Monthly Archives: June 2012

Water Industry Thought Leaders to Meet in Singapore

Posted by Constance Ward on June 28, 2012   |   Comments Off on Water Industry Thought Leaders to Meet in Singapore

2012 Singapore International Water WeekIn the face of global urbanisation and climate challenges, the upcoming Singapore International Water Week 2012 (SIWW) will reinforce the pressing need for thought leaders to unite in their efforts to integrate sustainable water management strategies into the urban planning process.

Focusing on the theme “Water Solutions for Liveable and Sustainable Cities,” SIWW will provide the platform to address these challenges and explore opportunities in the integration of water solutions and urban planning in cities around the world.

meet for coffee at siww

Held from 1-5 July in conjunction with the 3rd World Cities Summit and the inaugural CleanEnviro Singapore, SIWW will offer delegates, trade visitors and exhibitors a wide range of possibilities to hear industry thought leaders promote practical and sustainable water solutions. The events will allow participants to tap into a vast network of public and private sector players in urban solutions.

I’ll be there to report on what global water leaders and practitioners from the public and private sectors are debating and to participate in water dialogues, network with key industry players and see leading-edge technologies and best practices.

If you are planning to attend this event, contact me and we can have a coffee and share what we’ve heard from the world’s thought leaders on water and wastewater.

Are You a Critical Thought Leader?

Posted by Constance Ward on June 26, 2012   |   Comments Off on Are You a Critical Thought Leader?

critical thinking the thinkerAre you a critical thought leader? Hopefully, the answer to this double entendre question is yes – the “right” yes. A critical thought leader isn’t someone who’s a negative manager who constantly criticizes. It’s a person who uses critical thinking in order to lead with wisdom and authority.

A recent article in Forbes magazine outlined five types of critical thinking skills that business people should develop to be more effective leaders. The author believes that strategic leaders need to think about the present and the future, the short term and the long term, in order to make better decisions. Critical thought leaders, therefore, should be able to use each of the following thinking patterns:

  1. Critical thinking
  2. Implementation thinking
  3. Conceptual thinking
  4. Innovative thinking
  5. Intuitive thinking

Each of these styles has a nuanced meaning, as described by the author. But key is the ability to use the thinking pattern appropriate to the particular situation.

Are you the “right” kind of critical thought leader? Are you a flexible thought leader who’s able to adapt your critical thinking style as you respond to the demands of your work day? Ask, assess, then act.

Photo by ArchTypeX on Flickr

Your Thought Leader Quotient: Do you know how you rate?

Posted by Constance Ward on June 22, 2012   |   Comments Off on Your Thought Leader Quotient: Do you know how you rate?

thought leadership self assessment testWhat’s your IQ, EQ, BQ or MQ? A recent Forbes article looked at all of these different characteristics of good leaders…a high Intelligence Quotient, of course, as well as a high Emotional Quotient, Body Quotient and Moral Quotient. Click here to read the article.

According to the author, Keld Jensen, a less-educated leader with a more fully developed EQ, BQ, and MQ can be more successful than someone who is well educated but lacks those other capabilities.

I, of course, would add to that list of acronyms another key trait for professional success: TLQ. What’s your Thought Leader Quotient?

If you aren’t sure, take this brief, anonymous test. Ask, assess, then act.

Start Here: Self-Assessment – How good is your thought-leadership strategy?

Photo credit: Marco Bellucci on Flickr

Impossible is nothing

Posted by Constance Ward on June 18, 2012   |   Comments Off on Impossible is nothing

Larry Page, the Google co-founder, once recommended that people “have a healthy disregard of the impossible.”

Photo by Jim Hipps

Thought leaders would most likely agree with that general advice, but they would also recognize that it’s critical to know your own limits and those of your organization…especially when you’re making changes in the company and its culture.

How do you know you’re pushing your employees and your company as a whole just that wee bit too far?

Having good communications processes and practices in place will allow you to quickly and efficiently gather feedback so you can sense that limit before you reach it.

A good communications team can help you sense what’s happening in the organization so that you can respond appropriately. They can read the signals and clarify how employees are reacting to your messages, how change is being perceived and where –or whether — it’s taking hold.

Your communications team can be a barometer for you…by frequently tracking the”barometric pressure” during a change initiative, they can tell you whether a storm is brewing or whether there’s clear weather ahead for more change.

