Turn Increasing Complexity to Your Advantage

By Elizabeth A. Kaye, executive coach and consultant

More than 1,500 CEOs, general managers and senior public sector leaders around the world identified complexity as their most pressing 2010 challenge in face-to-face interviews conducted by IBM Corporation. The report states, “Today’s complexity is only expected to rise, and more than half of CEOs doubt their ability to manage it. 79 percent of CEOs anticipate even greater complexity ahead. However, one set of organizations—IBM calls them ‘Standouts’—has turned increased complexity into financial advantage over the past five years.”

How can development leaders transform their organizations into Standouts?

• Embody Creative Leadership
  

• Value and develop creativity in your leaders
• Practice and encourage experimentation and innovation at every level
• Expect to make deeper fundraising model changes to succeed
• Take more calculated risks, find new ideas, and keep innovating in how you lead and communicate
  

• Reinvent Donor Relationships

• Co-create products and services with donors
• Integrate donors into core processes
• Adopt new channels to engage and stay in tune with donors
• Make donor intimacy your number-one priority

• Build Operating Dexterity
  • Simplify your operations and products
  • Increase your dexterity in changing the way you work, connect with donors and other resources, and explore new sources of support
  • Identify new sources for 20 percent of your future revenue
    

Leadership Coach and Consultant Elizabeth A. Kaye excerpted and translated for development leaders the Executive Summary of IBM’s recently published overview, Capitalizing on Complexity: Insights from the Global Chief Executive Officer Study. To get your electronic copy of the study, go here and click on 2010 IBM Global CEO Study. To contact Elizabeth about your own next steps in embodying creative leadership, reinventing donor relationships, and building operating dexterity, call 708-206-1412 or email collaborate@elizabethkaye.com.

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