There’s no question that adjusting to a new environment can be difficult. However, landing a top role at a company can also bring new thinking and an innovative perspective to a business needing a reboot or being disrupted by a new technology.
I was born in Germany, worked in Italy and have had the unique opportunity to take on leadership roles at different organizations. Just recently, I was named Vice President of MINI Region Americas in Woodcliff Lake.
Lucky for me, I had the chance to get to know my customers, fellow workers and other key target audiences when I joined a 4,000-mile biannual cross-country rally, MINI TAKES THE STATES. The trip enabled me to spend time listening to what’s right about the brand, what needs fixing and how I, personally, can make a difference.
But as I said earlier, I’m not new to being a new leader in a new organization (and not everyone will have that same opportunity to spend weeks on the road listening to what your key audiences have to say). So, here are some tips that will ensure success for anyone who’s just taken on a brand new leadership position:
Succeeding in a top leadership position is one of the most challenging tasks in business. I’ve found the best thing to do is what we at MINI do every two years when we plan our MINI TAKES THE STATES experience. Create a road map. Stick to the points that I’ve listed above and be brutally honest with yourself. If you’re not seeing incremental success each and every month, stop and determine why.
Assuming that things do happen as you planned, you’ll be crossing the finish line under a checkered flag in the Indianapolis 500 of Corporate America.
By Thomas Felbermair, Vice President of MINI Region Americas
Source: NJBiz
It can be a real challenge to try to fabricate fun, especially in a group workplace setting. I’m not going to claim to have the perfect answer to that, because I do think fun is much like romance: if you try to force it too much, it’s not going to happen. What you can do, though, is set the stage for it.
The specific attributes that leaders of color bring can be the key to unlocking great leadership — for everyone. To better understand the relationship between leadership and identity, the authors talked to 25 leaders of color across the social sector and drew on their client work. Their research identified several noteworthy assets that leaders of color bring to their organizations.
The mission of a CEO used to be fairly straightforward. Set the vision and strategy of your company and make sure the right people are in the right roles. Above all else, grow as fast and as big as you can. But as the world has changed, so have the demands of the CEO job— and the skills needed to succeed in it.
