As a leader, it is often better to ask the right questions and listen than to have all the answers. Robert S. Kaplan More Quotes by Robert S. Kaplan More Quotes From Robert S. Kaplan A mere 7% of employees today fully understand their company's business strategies and what's expected of them in order to help achieve company goals. Robert S. Kaplan accomplishment business order Why do leaders fail? Isolation and inability to learn. They are afraid to express doubt, admit vulnerability or seek advice from subordinates. Leaders must actively work to seek feedback and a reality check. They must be open to asking questions and framing issues. As the world becomes more complex and global, the risk of isolation becomes greater. The need for leaders to be open to learning becomes greater. Great leaders will need to ask the right questions and balance inquiry with advocacy. Robert S. Kaplan leader advice reality Process improvement programs are like teaching people how to fish. Strategy maps and scorecards teach people where to fish. Robert S. Kaplan excellence teaching people Consistent alignment of capabilities and internal processes with the customer value proposition is the core of any strategy execution. Robert S. Kaplan execution strategy excellence One reason leaders don't delegate is they haven't been sufficiently clear with the team regarding their vision and key priorities - so that the team understands where the firm is going. If everyone is on the same page, it's a lot easier to delegate effectively. Robert S. Kaplan priorities team leader Without strong visionary leadership, no strategy will be executed effectively. Robert S. Kaplan strategy visionaries strong Great companies create an environment in which employees act like owners. They do this through clear communication, articulation of clear vision and priorities, coaching and openness to debate/discussion. I would argue that this type of environment helps people to be at their best - and helps the company to be at its best. Robert S. Kaplan priorities communication people Screening out peer pressure and conventional wisdom. It is so powerful, that most of us aren't even aware of how much it is influencing our decisions. Robert S. Kaplan peer-pressure powerful decision Business and leadership is about the future. What worked five years ago is unlikely to work tomorrow. Robert S. Kaplan tomorrow There is usually a clock in our heads regarding decisions we make and the course of our lives. Sometimes this clock is helpful in that it get us to move rather than put off key actions. Other times, it creates us false sense of urgency that can cause us to overreact, lost patience and make poor decisions. In raising this issue in my book, I want people to be aware of the clock in their heads and question whether that clock is helping or hindering the quality of each particular decision. Robert S. Kaplan book people moving It bears repeating: you don't have to be good at everything. Robert S. Kaplan be-good bears Managing risk is very different from managing strategy. Risk management focuses on the negative-threats and failures rather than opportunities and successes. Robert S. Kaplan risk opportunity negative Vision and priorities should precede actions. Actions should be judged through the prism of how the firm adds value and the key competencies it seeks to build. Robert S. Kaplan priorities vision action Step one is to take ownership of figuring strengths ans weaknesses out. It starts with writing them down but, to take ownership, you have got to seek feedback of those who directly observe you - this is scary and uncomfortable for many people. It's no fun to hear negative feedback and most people don't want to stick their necks out to give it to you. So, you have to ask. Robert S. Kaplan writing fun people Leadership is a team sport - learning to work with others is a critical skill. This means articulating a clear vision, setting priorities, giving coaching, getting coaching and learning to seek advice from the team. All these activities Robert S. Kaplan team sports mean If you're the smartest person in the room, it can sometimes be hard to learn to delegate - the person to whom you're delegating will do the task worse than you would - and it will annoy you! Robert S. Kaplan annoying sometimes We have all had injustice happen to us. It often shapes our failure narrative. For example, maybe you were fired and not you don't trust colleagues as easily in the future. You may not overcome injustice but you need to be aware of how it affects you today. You can't avoid injustice but that doesn't mean you need to be a prisoner of it. Robert S. Kaplan overcoming today mean Every person I meet is struggling with how to understand themselves and reach their full potential. No one has it fully figured out. It is a life long struggle - -there isn't a precise destination or arrival. Robert S. Kaplan long-life struggle long There are three main areas of focus: vision, priorities and alignment. It is critical to articulate a clear vision - how do we add value based on what key competences? Some leaders fail to be clear enough or fail to update the vision based on changes in their industry and in the world. Robert S. Kaplan priorities focus leader You never do arrive at a destination. You have to work at it and take ownership of the process. What resonates at age 25 is likely to change by age 35 and 45. The process never ends. Realizing this has been a big breakthrough for me. Robert S. Kaplan ownership realizing age
