What gives companies competitive advantage? What are the burning issues for corporate leaders today? How do leaders lead in times of crisis or instability? How do companies identify, attract, develop, and retain the best and brightest people in the marketplace?
These are some of the questions Heidrick & Struggles sought to answer through interviews with hundreds of Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), senior managers, financiers, academics, management and leadership experts, and many of the firm’s own executive search consultants for Leaders Talk Leadership. Throughout these interviews and written essays from some of the world’s most respected leaders, one message emerges with unmistakable clarity: the best-led companies know and believe in the value of people.
On the heels of a global transformation from a physical asset-dominated economy to a service- and information-driven economy in which intangibles drive the marketplace, it is proven over and over again that the greatest single asset of any organization is its human capital. Accordingly, its greatest single challenge is the creation, nurturing and optimization of that capital. Of utmost importance to corporate chiefs, therefore, is the construction of a model for managing people, a system that best serves the people who serve the organization.
From innovative and aggressive recruiting to progressive executive development programs to creating developmental opportunities for promising executives, and to the challenging task of retaining highly talented, motivated and productive teams, chief executives today face the daunting task of creating an environment in which people want to, and can, perform at the highest levels of their potential.
Over the past decade, manufacturing, finance and information technology have been the foci of corporate improvement programs. The more progressive organizations, however, have implemented action plans centering on people rather than on functional and transactional areas as the key to improving productivity.
Leaders Talk Leadership emphasizes that the people component of a business model is intricately woven into the corporate fabric: in its infrastructure, its operations, its culture, its message to the market and indeed, its very significance in the market. CEOs who haven’t questioned whether their companies are attracting, developing and retaining good people and managing out less desirable talent simply aren’t doing their company and their shareholders justice. Companies whose leaders haven’t translated the recognition that their people are a tremendous source of competitive advantage into action are highly unlikely to be enjoying a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Some of the world’s most respected, value-driven companies derive an increasing percentage of their valuations from the collective power of their intangible assets—i.e., people, brands, suppliers, partners, and intellectual property. In terms of gaining and sustaining a competitive advantage, the strategic use of human capital is equally or even more critical as a sustainable and additive business model, technology, a global presence, a strong balance sheet, or physical assets. In boom times or busts, in calm or calamity, great leadership is the foundation of all great companies without regard to the economic environment.
In Leaders Talk Leadership, Heidrick & Struggles taps into the collective wisdom of an unparalleled group of highly accomplished and experienced experts, men and women who have proven their credentials as leaders of thought and action in the global marketplace. Heidrick & Struggles’ access to these accomplished individuals results in a collection that captures the essence of what these leaders believe, what they have found to be of value, what lessons they have learned and put into practice—lessons that prove their effectiveness through growth, profitability and enhancement of shareholder value.
The Book
Overview
Inside the Bookcover
Foreword
Preface
Excerpts
Chapter 1 - Leadership
Chapter 2 - Managing Human Capital
Chapter 3 - Competitive Advantage
Chapter 4 - Strategic Change
Chapter 5 - The Stakeholder's View
Prologue
List of Featured Executives
Executive & Company Bios
Fast Facts
About the Editors
Contact the Editors