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Nine Essential Elements to Keep the Grim Reaper away from Your Company's Door
Robert Ruzki, author of "Avoid Corporate Death: Nine Essential Elements Will Keep the Reaper from Your Company's Door"
Robert Rudzki
Pittsburgh — August 22, 2008 — "No company is created to fail," writes Robert A. Rudzki."Yet the odds are stacked against corporations surviving more than a few decades."
A grim thought for corporate executives navigating difficult economic times. But Rudzki, founder and president of Greybeard Advisors, a Pittsburgh-based consultancy, points out in his new white paper, "Avoid Corporate Death: Nine Essential Elements Will Keep the Reaper from Your Company's Door," that the root cause of corporate failure can often be found in leadership — or lack thereof.
"Many once-greats are dying a slow death, losing much of what made them superior," Rudzki writes. "Others have expired quickly. And new research shows that many more are starting to atrophy as their leaders turn their focus to managing complexity — and away from leading for the future."
Rudzki has experienced corporate life firsthand, having served in senior management positions at Bayer Corp. and Bethlehem Steel Corp. He is co-author of the book Straight to the Bottom Line and author of the new business book Beat the Odds: Avoid Corporate Death & Build a Resilient Enterprise.
The "Unified Theory" of Performance
In his new white paper, Rudzki notes that globalization, increasing information transparency and shrinking product lifecycles, among other factors, are increasing performance pressures on companies even as executives must manage ever-more-complex "extended enterprises" that include their supply networks.
In response, the former chief procurement officer writes, corporate management too often undertakes haphazard "half measures" that don't fully address the extent or nature of the challenges facing the enterprise. The result: a decline in corporate results as performance erodes over time.
Rudzki suggests that executives should look for a "unified theory" of performance that addresses, comprehensively, the many different aspects of business success. "What is needed now is a simple, broadly applicable framework that can be understood (and promoted) by all those responsible for leading the organization toward the future," he writes.
In offering up his own "unified theory," Rudzki proposes his own "Beat the Odds Framework," a series of nine elements ranging from "1. Establish a Purpose" and "2. Live and Defend Your Core Values" to "8. Decide! Act! Get On With It!" and "9. When in Doubt, Use Common Sense." Rudzki uses the white paper to offer up more detail on each step.
A grim thought for corporate executives navigating difficult economic times. But Rudzki, founder and president of Greybeard Advisors, a Pittsburgh-based consultancy, points out in his new white paper, "Avoid Corporate Death: Nine Essential Elements Will Keep the Reaper from Your Company's Door," that the root cause of corporate failure can often be found in leadership — or lack thereof.
"Many once-greats are dying a slow death, losing much of what made them superior," Rudzki writes. "Others have expired quickly. And new research shows that many more are starting to atrophy as their leaders turn their focus to managing complexity — and away from leading for the future."
Rudzki has experienced corporate life firsthand, having served in senior management positions at Bayer Corp. and Bethlehem Steel Corp. He is co-author of the book Straight to the Bottom Line and author of the new business book Beat the Odds: Avoid Corporate Death & Build a Resilient Enterprise.
The "Unified Theory" of Performance
In his new white paper, Rudzki notes that globalization, increasing information transparency and shrinking product lifecycles, among other factors, are increasing performance pressures on companies even as executives must manage ever-more-complex "extended enterprises" that include their supply networks.
In response, the former chief procurement officer writes, corporate management too often undertakes haphazard "half measures" that don't fully address the extent or nature of the challenges facing the enterprise. The result: a decline in corporate results as performance erodes over time.
Rudzki suggests that executives should look for a "unified theory" of performance that addresses, comprehensively, the many different aspects of business success. "What is needed now is a simple, broadly applicable framework that can be understood (and promoted) by all those responsible for leading the organization toward the future," he writes.
In offering up his own "unified theory," Rudzki proposes his own "Beat the Odds Framework," a series of nine elements ranging from "1. Establish a Purpose" and "2. Live and Defend Your Core Values" to "8. Decide! Act! Get On With It!" and "9. When in Doubt, Use Common Sense." Rudzki uses the white paper to offer up more detail on each step.
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