In an interview by Terry Waghorn on Forbes.com, leadership guru Kevin Cashman offers advice on staying ahead of change in tough times for business.
Cashman, a leadership and talent consultant and author of the book 'Leadership From The Inside Out', insists that cutting back on people and strategies in a difficult economic climate won't necessary help a business survive.
He says: "[During tough times most organisations] start cutting and laying off, which only creates more chaos and disconnection. If we have to cut, we must ask what our commensurate investment is in ensuring that our people and culture thrive through it all."
Cashman adds that most organizations use difficult times to revise their strategies but do so poorly. "They only rearrange the deck chairs," he explains. "When leaders think about strategy, they should be thinking about how to both rise above the current circumstances and alter them. Otherwise, the circumstances will define the leaders, instead of the leaders defining the circumstances."
The key lesson for corporate leaders, says Cashman, is that change is always difficult. He believes leaders should step into the unknown aggressively.
"Accelerating the destructive-creative process is at the heart of genuine, innovative leadership," concludes Cashman. "Those who only hunker down during tough times by focusing on management principles like cutting costs are sure to be left behind by their game-changing competitors - those who embrace creative vs. destructive change."
How To Stay Ahead Of Change In Tough Times
Interview by Terry Waghorn, Forbes.com, 05/02/09
