Management Excellence by Art Petty

This is what I describe as a boil-over post—short on useful advice and long on observations about the obvious.  I usually shy away from commenting on the world scene, however, I’m breaking form today. 

As is my habit on gorgeous Mid-Western U.S. mornings (that’s for all of you folks all over the globe that love to point out the temperature differentials to me in February!), I rise early, grab a quick cup of English Breakfast Tea, glance at the Wall Street Journal and then jump on my bicycle for my wake-up workout.  I suppose this morning’s paper is not much different than every other paper for the last few months, but as I said, this is a boil-over post: it’s been simmering for a while.  My positive spin on the over-abundance of miserable news is that this is a great time for leaders everywhere to ply their trade and show the world what they are made of.

Just a few of our very visible and very important “leadership” opportunities:

The Economy.  The Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke has perhaps the worst job on the planet right now.  In what is looking more and more like a perfect storm, the Chairman must simultaneously deal with the still-unfolding housing crash, the implosion in mortgage financing, the wholesale failure of some of the planet’s alleged smartest financiers to do anything right (think Bear Sterns), record oil prices, a record low dollar value, the specter of inflation and general weakness in many U.S. and global markets.  Perhaps the only thing more complicated than the macroeconomic environment is the weather.  Oh yeah, if Chairman Bernanke’s daily dilemmas aren’t tough enough, spend a few minutes listening to the windbags in Congress posture while they attempt to blame him for everything, including the ’29 crash.

U.S Auto Manufacturers.   The headline I want to see is: U.S. Auto Executives Fired En Masse for Arrogance, Idiocy and Forgetting to Diversify their Product Portfolios.  What is galling to me is that these executives had clear visibility into competitor strategies as well as the bigger picture of energy and oil.  Did they really expect to live on the profits from the SUVs and Trucks of the ’90′s forever?  Killing an industry should be a crime punishable by ample jail time.

U.S. Airlines (except for Southwest).  Most of my work is in the Chicago-area, so I’ve avoided flying for a while.  A good friend of mine described his recent experience on a major carrier as: “something out of a movie shot in a third-world country.”  In a bold stroke, most major U.S. carriers (except Southwest) have decided to bet their survival on making an already lousy experience miserable.  I wonder what happened to the memo that said that if we serve our customers and give them great reasons to use our services, they will help us weather the storm.  Jail time for these execs as well.  It’s time for some fresh approaches from new leaders interested in running businesses that serve customers.

Iraq.  Absolutely no joking here…U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians are losing their lives.  This situation has serious repercussions for the U.S. and for the Middle East for years to come.  The next President will be saddled with resolving (hopefully) this nightmare.  There are encouraging signs, but it is a complex situation.  Kudos to the military leaders on the ground and the brave citizens that are working towards a self-governing, democratic Iraq.

Iran.  Hmmm, if this situation wasn’t complex enough, the leaders in this country seem to relish their ability to destabilize. 

I could keep going, but I won’t.  It’s time to stop, with just one other light by comparison leadership dilemma: Brett Favre.  As I’m writing this, my oldest son is listening to ESPN reporting on the Brett Favre saga.  Put yourself in the shoes of the Packer’s GM, Ted Thompson, who has to decide whether to fire this remarkable Wisconsin (via Mississippi) hero or bring him back and let him play in spite of having moved on once Brett announced his retirement a few months ago. 

I do have some advice for Ted Thompson, and it is based on the track record of Jerry Krause, the former Chicago Bulls General Manager who once indicated that one of his major goals was to build a championship team without Michael Jordan.  How did that work out, Jerry?

The End of the Rave For Now:

Tough times and challenging circumstances provide outstanding opportunities for leaders at all levels to test their mettle and gain valuable experience.  There have been few times in recent history with this number of complex challenges staring at us in everything that we do.  As individuals, we cannot solve these issues alone, but we can hold our leaders from local politicians to congress and the next President accountable.  We can make good decisions with our finances, demand accountability from our elected officials and challenge the leaders in our businesses to do more than focus on the short-term.  We can support our troops even if we disagree with the policies, and we can cast our vote this November.  It’s a great time for leaders everywhere to stand up and be counted.