Leading in Turbulent Times

Kevin Kelly is Chief Executive Officer of Heidrick & Struggles, the world’s leading search firm. One of a new generation of global CEOs, Kevin is a widely respected commentator on leadership in a changing business world. Before returning to his native America in 2008, Kevin spent a decade in Tokyo and three years in London. Named “Headhunter of the Year” in 2000 by Finance Intelligence Asia magazine and “one of Asia’s Top Recruiters” four years running by AsiaMoney magazine, Kevin has extensive first-hand experience of building senior leadership teams for the world’s most successful companies at board level across Asia Pacific and Europe. Gary E Hayesis a Managing Partner of the New York-based human capital consultancy Hayes Brunswick and Partners. He has spent over 15 years working with corporate leaders to help them adapt to rapidly changing market conditions. Garyhas a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Columbia University, as well as masters degrees in international affairs, psychological counseling, and counseling psychology from Columbia and a B.S. in foreign service from Georgetown University. He has served on the faculties of Columbia University, Yeshiva University, the National Institute for Psychotherapies, the Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity, and Ecole Francaises des Attache des Press. Gary has published numerous articles on leadership development topics.

Introduction

 

CHAPTER 1: All Change

Thanks to the three Cs of credit, commodities and confidence, weather patterns have shifted from high growth to high risk.  What are the driving forces behind the headwinds of change?  What do you need to know and do about them?  And how and when did change become a constant corporate reality?

            

CHAPTER 2: Radar On

The first step in managing your way through the headwinds is to recognize the early signals.  If your radar is on, you can anticipate the degree and intensity of the shift in your marketplace and your organization.   Making this happen means that you have to avoid Group Think; promote open debate; bring in outside perspectives; and carefully monitor your own reactions as you negotiate the storm.

 

CHAPTER 3: All Hands on Deck

As change approaches, you have to mobilize each and every person in your organization to respond.  This demands clear and realistic communication about the need for change; mobilizing leaders to support the change; walking the talk to prove you are living the change; and maintaining your own energy levels.   And sometimes people have to go:  “I change the people, rather than change their minds. It takes too long time to change their minds,” confided Seung-Yu Kim of Hana Financial Group.

 

CHAPTER 4: Navigating a New Route

“If you do not have a shared and attractive destination, you can forget about any process of change,” Carlos Ghosn of Nissan told us.  Building a new strategy is the next stage in negotiating the relentless headwinds.  This requires a delicate balancing act.  You must incorporate best practice ideas while building on what was already great about your organization.  You must manage risk while facilitating growth; create a sense of ownership for the strategy within the leadership team; and communicate the strategy and its implications for each part of the organization. 

 

 

CHAPTER 5: Mastering Mutinies

A rule of thumb: 20 percent of individuals want to embrace change and get there, 60 percent can go either way, and 20 percent probably have to go because they don’t want to change and will do anything they can to throw roadblocks up. Even when times are tough, some people are resistant to change – no matter how essential it may be.   If you are to master potential and real mutinies you must first identify where the resistance is coming from.  Then you must engage with the resistors – rather than attacking them.  At the same time, you must nurture and encourage change leaders and provide motivation for the many rather than be derailed by the mutinous few.

 

CHAPTER 6: Learning to Tack

Chip McClure, CEO of ArvinMeritor, told us: “Change is a constant.  As the industry continues to change, you can't just get locked into one thing and say, that's it forever.  You've got to be able to change with the industry dynamics.”  Think-act-change, could be the new CEO’s mantra. Faced with a headwind, you must learn to change direction swiftly and decisively.  You and your organization must be designed to make swift decisions about modifications and changes in direction. This requires that you remain open to new ideas and observations; that communication flows constantly; and that you resist the creation of sacred cows.

 

CHAPTER 7: Living with Turbulence

All of this is intensely personal.  Leading your people and your organization through turbulent times means you have to dig deep. 

What are the personal and emotional implications?  How ca