A Visionary View of Culture and Leadership

Transcript

Susan S. Stautberg: It's so important to be able to have good leadership at all levels of the organization ready to move up, ready to be prepared to take that next step of leadership.

Jannice Koors: If you think about business strategy as what a company is going to do, then leadership strategy defines how a company is going to do it.

Catherine Allen: I absolutely believe boards have a responsibility to establish that leadership strategy as well as the business strategy.

Irene Chang Britt: There’s no execution of a great strategy without the talent that bears that out.

C. Kim Goodwin: As they think about succession planning, as they think about the future of the company…it’s is the responsibility of the board to think longer term.

Christine St.Clare: Where's the talent today that will be there tomorrow when we introduce these new services or these new products? What do we need to do to develop that talent?

Evelyn Dilsaver: You cannot execute your strategy unless you have a clear idea of what your culture is capable of doing.

Kapila Anand: How well people are managed; how happy individuals are, how engaged they are – those are hard because those are soft metrics.

Arun Nayar: The board has to keep an eye on how the culture is developing and is that culture going to support the long-term sustainable growth of the enterprise?

Melissa Means: Times are changing so quickly. What we know today will not be in existence tomorrow. Innovation is a required aspect of any business today. If we’re not paying attention to it, likely we won’t be in business in the future.

Evelyn Dilsaver: The board’s role in disruptive innovation is critical.

Catherine Allen: Think about providing an environment that allows for innovation, allows for safety, allows for the people to excel.

Eileen Fusco: The board needs to have its own leadership strategy. You are the place where the buck stops.

Aalap Shah: We talk a lot about diversity of the board, and what does that mean? Does that mean race and gender diversity, or does that actually mean diversity of the experience?

Irene Chang Britt: The willingness of a board member to take some of their own time to say, “I will help you set the tone if you’re open to it and if you want a partner.” I think that’s a wonderful thing.

Susan Stautberg: It's important to be a visionary board. That’s why these thought leadership reports, which were created by Pearl Meyer, are so  important to WCD members around the world and also to other directors. They help you provide useful information to be able to go back to your board, ask the right questions, and be able to keep your board on the cutting edge.