A number of transitions have happened this year and it’s only the beginning of 2023. This past week Tom Brady announced he is retiring (for real) and Dr. Phil McGraw is saying goodbye to the “Dr. Phil” show. A good friend of mine is considering some big questions and decisions about moving. And, whether they wanted to or not, over 46,000 tech workers are saying goodbye to their jobs this year. Some of these may have been planned transitions and some may have been emergency transitions. But regardless, transitions happen.
Organizations that continue to do well will pay attention to leadership transitions. And a crucial part of that is a well-defined job description for the leader. You’d be surprised how many founders of organizations do not even have a job description. Don’t join them.
I want all of you to revisit your job description and really look at it. Update your current responsibilities. Some may not have changed at all. Other responsibilities may not make sense any longer. You may not even recognize what was written…where did that come from?? More important, you probably have responsibilities now that simply didn’t exist a few years ago. (Leading Zoom conferences, anyone?)
Carve out some time to think deeply about your job description. What exactly do you do? What do you do that no one else does? What are you responsible for that someone else could handle? What technical and social skills are essential to your success? These are all vital details to the health and longevity of your organization. No one can help with leadership transitions without a clear understanding of exactly what you are responsible for and bring to the table. And because we all know that change is inevitable, revisit and update your job description every two years. Make this a habit.
Next, have a conversation with other leaders on your team or your Board of Directors and talk about the future and what certain scenarios could hold. After all, no leader stays forever. What is the vision for the organization moving forward in the next three to five years? What kind of leader is needed for where the organization is headed? Difficult question…are you that leader? If not, do you know what that new leader will need to look like? It’s highly probably the skills needed to lead the organization 15 years ago are not the skills needed in 2023 and beyond. I know that it’s hard to swallow – but just as your business has evolved, the type of leader and team members that are essential have likely evolved as well. It’s so much better to deal with these questions proactively than to face a crisis of leadership later on.
Don’t kick these two steps down the road. They’re that important.
Stay sharp,
Holly Hayes, President & Founder
I took a GQ quiz this week and failed. No, it wasn’t in GQ (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) magazine =). It’s the Generational Quotient Assessment. It’s a simple quiz that helps you identify how much you know about the different generations we all encounter. It’s free, and this link takes you directly to it! Can you score higher than my 63? I did score the highest for my own generation, but that means I have a LOT to learn about the other four generations. Do you know that in 2023, five generations are working together and often colliding with one another? Below is a table with information from Tim Elmore that I’ve found very helpful (I’ve modified it slightly). In summary, context explains conduct. Each generation embraces different values and customs and we as leaders need to recognize this and adapt accordingly.
The largest generation in the workforce right now are Millennials (born between 1983-2000). They’re confident, love choice and change, and choose which leaders they’re going to follow. But they’re not the only group you’ll need to work with. Organizations that are going to thrive and leaders who are going to excel recognize the differences in each of the generations and use it to their advantage. Veterans and rookies can work together and excel – it is possible. We just have to recognize that the same techniques won’t work with everyone.
As you move forward in your organization, seek to learn and grow with someone from a different generation. How can you build relationships and drop the walls? What can they teach you? What can you show them? Let’s build connections among all generations. Inter-generational diversity will add strength to your organization. Let’s all commit to learn and grow.
Stay sharp,
Holly Hayes, President & Founder
Living in San Antonio for six years, I flew Southwest Airlines a lot. I loved that no seats were assigned and enjoyed their service. But that was over twelve years ago. Today, I’m concerned that Southwest Airlines hasn’t kept up with the times and predict that if they do not make some significant changes, Southwest won’t be around five years from now. Mark my words – they may be the next Kodak or Blockbuster.
Although weather played a part, the recent meltdown of Southwest didn’t come out of the blue. It was largely due to management’s failure to modernize IT software, crew scheduling systems, and their phone system. A failure to grow their technology as the airline grew. And as we all know, technology changes rapidly. Using a ten year-old system is like writing on papyrus with a quill pen. It may work, but it’s incredibly slow. The systems Southwest was employing were the equivalent of using a 2nd or 3rd generation smartphone instead of the 12th generation. It was a disaster waiting to happen, storm or no storm.
I know lots of you have invested in new technologies over the past decade. New purchasing systems, new financial systems, new electronic medical records, new project management system…..and the list goes on and on. Good for you! Don’t fall into the trap of not doing these things because it will slow you down or cost money or looks like a lot of work. Yes, new systems probably will slow you down for a few weeks or months, but they won’t cause you to come to a screeching halt. The alternative is a meltdown similar to Southwest’s. We all need to invest and grow and learn new technologies and systems, even when it makes us want to cuss and scream and pull out our hair.
Technology is there to help us. Don’t be like Southwest. Ever since the pandemic, they’ve realized the need to rework and update their systems. As their CEO noted, Southwest execs “talked a little over the last year about the need to modernize.” But they didn’t. And that decision led to more than 13,000 cancelled flights, tons of customer frustration, and a likely federal investigation.
I hope that moving forward, this rebel airline will overhaul their outdated systems. But a one-time fix will not be the cure. They’ll need to continue to make investments every year to keep up with the times and their competitors. Just like you.
Which of your technologies and systems need to be revisited? Where are you embarrassed at some of your back-end operations? Are you still using Excel or Access databases when something better is out there? Or some outdated donor software system? How can technology assist you in making some tasks go quicker and with more accuracy? If you don’t know, call Mike (he’s my guy) or find a technology guru who can guide you in software, technology, and advancements that will help your organization.
Stay sharp,
Holly Hayes, President & Founder
