Hot Topic Friday: May 15

Happy Friday! Here are my May 15 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Hot Topic 1: Quibi Leader Blames Virus For Lousy Performance.

What It’s About: Lame CEOs or leaders blame this pandemic for their problems, and hide behind it as much as they can. The situation has seriously hurt nearly every industry (certainly not all; Zoom, Netflix, pajamas, e-commerce, coffee, booze, etc.) And yet, the most resilient leaders spend more time asking the question “how might we?” instead of griping about “poor me.” The new streaming service, Quibi, generated a lot of buzz when it launched on April 6. Yet by all accounts, the company is off to a brutal start. Quibi’s founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, told the New York Times, "I attribute everything that has gone wrong to coronavirus. Everything… But we own it."

Katzenberg hasn’t learned how important it is to stay left of one’s “but.” It’s a disingenuous comment to say, “we own it” on the heels of blaming COVID-19.

So What?: Highly effective and inspirational leaders normally stay away from blame because all blame is waste. And if you’re a streaming service of any kind, in a stay-at-home, sheltered world desperate for entertainment/ways to distract and pass the time, you ought to be rocking it out. As the article notes: “Quibi is the outlier in this pandemic among streaming services because other services have seen a boom lately. So is this a product that consumers actually want?.” So look at yourself, and find a way forward rather than complaining or blaming anything else.

Now What?: It is a helpful reminder to embrace the values of acceptance and forward movement. We need to honestly understand, accept the situation we’re in, and fiercely move forward. No one wants to hear how tough I’ve had it at the top of an organization, when we’re all trying to navigate through the same crappy pandemic environment. And remember, “always stay left of your but!”

One Millennial Response: Also, it’s not like Quibi was the helpless kid on the block… In 2018, they reportedly raised $1B in funding from 11 Hollywood investors and studios. People love to put on an episode of The Office on Netflix for the 186th time, so it’s clear they don’t get sick of good content. So, perhaps instead of blaming a sickness, Quibi should realize nothing about their platform, cost, brand, or operation is worthy of going viral for the right reasons.

Hot Topic 2: Looking Beyond This to the Future.

Source: These two PwC articles.

What It’s About: PwC has published some fascinating papers on the Future of Work 2030. The following is a high level summary of suggested action by leaders regarding Future of Work 2030:

No regrets and bets.

Make a bigger leap.

Own the automation debate.

People not jobs.

Build a clear narrative.

Act now.

Summary of post COVID Leader recommendations:

Realign your cost structure and sharpen productivity.

Supercharge digital transformation to create a digital enterprise.

Carve out new revenue streams.

Prepare your workforce for the new world.

Strengthen capital efficiency.

So What?: One needs to read the PwC documents for the details and substance. However, the point is clear: Be bold and courageous if you’re a leader. My biggest fear at the organization I’m presently at is that we won’t be brave enough to take the leaps toward a disruptive future that’s already here. After COVID-19, the pandemic might be over, however disruption in other ways will continue.

Now What?: It might not be the best use of your time to sit around pining for the pre-COVID world. Like after 9/11, the world has changed forever. What will your world look like? How might you lead better going forward?

One Millennial Response: I have an aversion to the word “COVID” at this point (as do all algorithms, and many people). While these PwC articles aim to be positive, comparing this pandemic to 9/11 and/or forcing terms like “new world” is obnoxious at best to me. Predictions exist, but no one has a crystal ball here. If you’re reading this, you haven’t lost your tenacity to keep doing the best thing for you and your organization. Nothing’s going to change about that.

My Weekly Wine Recommendation.

Boatshed Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2019.

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[Ed Note: Find it at your local wine shops.]

And finally! Here’s Cecil’s Bleat of the Week!

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“For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.” - Margaret Heffernan.

Bye for now!

— Lorne Rubis

Incase you Missed It:

My latest Lead In podcast.

My latest blog.

Season 3 of Culture Cast.

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Happy Friday! Here are my May 15 Hot Topics and how they relate to advancing culture or leadership.

Hot Topic 1: Quibi Leader Blames Virus For Lousy Performance.

Hot Topic 2: Looking Beyond This to the Future.

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