With Nike stock closing at a record high earlier this year and projected revenue of $19 billion in 2010, Nike has flourished under the leadership of Mark Parker, a shoe designer turned CEO.\n\nIn his quest to mix the strength of both his right-brain and left-brain he recently made an entry in a sketchbook he carries with him of all the things that need to be held in balance.    This list amplifies the struggles and conflicts that many leaders we work with are feeling.\n

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  • Short-term and Long-term

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  • Micro – Macro

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  • Quantitative – Qualitativefeature-69-sketchbook-inline

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  • Global – Local

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  • Art – Science

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  • Core – New

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  • Physical -Digitale

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  • Conservative – Risk

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  • Premium – Value

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  • Top Down –  Bottom Up

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  • Top Line – Bottom Line

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  • Proactive – Reactive

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  • Left Brain – Right Brain

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  • Internal – External

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  • Direct – Delegate

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\n\nBy being mindful to these critical areas, leaders can strive to bring balance as they act and make decisions.\n\nParker says he spends a significant amount of time coaching executives, recognizing that each person needs something different to succeed.   He subscribes to the work of Margaret Wheatley, author of Leadership and the New Science, her premise is that the energy in an organization is a product of the relationships between people.\n\nNike has set some very aggressive goals to increase sales by more than 40%, to $27 billion by 2015; meet a set of equally ambitious sustainability benchmarks; grow earnings 7% a year; and keep 33,000 employees thinking as nimbly as possible.   We’ll be watching to see if  Parker’s imprint as CEO turns out to be as meaningful as his design work.   To see the full article in Fast Company go to http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/148/artist-athlete-ceo.html.