Some consider Buckminster Fuller one of the greatest minds of the 20th century. Going into the end of the first decade of the 21st century, it's clear his teaching is still critical reading. I recently stumbled upon a site called Ready, Aim, Inspire that provides leadership insights and quotes. A write up on Buckminster Fuller by authors Medard Gabel and Jim Walker on the site synthesizes his thoughts into a 10-step blueprint for problem-solving leadership in an age of rapid change. If one thing is certain it is that we are in a period of rapid change. Therefore, I'll be highlighting some of the 10 steps in future posts. If you believe as I do that problem-solving leadership is a key talent for this century, then it seems fitting to start this year with a tip of the hat to Buckminster Fuller, or Trim Tab as he liked to be called. More on that also in a future post.
Not surprisingly, this year's
Top Management Conference keynote presentation is dedicated to the topic of leadership. Dave Ulrich, author of
Leadership Brand: How to Give Yours the Competitive Edge will discuss how leadership drives company performance and real leadership endures over time. Perhaps that's why Buckminster Fuller remains relevant. His insights endure and inspire.
In the beginning of every year, we make lists of our resolutions to help us set goals or realize dreams. Most consumers fail in their resolutions exactly where we as businesses fail in meeting missions — in staying focused on them. Life, or business pressures take over, and we allow them to take attention away from stated goals. That's where Fuller is said to have excelled and differentiated himself. The authors write: "Fuller was always considering not just important things — but perpetually attempting to discern the most important things and placing them in the context of extraordinary times.
NAPL's approach to staying focused on the important things is a consistent focus on strategic planning. NAPL President Joe Truncale is a sought-after speaker on the topic and conducts several customized on-site planning sessions at printing companies around the country. In addition, Strategic Planning is a dedicated track at the annual Management Institute held in August in Washington, DC. And, this year, NAPL is creating a workbook that outlines its unique approach to strategic planning and facilitates companies starting the planning process on their own. For more information on the workbook, e-mail our internal strategic planning expert —
Joe Truncale.
The morale I'm taking away from studying Buckminster Fuller is this: in extraordinary times it's more, not less, important to stay focused on what's important, and strategic planning helps leaders keep the company on course. Serious goal setting, unlike pie-in-the-sky resolutions, is a hallmark of leadership and a key step to staying focused on the right things particularly during challenging times.
A Happy and Prosperous New Year to our LInked In Group. If you just recently joined the group, please look at past posts, and note the current deadline of February 1, 2009 for NAPL's new
Marketing Award. It's just one way to start the new year off on a positive note!
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