A Discussion on Leadership

1
A Discussion on Leadership

• John P. Sullivan
• Director, System Design Integration
• Pratt Whitney Aircraft
• Chris Holmes
• VP Engineering
• L3 Communications - Henschel

2
Discussion Points

• Introductions
• Our liability for this presentation
• Interview of Audience
• Discussion of Leadership Quality
• Discussion of Risk / Opportunity / Protocol Theme
• Modifications, Thoughts and Questions
• Summary

3
Our Liability

• We dont claim to have the answers, only very
  strong opinions.
• Verbal banter and vigorous debate is strongly
  encouraged.
• Great Leaders gladly and quickly modify their
  opinions based on well developed and thoughtful
  responses - we may or may not . . .
• We do not represent the views of our employers or
  MIT or anybody else that could sue us.
• Good stories, jokes and laughter are encouraged.

4
Audience Interview

• This is an interactive forum.
• Where do you stand in your organization?
• What is your effectiveness at running the
  business?
• Do you execute tactics or provide strategy?
• Do you affect the P L DIRECTLY?
• Do you have budget responsibility? At the project
  or business level?
• Who do you report to?
• What are you stressed about, the project or the
  business?
• Does the companys success directly affect you?

5
Leadership Quality Good vs. Bad

• The business icons and their relevance.
• Has a management textbook ever really helped you?
• Transcending The Noise- Focus.
• Distinction Connection between now, today,
  tomorrow, next month, next year, three years from
  now.
• Power of position as opposed to implicit power of
  ability.
• The difference between doing what is right for
  you, whats right for your boss and whats right
  for the business, and the implications.

6
Leadership Quality Good vs. Bad

• What are the defining characteristics of a leader?

7
Distillation of Unconnected Thoughts
Risk / Opportunity / Protocol

• What is risk?
• Lets make our own definition for today since
  everybody elses doesnt really matter.
• Risk for you?
• Your Family?
• Your direct reports?
• Your business?
• What are you willing to risk?

8
Distillation of Unconnected Thoughts
Risk / Opportunity / Protocol

• What is opportunity?
• What does it really look like?
• How does it materialize?
• At what velocity does it happen?
• Whats this theme about making your own
  opportunity happen and how real is it?
• How receiving are you of potential opportunity?

9
Distillation of Unconnected Thoughts
Risk / Opportunity / Protocol

• Protocol is defined for purposes here as how you,
  your organization and the combination behave when
  encountering risk and opportunity.
• What happens?

10
Modifications / Thoughts / Questions

• If you dont think youre a leader, your not.
• If you dont get fed by opportunity and burned by
  risk, you are not being exercised as a leader.
• Do you gather the data or make the decisions?
• Are you in control of your career or is it in
  control of you?
• This is personal.
• There are no rewards for quality of leadership
  aside from a successful business.

11
Summary

• No singular approach to leadership will work.
  Its a thousand adjustments a millions times a
  day.
• A leaders tolerance for risk and understanding
  of opportunity bounded by his environment and
  interaction with that environment defines the
  problem.
• Attitude, tolerance and vision.
• Expect to be alone.
• Define your own measures of success, dont let
  them be defined for you.