About the Leadership-Management Symposium Series
The Houston Strategy Forum is hosting a frequent series of Leadership-Management Symposiums to vigorously discuss issues such as leadership development, management doctrines, and corporate alignment and culture — issues that senior executives face as they diligently endeavor to help their organizations reach the next level.
The format of our symposiums is unique and different. We are not a presentation forum, we are a discussion forum. We do not invite the press and follow Chatham House Rules so we can have an open, safe dialog. No fluff. Real, probing discussions with not just speakers, but the attendees as well. Our goal is to have at least 75% of the attendees participate actively in the discussion.
Our speakers & attendees gain practical insights that cannot be gained from the superficial discussions at other conferences. While we have a lot of fun & humor in our discussions, we are serious about the issues we discuss.
At the forum, our mission is a vibrant community of smart business leaders who understand what it takes to lead companies, share openly about their mistakes, discuss vigorously, and help each other overcome their blind spots.
Symposium Description & Context — “Getting the Business-DNA Right”
The most successful companies have a clear, well-established Business-DNA. Having crystal clarity about the core aspects of the business and the business model through all levels of the organization, makes it a force of nature. It becomes a self-propagating engine delivering sustained potential-exceeding performance.
To construct their unique Business-DNA, organizations must carefully curate together a set of clear and cohesive business attributes. Business-DNA is a company’s fundamental foundation, and yet, in many companies, it is overlooked.
How much thought & effort has your company put into its Business-DNA?
Neglecting your Business-DNA
An unclear Business-DNA is the perennial cause of underperformance and missed opportunities.
In companies without a clear, established understanding of Business-DNA, the management team struggles with misalignment. It results in conflicting priorities/focus and inconsistent decision making. The corporate and departmental strategies are not cohesive, and the execution is arrhythmic. Internal dysfunction causes teams to undermine each other’s effort. Employees fail to comprehend the key business drivers, fostering a sense of uncertainty and disorientation.
What should your company do to improve its internal functioning?
Business-DNA is not Strategy
Vision and strategies change constantly. Business-DNA does not!
DNA can and does evolve, but it never thrashes around. If your DNA is changing constantly, you will face a corporate identity crisis and end up extinct. If your foundation keeps wobbling, your structure will crumble.
Impact of Business-DNA
In nature, DNA is the single biggest predictor of success. In business, DNA is what keeps the organization together and incisively focused, through growth & expansion, and through down-cycles. Business-DNA is your North Star, your core fabric, your unique molecular design. If your team does not understand and respect your molecular design, their contributions will do more harm than good.
CEOs and management teams must focus on getting the Business-DNA right as their #1 priority.
Why Attend the Symposium?
We envision a rigorous discussion on Business-DNA, exploring its components, understanding its power, and deciphering its impact to take organizations to the next level.
Join us to have a discussion with top leaders who represent the entire spectrum — some who have figured out Business-DNA and others who are starting now.
There isn’t a more important discussion that the Houston Strategy Forum can host. You will not find this topic discussed at other conferences. Make sure you are part of this discussion.
Join us. Your company’s future and your leadership-management career depend on it.
Our Speakers
Host
Mr. Ravi Kathuria, Author, “How Cohesive is Your Company?”
Keynote (Fireside style chat) Discussion
Mr. Roderick A. Larson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oceaneering
Panel Discussion
Mr. Jason Sanchez, CEO, ZXP Technologies
Mr. Neal Lux, President and Chief Executive Officer, Forum Energy Technologies
Mr. Brian Chalmers, President Growth & Development, Wood