[January 11, 2014] Discussions with senior leaders gives us a good idea of what a particular organization has on its horizon and the thoughts of those leaders. These leadership topics of conversation enable anyone to get a better grasp on the issues that face us tomorrow and to begin to draft an improved engagement strategy.
While a list of hot topics will differ according to the industrial sector (e.g., agriculture, manufacturing, construction, military), there will always be some common threads that dominate the dialogue.
Each hot topic desires some level of explanation and I will do that in future posts. In the meantime, anyone who wishes to add to the list would be appreciated.
For example, “diversity and inclusion” has been on the hot topic list for some time now across all sectors. Recently, the issue has evolved beyond recruiting and retaining of those who fit into the political definition of diverse groups to actually working to better incorporate and leverage diversity into the organizational culture. This later trend is a good news story.
Below is simply a list by topic of some of hot topics, listed in no particular order.
- Developing the next generation of senior leaders
- Leading and managing organizational change
- Cyber, intellectual asset, and physical security
- Strategic planning amid fiscal, regulatory, and economic uncertainty
- Impact of innovation, mobile technology, and social media
- Ability to attract, manage, and retain leadership talent
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Corporate governance
- Risk identification and management
- Drug & alcohol abuse, workplace bullying, and other employee problems
This list will be controversial because it does not match the classic corporate world ideal. Why is that?
First, the list is for senior leaders and for what they believe important. Second, the inclusion of “corporate governance” is rarely found elsewhere and some will debate whether it should even be on the list. And third, the list was derived from a review of many sources, including atypical sectors like the military and smaller businesses, not just large commercial companies.
During the new 2014 year, I will pay attention to this list to help an understanding of how senior leaders do business, how they think, and what makes up their list of important issues.