Two CEO's that are changing their game.

Mr. Conde goes on to talk about the work that is being done to build a collaborative environment and that includes how people get recognized. By realizing that people have the potential to develop a name for themselves that is irrespective of their organizational ranking or where they sit on the org chart and recognition isn't always about money. In fact, peer-to-peer recognition is an extremely strong motivating factor and something that is broadly underutilized in today's modern management techniques.

He also provides real life examples in his own use of technology to help flatten and create a stronger, better informed culture where ideas have greater potential of being heard. By using Yammer (and I assume other tools that were not mentioned), his belief is that it is the role of the boss to spearhead collaboration platforms as opposed to being the one making all the decisions. 

THIS IS POWERFUL STUFF! Forgive the caps but look closer at what was revealed here: Conde courageously admits, though indirectly, that he alone doesn't have all the answers. He's counting on his teams and embracing technology to empower himself and others within his company to share ideas and create a free flowing stream of information that can have a tremendous impact on the way they do business.

I think this guys got guts. Not only is he integrating new thinking into day-to-day operations by opening his own mind to the idea stream that exists in the potential of his workforce, he's asking tough questions that many CEO's aren't ready to hear the answers to. On a 1:1 level, he'll purposefully catch employees off guard to get raw opinions and straight answers by asking two simple questions: "What is your number one issue?" and, "If there's the one thing that you could change, what would it be?". He's successfully connecting with individuals and letting them know their input matters. For employees, this creates a sense of being heard and improves morale and engagement by leaps and bounds.

So it looks like the decision to take the company private in 2005 to allow greater freedom to do business "faster and better" has begun to pay off for Conde. I am sure there are additional lessons we can learn from how his leadership style has impacted the SunGard organizational brand, business performance, profitability, engagement of employees and retention of customers.

CEO #2: Patrick Doyle, President and future CEO of Domino's

"Your sauce tasted like ketchup and your crust is like cardboard."

Talk about an attention getter…Domino's does it again. This time however, Mr. Doyle goes on the record with The Associated Press in an interview responding to their latest advertising campaign.

"The old days of trying to spin things simply doesn't work anymore…Great brands going forward are going to have a level of honesty and transparency that hasn't been seen before."

What did he do? He made a bold decision to LISTEN and then tell the world that many people just plain hated their pizza. But because he values their opinions he made the decision to drastically change their product and in turn, their brand and their business approach.

What is this doing for the Domino’s organization? It's forcing them to take a cold hard look at their products, rally their teams together and create better tasting pizza.

What will this do for the Domino’s brand? Everything (in my humble opinion). It takes an incredible amount of courage to put yourself out there as an individual CEO. But Doyle has put the entire company–the brand–on the line by bearing all in the spotlight. Another great example of bringing together leadership, marketing, employees and the art of listening. As we witness this experiment, I have to say, it's one that's certainly making people think–and talk. A strategic approach that will surely inject new life into an old brand that clearly needed spicing up.

As for the response and impact on their sales? The jury is still out but according to the press release here's where Domino's (and Doyle) stand:

Domino's has been carefully studying consumers' response to the new ads and new recipe but won't release sales figures. But it's streaming tweets about the new products at www.pizzaturnaround.com, where it also has posted an extended version of the ad.

"Most really like it, and some don't," Doyle said. "And that's OK."

What I love most about the transition that's taking place with Dominos over the past two years is that they've overcome significant brand challenges. Instead of running scared (especially after the YouTube debacle), they embraced the voices that are impacting their business to strengthen their global brand. It will be interesting to see whether or not their current positioning of being "#1 in worldwide delivery" will also evolve based on their new recipe for success.

So there you have it. folks. Two examples of CEO's that are making shift happen by taking action to reinvent their leadership styles in order to reinvent their business. I for one hope this trend picks up speed as more leaders realize that to be a great captain in today's brave new world, they need to continuously rethink their own approach to leading their teams to victory.

And, because every leader needs a little "mojovation".

I thought I'd share a video from one of my all time favorite movies "Remember the Titans" (see related video below).

Leaders, captains and managers at all levels can learn a lot from Coach Herman Boone:

A man that stopped at nothing to break down seemingly unsurmountable barriers to build a team that not only trusted one another but respected each other enough to communicate, collaborate, have each other's backs and against all odds–WIN.

At Vocii, we offer solutions to help your organization build a culture of collaboration. We specialize in providing high level strategy coupled with tactical tools that allow you to break down barriers, get people talking, employees engaged–and recognized for peak performance to create exceptional customer experiences.