Executive Tenure is at an All Time Low

December 2, 2024

Good morning! It’s a beautifully brisk yet balmy 13 degrees — warmer by 10 degrees compared to the last few mornings. And then there was one… and it was December. The last five days were packed full of all the parts and pieces you might imagine when thinking about the Feast of Giving Thanks in the frozen Upper Midwest. And now, except for the girl from Alaska with an extended Visa, all of the other 45 humans have returned to their points of origin filled with visions of Grinch and store-bought pizza pie. Oh, do not despair, we enjoyed the traditional foods — all thirteen of them — but by Day #4 the local pizzeria helped to quell the chaos for a few minutes. It’s premature to report anything beyond a preliminary assessment, but it would appear we survived and are richer for the experience, though the wine rack needs replenishing

• Time to flip the flan (aka, turn the page) and to enjoy the 1951 Dodge truck featured on a good friend’s calendar… oh, how I love wall calendars, ink-on-paper.
• We shut down the office for five days, and so now… hundreds of e-mails — thankfully!
  • (What if no one wrote?!)
• Remember your Grade #4 math?
  • How many unique relationships are possible in a house filled with 48 humans?  (Here is a hint:  !)
• This might be intuitive, but the more complex an economy, the greater its productivity.
  • The U.S., Italy, Germany, and France lead under those data comparisons, with countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Indonesia bringing up the rear. (Sternfels, Etc., et al., 2024)
• A consistent and clearly articulated performance management framework wins the day.  (Komm, Etc., et al., 2024)
  • Performance management is most effective when it features strong, consistent, internal logic that employees understand.
  • The top three most important features:
    1. Individual performance goals include a mix of personal and team goals.
    2. Individual goals are clearly and logically linked to strategic-level organization goals.
    3. Individual goals are clearly, logically, and fairly/ equitably measurable.
• “Good leadership is about balancing hard-nosed business skills with soft leadership skills.”  (Kaas)
• Today’s top leaders operate in an increasingly high-risk environment, expected to tackle more complexity, and make bigger swings with no second chances.
  • This has taken a toll:  the average tenure of an S&P 500 CEO is at an all-time low.  (Kaas)
• Here at Without A Vision we are not smart enough to know the reasons, nor the solutions, but something is wrong somewhere when millions of humans don’t have enough food.
• Maybe the best marketing advice:  Know really well to WHOM you’re speaking, and
  • … WHY you’re speaking, and about WHAT you’re speaking, and knowing WHEN to speak — and HOW…
  • … and then, speak to that person, just to that person — using a voice that both informs and persuades.
• In how many different sports do you need assistance to properly get dressed or helped into your uniform or equipment; can’t do it alone?
• At this time of year it’s considered rude to visit someone’s home without a Panettone in tow.
  • If you don’t make your own, or if you don’t have a suitable purveyor, permit us to recommend Cossettas in downtown St. Paul; unparalleled.
  • A friend brought one by the other day and wow, is it delicious; thank you!