No Fear
Business Leadership in the Age of the Digital Cowboys
By: Pekka A. Viljakainen, Mark Mueller-Eberstein
Published: September 15, 2011
Format: Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 9814346667
ISBN-13: 978-9814346665
Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Corp/Ccb
"Many good organizations come to a point where protecting the status quo for the leading individuals becomes the main motivation and reward", write former president of Tieto International, Pekka Viljakainen; and founder and CEO of Adgetec Corporation, Mark Mueller-Eberstein, in their thought provoking and transformational book No Fear: Business Leadership in the Age of the Digital Cowboys. The authors describe how organizations that can take calculated risk, add new territory, and discover and utilize new opportunities will move ahead of their status quo seeking competitors.
Pekka Viljakainen (photo left) and Mark Mueller-Eberstein understand that fear of failure is a limiting force that works against change and enhanced competitiveness. The authors realize that fear is a powerful emotion, and that it is part of everyone's character. To counter this sense of fear, the authors present their concept of No Fear, where the emotion is processed, understood for what it is, and works toward creating solutions to the fear inducing challenges.
For the authors, dealing with and controlling that fear, and developing innovative solutions to problems, is essential for leaders. For the authors, fear equals failure, and the leader who succumbs to that fear does a real disservice to the entire organization, its employees, and its customers.
Mark Mueller-Eberstein (photo left) and Pekka A. Viljakainen describe a world of change, and that leaders must be prepared to adapt to that transition in the global community, or fall by the wayside. Not only has the global landscape changed, but the authors point out that the people have different goals and aspirations as well.
The new young entrants into the workforce and the global economy are young, innovative, and are very comfortable with using technology and social media. The authors refer to their version of the youthful Millennial Generation as the Playstation Generation, who are the Digital Cowboys who are the first adopters of new technology and innovations.
Pekka Viljakainen and Mark Mueller-Eberstein present what they call six planets of change in the global economy. Those six changes that a No Fear leader must recognize and practice to gain the support of the Digital Cowboys are as follows:
* Maintaining productivity when it becomes stalled
* Understanding the globalization impact on competitiveness and leadership
* Capital flows travel in many directions with stiff competition for access
* Consumers are changing in tastes, attitudes, and behaviors
* Online and networked economies are mainstream and accessible everywhere
* Innovation is moving at a faster rate than ever before
For me, the power of the book is how Pekka Viljakainen and Mark Mueller-Eberstein combine their analysis of the limiting and disempowering emotion of fear, with an understanding of the new global economy and the rising influence of the young Digital Cowboys. The authors offer a compelling case that failure to overcome the fear of this new market reality represents a failure of leadership. Instead of succumbing to this fear, the authors along with a distinguished group of guest contributors, provide an alternative path forward for leaders who display the No Fear qualities of leadership.
The book contains a comprehensive discussion and plan of action for achieving the No Fear type of community leadership, that is and will remain critical for success and even survival, in the new digital and globalized economy. Any leader who fails to understand and act upon this manifesto for change will fall behind the competition.
I highly recommend the insightful and must read book No Fear: Business Leadership in the Age of the Digital Cowboys by Pekka Viljakainen and Mark Mueller-Eberstein, to any business leaders, regardless of country or industry, who are serious about understanding the rapidly evolving dynamics of the new digital global economy, and of the employees who will dominate its future. This book will change the way you think about and approach leadership in the new age of the Digital Cowboys.
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