Late ‘Generals’ and ‘Generals’ that lost stars:
Some big organizations that used to be ‘commander-in-chief’’ of their respective industry segment are no more today because they chose to lead with titles. One of such is Polaroid. Polaroid used to be a four –star General and Commander-in-Chief of photography business. But when digital technology for photography came out, ‘General Polaroid’, ( as king of photography with several past laurels as number 1 in this and that) felt it was a fluke, so it failed to embrace it and stayed with its traditional instant image photography technology. Of course, General Polaroid died in the 1990s and was buried in 2001. Similarly, Xerox lost to Sharp photocopier machine when it abandoned the lower-end of the market for high-end market segment. In a jiffy, sharp pulled the rug off the feet of General Xerox. Happily enough, General Xerox has learnt its lessons. General Daewoo, on the other hand, did not have a second chance- it collapsed and died instantly.
Some four-star Generals lost one or two stars to competition. Sonny of Japan used to be a four-star General in electronics and gaming. But it lost to Samsung and Ninentedos. Microsoft lost to Goggle in World Wide Web search engine technology by embracing it two years late. Dell computers eroded IBM market in personal computers in the 1990s because General IBM led with its title as the first and biggest personal computers maker in the world. Sonny, IBM and Microsoft lost grounds to competition in critical segment of the markets because they reasoned and executed as ‘’titled chiefs’’ or Generals, at a time they should not have led with title.
Meanwhile, we have some companies which have imbibed the culture of leading without title like: Nokia, Easy jet, Google, Linux, Red Bull, and Apple among others. These companies remain restless insurgents in words and actions without relying on titles.
In the paragraphs that follow we shall itemize five building blocks which organizations need to put in place to win in the market place without parading their titles:
Building block 1: Groom the ‘Joshuas’’ well ahead of time: not a few corporate analysts were surprised recently when the CEOs of Merrill and Citigroup were laid off and it was embarrassingly discovered that there were no successors on the wings to take over immediately. This is a mistake which most organizations keep making repeatedly. According to research carried out by James Collins and Jerry Porras: ‘of the 18 successful companies studied, only four times – in a combined years of 1700 years! – did one of them go outside the firm for a CEO’. It is only when companies consciously identify and groom the future leaders ahead of time will they escape the temptation of always wanting to lead with title.
Building block 2: Model Insurgent Leadership: to win in the present dog-eat- dog market place of the 21st century, organization needs to focus on delivering the win, the whole win and nothing but the win by erecting an idiot-proof strategy that delivers the win. Globalization cannot be shut out, it can only be beaten says Tony Blair. Many CEOs in Europe and America and Nigeria are having sleepless nights because of the Chinese insurgence marketing strategy. Companies that will be around for the next two decades are the ones which model the insurgent leadership and create a more results-focused aggressive spirit among its employees.
Building block 3: Choose your destiny by defining the future. Winning companies are the ones who can see the road ahead, successfully articulate it and come up with products that customers will require at the right price and quality before competition.
Building block 4: Remain Paranoid. Companies that get scared and remain scared play to win and don’t play to lose, and ride ahead of today’s waves of change will always be two steps ahead of competition.
Building block 5: Culture is king. Cult-like companies bow down to their ideologies and bounce back faster when they are faced with challenges in the macro economic milieu; unlike companies without strong in-built culture. One of the most sustainable competitive advantages for CEOs is the development of what I call ‘’ownership culture’ as opposed to ‘we’ vs. ‘they’ culture that obtains in most companies today between the management and board on one hand, and the employees on the other hand.
In conclusion, what leading without title teaches the CEOs and employees is that they must beware of success. As Robin Sharman succinctly put it: ‘The more successful you and your organization become, the more humble and devoted to your customers you need to be.’
Akano, CEO of New Horizons, is an IT specialist and one of the World’s top coaches in sixth sense corporate strategy