I am asked if I would again pursue a role in corporate. The only way that I know how to answer is by calling a spade a spade, but with heart. Courageous leaders are forthright, but with consideration not to hurt.
Maybe, but in a niche and with conditions. The role that I would favour would be responsibility and accountability for successfully implementing mergers and acquisitions, where integration, teamwork and cooperation across different cultures and businesses is pivotal; and to be a strategic part in the overall strategy. I would love to also make it happen, but this is considered younger bull territory.
Other conditions would be leadership biased. Leadership must have an abundance mentality, an ego for the business and not themselves. They must be humble, willing to listen and learn. My time is a scarce, I am 60 years young. For sure I am in the departure hall, but my learning, energy and wisdom is on the highest level yet in my life. Guess that depends on the base:)
There must be opportunity for transformation. Private Equity companies are notorious for over estimating synergies in acquisitions, for various reasons, but these are seldom achieved due to poor integration.
Some would argue that these conditions significantly limit my opportunities. Maybe, but I do not need a corporate role, I am not materially rich, but I have the freedom of living below my means. I need to be the creator of my own life, rather than act out improper agendas of others.
My interest became clear through successes in consulting in incidents of conflict. My courage, integrity and being forthright (a spade is a spade) with consideration (a heart is a heart), ensured we got conflicts solved on a permanent basis. Do I make mistakes? Hell yes, mistakes of judgement but never mistakes of heart.
I live win/win, and validation of this, I’ve never in my working career needed to resort to legal action or defence. Lawyers are mostly acting out win /lose, and with both parties acting out win/lose, they both end up losing, and the lawyers get rich. There are always better third alternatives.
Critical success factors in mergers start with sound strategy and then genuine buy-in. Trust is fundamental, and trust cannot be bought. Cooperation must trump over competition. Leadership must serve its employees and customers, and not itself. Leadership must be trustworthy.
In my last corporate role, we had dynamite teams and cooperation across global cultures. It was easy, I just had to be myself, I always valued the differences in people. I did not know everything, far from it, but together we figured it out.
Think Bigg-r 