Lots of informative articles in the latest Harvard Business Review on rebuilding trust, innovating in turbulent times and an assessment of Obama's first 90 days in office.
Some key points…
New leaders must do 3 things right within their first 90 days on the job:
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Secure early wins to build credibilty and avoid /mitigate losses
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Lay a foundation for accomplishing key priorities within the first year, starting with assembling a strong executive team
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Articulate a compelling vision for what they'll accomplish during their tenure so folks willingly follow
Innovative companies have both-brain partnerships running the show — a right-brain creative and a left-brain analytical. "If you don't have highly creative people in positions of real authority, you won't get innovation. Many companies allow left-brain analytic types to approve ideas at varioius stages of the innovation process. This is a cardinal error."
To rebuild trust, create a culture of candor at work. And to create that culture:
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tell the truth
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encourage people to speak truth to power
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reward contrarians
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practice having unpleasant conversations
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diversity your sources of information
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admit your mistakes
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build an organizational architecture that supports candor
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set information free
And the best quote of the issue goes to a manager who said "the only messenger I would ever shoot is the one who arrived too late."
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