THEN to NOW: What It Means
THEN to NOW is about casting away the old, tired, and ineffective forms of leadership. In their place? The NOW— principles that are proven, powerful, and battle-tested by today’s high-stakes and fast-paced business environment.
“Urs’ speech made it personal for those attending and kept the energy high. He is a delight to work with.”
THEN to NOW In Action
What does THEN to NOW mean for you and your organization?
It means saying goodbye to strength through intimidation and replacing it with strength through humility. It means trading the martini lunch for an organic, plant-based meal for true winners. It means swapping out burnout from work sprints with the endurance and consistency to produce long-term success. And it means unlocking the secrets to how J. Lo has been able to stay J. Lo, even after all these years.
Shift #1: The Leadership Funeral
If we want something new, we need to kill something old. Celebrate the THEN for what it was, give it its place in the sun and bury it. Make room for bigger, better, more relevant and useful NOW leadership. Both personally and professionally.
From THEN spreading ourselves too thinly to NOW prioritizing.
From THEN hanging on to old habits to NOW embracing new, fresh, more relevant ways of doing things.
Shift #2: Radical Transparency
To truly win in todays’ fast paced business climate our employees need to make fast decisions independently vs. waiting for direction. To get there we need to share more with our employees. Share strategy, business goals and management's intentions. When staff is in the know, they are empowered to take independent initiative, act fast and treat our business like it were theirs.
From THEN holding things close to management's chest to NOW sharing more.
From THEN secrecy and ambiguity to NOW radical transparency.
Shift #3: Tough on Results, Tender on People
Being both tough on results and tender on people, having both high standards and high touch is the ultimate ying yang of leadership. THEN leadership is management barking orders: only tough on results. THEN leadership is conflict avers managers: only tender on people. NOW leadership is both tough on results and tender on people.
From THEN pushing down to NOW lifting up.
From THEN avoiding conflict and letting standards slide to NOW holding the line.
Shift #4: Eyes On, Hands Off
Employees who are empowered to make fast decisions independently will drive our success. They have internalized the shared purpose of our organization. When faced with a just-in-time decision, they ask themselves: will this help us achieve our purpose? Success as a leader is measured by how the ship runs when you aren’t there.
From THEN employees waiting for directions from the boss to NOW employees proactively making smart decisions.
From THEN micromanagement to NOW empowered execution at the front line
Shift #5: Champion of the Culture
Culture eats strategy for breakfast, meaning: As NOW leaders we are responsible for driving our company's and our team’s culture. As NOW leaders, we are responsible for how our team members interact. All of it: the good, the bad, the ugly. Great leadership is not about individual excellence but about our ability to drive and shape the culture of our organization.
From THEN individual leadership excellence to NOW driving our organization’s culture.
From THEN sole focus on talent to NOW champion of the culture.