committed to the company and more important, to you. "People don't leave companies, they leave us; People don't join companies, they join us. And they need to know you are focused on their success."

Published on: Monday, October 04, 2010

Follow the Leader: Seth Godin

 

Business leaders create value for organizations either through obedience or risk, and one is at a surplus and no longer needed, said author and marketing expert Seth Godin at the 2010 World Innovation Forum, where ExecuNet exclusively reported for attendees.

Those who generate ideas and "work without a map" are the real high-value leaders, according to Godin, but many companies don't encourage employee innovation nor do they build a culture that fosters creative thinking for fear of failing.

But failure acts as a double-edge sword: "Doing what you're told is a sure way to failure," said Godin of obedience; however, corporate innovation is guaranteed in a culture of failure.

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