Is your “disregard of the impossible” healthy for your organization or are you stretching it beyond its limit? Ask, assess then act

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Transformational Leaders vs. Transactional Leaders – Which one are you?

Posted by Constance Ward on June 12, 2012   |   1 Comment

One of the best blogs on transformational change is written by Bob Tipton, who is part of the Thought Leader Zone partner network. His recent follow-up post, based on an earlier blog on the difference between transformational and transactional leaders, outlines “5 Essential Behaviors of Transformational Change Leaders.” He says that transformational leaders:

• Act courageously
• Are authentically optimistic
• Collaborate through empathy
• Operate from principles, not polls
• Radiate a passion for purpose

traits of transformational change leaders

For each of these descriptions, he contrasts the actions of transformational leaders with those of transactional leaders. He then makes the case clearly for building your transformational leadership skills so that these behaviors will come more naturally to you over time.

Are you what Bob Tipton calls a ‘transformational leader’ or do you get caught up in being too transactional? Ask, assess, then act.

Are Boring CEOs the Best?

Posted by Constance Ward on June 8, 2012   |   Comments Off on Are Boring CEOs the Best?

are boring CEOs better performers or thought leaders?

One of the best business writers today, Lucy Kellaway, stirred up interesting debate on the topic of being boring in a recent column in the Financial Times (or read at IrishTimes.com). She believes that if CEOs are boring, their businesses might go more smoothly and uses the example of GE’s leader Jeff Immelt to prove that point.

Quoting a recent study by Stephen Kaplan from the Chicago Booth School of Business and a Harvard Business Review blog by Joel Stein, Kellaway proposes that dull CEOs tend to be determined, detail oriented and hard working. She warns against associating the word “boring” with “bad” and calls for a re-branding of the boring CEO, whose success may be based on simplicity and innate happiness.

Boring CEOs aren’t stupid; but they have narrow interests and hone in on the small things in life, the small things that fill every working day. She says they are good at what Jim Collins calls “rinsing your cottage cheese” and cites two more role models for boring CEOs: John D. Rockefeller and Bill Gates.

Despite the hype about being boring, I’m not convinced that most thought leaders can “pull off” being boring. Kellaway’s exceptional exceptions fail to persuade me that the majority of CEOs should strive to be boring – that seems too low a hurdle for all of you energetic, charismatic thought leaders.

Are you a boring CEO? Do you want to be? Would you prefer to be a thought leader who’s interested and interesting? Ask, assess, then act.

10 Questions to Answer Before a Communication Crisis Hits your Organization

Posted by Constance Ward on June 4, 2012   |   1 Comment

Do you have a pre-defined communications plan in place for a management or organizational crisis? Goldman Sachs’ handling of a recent crisis stirred up by disgruntled senior manager Greg Smith can be considered a PR ‘worst-practice’ crisis communications case. The company’s reactions and responses to a scathing editorial the departing employee wrote for the New York Times were underwhelming; their communications response was not just ineffective; it actually added fuel to the fire and made the situation worse.

Hopefully, you won’t ever have to deal with such a public debacle. But you still need to be prepared because $&?!#% always happens. Always.

When a crisis comes, are you and your team prepared to deal not only with the situation itself, but also with the related internal and external communications issues that arise?

By answering these ten questions, you will have the beginnings of a robust crisis communications plan that will ensure you’re prepared to face a communications crisis quickly, effectively and professionally:

10 questions to ask before a communications crisis hits your organization:

  1. What’s the overview of the process and does everyone on the management team know it, not only the communications team?
  2. Do your managers all have a one-page quick guide to do’s and don’ts for crisis communications?
  3. Do your managers have a generic flow chart outlining who does what when?
  4. Do your managers have some generic wording for informing clients about a crisis that can be tailored to the specific situation?
  5. Do your managers have a list of ‘taboo phrases’ to avoid in a crisis?
  6. 6. Do your managers have a list of generic statements to give internal audiences when crisis details aren’t yet known?
  7. Do your managers have a list of generic statements to adapt for internal audiences in the hours, days and weeks following a crisis?
  8. Do your managers have a list of holding statements for journalists that can be adapted to the specific crisis?
  9. Do your managers have a list of polite ‘no response’ phrases to answer journalists who ask sensitive or confidential questions?
  10. Do your managers have a template and process for collecting questions being asked by employees, clients, investors or journalists?

And one final (but important) question: Do the right people in your organization have the right answers to these questions? Ask, assess, then act.

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