Who Keeps the Rhythm

October 23, 2023

Good morning! If you love autumn, these last several days in Central Minnesota — world headquarters of Without A Vision Consultancy LLC — have been nearly perfect. Later this week our two youngest will be married… and we are thrilled for them. Put this on your list:  How To Know a Person, (Brooks, 2023)

• So-called fifth generation technology (5G) was launched four years ago — and the United States is lagging behind the world’s leaders for penetration.
  • Hong Kong leads the way with 74% — followed by The People’s Republic of China with 60%.
    • (You could argue it’s the same country and calculate a weighted average, but it/ they would still win.)
  • The United States is in 10th place globally with 43% penetration of the 5Gs.  (Fitzgerald, 2023)
• Check yourself:  There are good Boards, mediocre Boards (the most common, though perhaps well-meaning), and poor, even destructive, Boards.
  • Every organization needs — and deserves — a good Board.
  • But, how to get — and sustain — one?  (Be ever so grateful if you’re there!)
  • Patience and Persistence along Parallel Paths… stay focused, build bench strength, possess and communicate an authentic shared vision.
  • “If the CEO of an organization is the lead singer, the Board of Directors is the rhythm section.
  • The CEO fronts the company, leading the team in day-to-day operations to carry out strategy and create value…
  • The Board of Directors provides direction and oversight to ensure shareholder and broader stakeholder interests…”  (Huber, Etc., et al., 2022)
• The population explosion (earth’s current number of people = ~8.1 billion) is shifting from Asia to the continent of Africa.
  • With Nigeria as the epicenter.
  • The growing labor force in Africa will need ~18 million new jobs annually to absorb the growth up until 2035.
  • Africa’s population is set to double by 2050, and 40% of the total population will be younger than fifteen.
  • Manufacturing is proposed as the key; it provides jobs close to home yielding the greatest benefit to broader, local economies.  (Meredith, 2023)
• Thrift may no longer be a virtue.
  • According to McKinsey’s ConsumerWise Global Sentiment Data (2023), splurging is often supplanting thrift when it comes to short-term happiness.
  • When asked how they intend to splurge over the next three months, consumers ranked travel behind only restaurants and groceries.
  • Travel companies are advised to take note — and to look to artificial intelligence to improve customer experiences and increase (create) value.
• According to Field, Etc., et al. (2023), women are more ambitious than ever, and workplace flexibility is fueling the trend.
  • Yet, despite some hard-fought gains, women’s representation is not keeping pace.
  • The so-called broken rung is the greatest obstacle women face on the path to senior leadership — as opposed to the glass ceiling.
  • Women face their biggest hurdle at the first critical step up to manager.
  • In 2023, for every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, 87 women were promoted; 73 women of color… women fall behind and can’t catch up.
  • Women are about one-in-four C-Suite leaders (25%) , with women of color just one in sixteen (7%).
  • “For women, hybrid or remote work is about a lot more than flexibility.
  • When women work remotely, they face fewer microaggressions and have higher levels of psychological safety.”  (Field, Etc., et al., 2023)
• Ways leaders can turn pushback into progress:
  • “By effectively responding to ambivalence, disagreement, or resistance, leaders can boost team learning while moving their organization forward.” (Clampitt, DeKoch, 2023)
  • Responding to pushback may well rank as one of the more important competencies leaders can possess — and it’s especially critical during times of transition.
  • Pushback can take many forms, ranging from voicing concerns and raising questions to active opposition and sabotage.
  • Effective leaders think of pushback as an opportunity to boost their team’s learning while moving their organization forward.
  • The objective should be to increase people’s understanding and build support by tempering both advocate enthusiasm and contrarian pessimism.
  • This deeper level of understanding, while not necessarily satisfying to all in the moment, fosters a climate of candor, humility, adaptation, and trust,
  • thereby subtly steering pushback away from latent disruptive tendencies.  (Informed by Clampitt, 2023)