Leadership for the Ages with Ram Charan

I’m glad you’re enjoying my LinkedIn newsletter, “Think Forward: Trends. Inspiration. Bold Ideas.”??

My goal is to share lessons from my “What's Next!” Podcast as well as my LinkedIn Live interviews.??

In each newsletter, I share some of the highlights from my guests to help you think differently about growth, innovation and leadership.?

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Cheers to Thinking Forward!?

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This week’s newsletter shares insights from Ram Charan . Ram is a world-renowned business consultant, author, and speaker who has worked with the CEOs and boards of top companies for 40+ years. Since 1998, he has authored over 33 books which have sold over 4 million copies in a dozen languages.

This week, we’re diving into his latest book, Talent: The Market Cap Multiplier.?

In this conversation, Ram discusses what leaders should be doing to position their companies for growth. He shares his guidelines for execution and the question he asks?to gauge a person’s success in a role.?

Here are a few of my favorite takeaways from my time with Ram:?

How should leaders execute on the things that are going to have the greatest impact to their business?

There’s no doubt that execution creates growth. When you execute well, your customer welcomes you, and you get the energy to continue on.?

Just like athletes prepare for the Olympics with discipline and determination, there are fundamental guidelines that corporations should follow:

1. Clear accountability?
2. Dominant priorities?
3. Directly responsible individuals?
4. Key performance indicators (KPIs)

As you state in the title of your book, talent is the market cap multiplier. Why do you think leaders might not leverage this idea to the fullest capacity?

You destroy companies by the wrong people assigned. As a leader, you need to know your people. Just like in the Olympics, you wouldn’t place a swimmer in a different sport, you’re responsible for placing each person on your team in the place where they will flourish

I like to change the conversation and ask, “Is this job right for this person?”?

You should be asking yourself, “What does it take for this person to continue to be effective in this role and take us to the next level?” Write that down. Teach them those things. Give them the freedom to develop.?

What is the best place for leaders or managers to start?

Be extremely clear about what the goal is. The key word is extremely clear. Without this, you won’t go anywhere.?

The next step is to look at what kind of things need to be done to acheive that goal. These are separate from execution, they’re the Critical Operating Tasks (COT). What are they in your business? It’s important to identify them because three of these tasks will account for 80% of your impact.?

The final step is to move to execution and to determine if you have the right balance in your team for success.?

Growing a business is no small feat (Ram would liken it to the commitment and drive of an Olympic athlete). But as evidenced by the companies Ram has advised, a strategy built on clarity, focus, and employee fit is bound for success.?

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I hope you enjoyed this month’s Think Forward Newsletter.

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Mahalo,

Tiffani