How to Become a Reinventor like Wal-Mart’s CEO

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We live in a business world where keeping ahead of the competition matters. If you’re not a first mover, you at least want to be the best mover, the fastest to market, or the best in your class. Incremental change is applauded, but the true rewards go to those who seek to transform organizations and execute.

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Wal-Mart Profit, Revenue Beat Expectations; US. Sales Up More Than Expected. Yahoo Finance 
Big Box Throwdown: Target Vs. Walmart. Forbes

It’s been a rocky ride, but Wal-Mart has pulled out of a heavy stock slide. Looking back to June 2015, Fortune splashed the news with a provocative article on Wal-Mart’s newly appointed CEO titled “The Man Who’s Reinventing Walmart.” It kicked off by stating, “CEO Doug McMillon may be the best-prepared executive to lead Wal-Mart since Sam Walton. Here’s how he’s guiding the retail giant in the Age of Disruption.”

McMillon and his executive team spent time with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg when they visited the Facebook office back in 2014. What struck me is this endorsement because she’s considered by many to be the “holy grail” among astute, truly capable leaders. Sandberg stated, "Usually when you meet leaders, you get a sense that they’re focused on one or the other: execution of their current business or innovative ways to grow. What’s interesting about spending time with Doug is that he’s clearly on both. His conversations, his questions—he’s on both.”

Okay, this is Wal-Mart– a massive company. Or course the CEO is going to be noticed. But everyone has to start somewhere. Now ask yourself, who doesn’t want to be the “best prepared” or get recognized for making positive waves within an industry or company?

Whenever I read Fortune magazine, I learn something new about business, leadership, technology and startups. It’s one of my standard go-to sources on up-and-comers, most admired companies or leaders, and the biggest or brightest of the bunch. Wal-Mart’s CEO now has Sheryl Sandberg as one of his go-to resources.

Consider your go-to sources for information. Like any good leader, you probably have a list of sources that serve as advisors - whether it’s your personal board of directors or your actual company board of directors. And with any good board of directors, you need one that has a representative mix of leaders and trusted advisors who have expertise in different disciplines to help ensure that you look at all the angles when working on solving a problem or honing your strategy.

One of Constellation Research’s best-kept secrets is that our analysts regularly serve as go-to advisors for executives and business professionals around the world who work for innovative big brands, such as Emirates, or global technology leaders, including SAP. They’re sought after as qualified judges skilled at selecting top technology or leadership award winners for the likes of the 2016 IBM Beacon Awards, the Direct Marketing News 2016 Marketing and Tech Innovation Awards, and of course, our own 2016 SuperNova Awards that recognize leaders in disruptive technologies – this just scratches the surface.

As Holger Mueller, one of our key analysts, pointed out in our virtual water cooler, “the product creation/innovation aspect is key for enterprise success - for all CXOs.” To achieve this, you want to stay focused and skilled at execution, while continuously looking externally to identify the best and fastest way to innovate.

One of the quickest ways to stay on top of disruptive technologies and powerful new business models is to connect with other executives and savvy analysts, like those in the Constellation Executive Network. You get both a sounding board and the option for getting advice any time from our analysts as your trusted advisors.

Constellation analysts focus on studying different technologies and the business outcomes gained by making use of the right ones at the right time. Their raison d’etre is to share this knowledge with business leaders who don’t settle for the status quo, want to make a major impact in this world, and want to get things done quickly because there’s no time to waste in this Age of Digital Disruption.

We’re now offering a free trial to our Constellation Executive Network mobile app for qualified executives. It delivers unrestricted, uninterrupted access to Constellation Insights to keep you ahead of the curve. You’ll gain an insider’s vantage point to content and unique destinations like the IBM Design Center that Constellation analyst Alan Lepofsky just visited in Austin, Texas.