Leadership Through Disruption
Countering Disruptive Forces While Building Productive, Win-Win Partnerships
The Impactful Executive: Weekly Brief Article
Read time: 1.5 min
Leadership Through Disruption: Navigating Productive Partnerships In Times of Change
Countering Disruptive Forces While Building Productive, Win-Win Partnerships
In a Harvard Business Review interview Andrew Liveris, former chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical, discusses three major talking points; technological advancements, the US-China relationship, and the importance of win-win scenarios in global business and politics.
Technological Advancement:
Liveris highlights a reluctance to invest in new technologies caused by an unwillingness to collaborate with governments and create frameworks conducive to long-term R&D investment.
Lack of certainty around government policy stops businesses from taking the necessary risks to develop new technology.
China dominates the renewable energy space regarding technology development, e.g. solar cells. The US has missed out to some extent because no one was willing to partner with the government.
"Our most innovative era as a nation—World War I, World War II, and NASA—came because of government top-downing the rules of the road."
A united national focus is needed. For example, to facilitate the energy transition, a balance must be found to minimize the impact of fossil fuels without crushing the economy.
The US-China Relationship:
"A relationship-centric culture like China really is based on turning up, showing up, and then being consistent with purpose."
The Western approach is characterized by a "win-lose" mentality, instead of more productive “win-win” partnerships.
According to Liveris’ book, Leading through Disruption, to better shape US engagement with China, entities should be seen as "global corporations with headquarters in America" or "American corporations operating globally."
The Win-Win Mentality:
Conversations, debates, decisions, and a bottom-up mindset are essential for progress.
Maintaining a sense of optimism and a solution mindset is integral to creating a new, inclusive collaboration model to reach economic prosperity for all.
Businesses should foster collaborative solutions for the benefit of society.
Liveris advocates living an "integrated life versus a balanced life”, to further personal and organizational goals amidst disruptive forces. This entails consciously allocating your personal resources across four main buckets: yourself, family, friends, and work, and adjusting these buckets accordingly as time and circumstances alter.
So What:
Is an ingrained “win-lose” mentality holding me back from unlocking productive, profitable long-term partnerships?
Source:
Liveris, A., & Ignatius, A. (2023, Aug 10).Success Can Inhibit Innovation and Growth [Youtube video interview]. Harvard Business Review. (Link)
