當領導從來都不是一件容易的事,在外部因素紛繁復雜的當下——比如地緣政治爭端、社會激進主義者的壓力、越來越難伺候的新一代員工,以及數(shù)字革命的挑戰(zhàn)等等——經(jīng)營一家大公司比以往任何時候都更具挑戰(zhàn),也更有危險性。你只要看看有多少公司走馬燈似地換CEO就知道了。根據(jù)我們的調(diào)查,過去十年中,超過三分之一以上的全球性大企業(yè)都換了三位以上的CEO。 由于成功對領導力的要求正在發(fā)生改變,CEO的角色也同樣在發(fā)生變化。時勢造英雄,也造就了不同的領導藝術,上一代CEO更習慣于命令與控制,愛搞從上而下的治理模式,然而當代的CEO已經(jīng)意識到,他們應該遵循一種更靈活、適應性更強、更有自知之明的管理模式。伴隨著新時代的要求,企業(yè)高管們承認,要想獲得企業(yè)團隊、其他高管乃至董事會的幫助,他們必須能夠展示作為領導者的人性的一面。 在一項最新調(diào)查中,億康先達公司就領導力問題訪問了來自11個國家的402名CEO,這些受訪企業(yè)的總收入約達2.6萬億美元。當被問到他們是否需要對自身做出改變以適應他們的企業(yè)時,79%的受訪CEO回答“是”。他們明白,傳統(tǒng)的等級制度和照方抓藥的管理模式早已不能適應今天的企業(yè)了。如今的CEO要同時掌舵兩項改革,不僅要改革自身的領導能力,同時還要推動企業(yè)進行類似的改革。 令人鼓舞的是,面對職責任務的新挑戰(zhàn),CEO們對自己的應對能力,也就是“做事”方面,還是很有信心的,近四分之三(74%)的受訪CEO表示,他們此前的成績和經(jīng)驗已經(jīng)讓他們充分做好了當一名合格CEO的準備。超過五分之四(82%)的受訪CEO表示,他們在塑造企業(yè)愿景的過程中表現(xiàn)得游刃有余。 但說到“做人”方面,也就是在處理那些不好把握、更加感性化的問題上,很多CEO都表現(xiàn)出了挫敗感。一個人要想完成成功所需的自我改革,其實是很不容易的。近半數(shù)(48%)受訪者表示,想找出時間自省得失,要比想象的困難得多。同時,很多CEO發(fā)現(xiàn),CEO角色的“人性化”因素也是很難培養(yǎng)的。近半數(shù)(47%)受訪者表示,培養(yǎng)一支合格的主管團隊要比預計的困難。50%的受訪者稱,推動企業(yè)文化變革也比預想的難得多。 之所以發(fā)生這種現(xiàn)象,可能是由于很多CEO為自我變革和公司變革所做的準備遠遠不夠。很多時候,他們所做的準備都是基于經(jīng)驗的,他們搞的一些領導力培訓也沒有把自我認知或者如何適應環(huán)境變化作為重點。有近半(44%)受訪CEO表示,他們的公司沒有正式的培養(yǎng)接班人的計劃。在那些有接班人計劃的公司里,有19%的公司也執(zhí)行得非常不好。有意思的是,“內(nèi)推”上位的CEO總體上還沒有“空降”的CEO有自信。只有28%的“內(nèi)推”CEO表示他們已經(jīng)充分做好了接任CEO的準備,而外部“空降”的CEO則有38%表示了自信。 雪上加霜的是,很多CEO認為,他們必須獨自承擔決策的責任。只有38%的CEO表示,他們在決策時會征求董事會主席的意見。這或許是由于CEO們不愿意顯得自己缺乏主見,也可能是由于董事會太過注重流程和業(yè)績,而對領導力的其他因素不夠關心的緣故。董事會必須關注CEO的持續(xù)發(fā)展,畢竟選中一名CEO,只是一段旅程的起點,而不是終點。 為什么這一點很重要呢?因為CEO們?nèi)绻恢廊绾芜\用人性的一面,他們就必將失敗。而CEO的失敗,不僅僅是他們個人的事,也是股東、員工、客戶等所有利益相關者的失敗。CEO不僅需要培養(yǎng)戰(zhàn)略戰(zhàn)術思考能力,還要培養(yǎng)傾聽和回應的能力;不僅要善于傾聽團隊的聲音,也要善于傾聽自己的聲音。 不過令人振奮的是,如今的CEO們已經(jīng)意識到,社會對他們的領導能力的要求已經(jīng)發(fā)生了顯著變化,這也給他們帶來了新的機遇和挑戰(zhàn)。要想對此做好充分準備,CEO們不僅要為“做事”,更要學會“做人”。(財富中文網(wǎng)) 本文作者Kati Najipoor-Schüette和 Dick Patton均為億康先達公司全球 CEO實踐部的負責人。 譯者:樸成奎? |
Leadership has never been easy. Yet given the current volatility of the external world—stemming from geopolitical uncertainty, activist pressure, a new generation of employees, and digital disruption—running a large company is both more challenging and less secure than it’s ever been, as the daily drumbeat of CEO departures shows. Indeed, according to our own research, more than one-third of the world’s largest public companies have had three or more CEOs in the past decade. CEO roles are also changing because the kind of leadership required for success has changed. Today’s leaders know and appreciate that the paradigm has shifted to a flexible, adaptable, and above all, self-aware model—just as a generation of executives who were shaped in a more command-and-control, top-down era takes charge. As they enter this new era of leadership, chief executives acknowledge that they need help bringing out the more human side of being a leader—from their teams, their peers, and, most of all, their boards of directors. In a new survey, Egon Zehnder asked 402 chief executives from 11 countries—CEOs whose companies together make up an estimated $2.6 trillion in revenues—about leadership. When asked if they needed the capacity to transform themselves in tandem with their organization, 79% said yes. They understand that the hierarchical and clinical approach to being a CEO no longer works. CEOs today see themselves on a dual journey—one in which they evolve as leaders as their own companies are in a similar state of transformation. Encouragingly, CEOs expressed confidence in their ability to handle the practical aspects of the role—the “doing” part, as we call it. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of surveyed CEOs said their prior achievements and experiences prepared them to be CEO. More than four-fifths (82%) said they were comfortable shaping the overall vision for the company. But when it came to “being” CEO—personifying the less tangible, more emotional parts of leadership—chief executives shared feelings of frustration. Achieving the personal transformation required for leadership success has proven difficult: Nearly half (48%) said that finding time for self-reflection was tougher than expected. Meanwhile, many CEOs found the ‘human’ aspect of the role more difficult than expected. Almost half (47%) said that developing their senior leadership team was harder than anticipated, and 50% said the same about driving culture change. This may be because many CEOs reached the corner office with preparation that covers only a fraction of what is needed. Often, their track record has included experience-oriented preparation or leadership-oriented training that did not focus on self-awareness or adaptability to changing circumstances. Nearly half (44%) of CEOs said they did not go through a formal succession process, and of those who had, 19% rated the process as poor. Interestingly, CEOs who had been internally selected were less confident overall than those brought in from the outside, with just 28% of them saying they were fully prepared for the role, compared with 38% of external hires. Complicating matters is the fact that many CEOs feel they must bear the burden of decision-making alone. In an alarming statistic, just 38% of CEOs said they look to their board chairs for feedback. This may be because CEOs are not supposed to admit vulnerability—or it may be because directors are focusing too much on process and performance and not enough on the other elements of leadership. Boards must work on continuous development of their CEOs; after all, the selection of a chief executive is a starting point, not an end point. Why does this matter? Because if CEOs are not well versed in the human side of the role, they will fail—and the implications of that failure will affect not just their own success, but that of all stakeholders—shareholders, employees, and customers alike. CEOs shared that they need to develop not only their strategic and tactical thinking, but also their ability to listen and respond—both to their team members and, critically, to themselves. We are heartened by the realization of CEOs that their leadership requirements have changed dramatically—and that that comes with both challenges and opportunities. But we must do as good of a job preparing executives to “be” CEO as to “do” the job itself. Kati Najipoor-Schüette and Dick Patton co-lead the Global CEO Practice at Egon Zehnder. |