The Best-Half Blog

Un-earth the possibilities

2011-11-07T14:05:00.001-08:00

We just got back from Edmonton. On Saturday we didn’t have any plans and so I asked to be dropped off at West Edmonton Mall. We have history together; the ‘mall’ and I. When we lived in Edmonton in the early 1980’s West Edmonton Mall (WEM) was shiny and new. There was only one Phase – now there are five. We lived close enough that it became a place to hang out on the weekend with our daughter Kate who was just walking and starting to explore the world. The Amusement Park was always a ‘must’ and a trip to see the aquariums. It was a total experience of shopping/amusement/food court.

I had an objective for my visit last week. I wanted to see if the experience factor was still present. I wanted to see something that would startle, amaze, make me laugh, make me think and make my heart beat faster.

In short and infrequent visits over the past 20 years I had experienced the size increase, the submarines (once touted as more than the Canadian Navy) and the fake beach with the wave pool.

And so I set off. While I was looking for the experience factor I discovered that walking through both levels of the mall would take almost three hours with only a short break for the food court experience.

To my surprise the biggest emotion I felt was not joy or excitement of amazement. It was sadness and frustration. I was sad because I cannot say I saw anything that took the experience of the past to new heights. No new areas, displays, outrageous store ideas or innovative restaurant experiences. It was a large mall that behaved like almost every mall we have ever been in. The subs were docked and looked like they had been there for many years. The water park looked about a quarter full on the middle of a Saturday and the food court with the same outlets was just – the same.

But, the parking lots were full. There were a lot of people at the WEM.

To build a successful experience we have to tap in to the emotional needs of our customers. I expect that WEM has done this by tapping in to the middle of the road. Their customers are looking for a unremarkable shopping experience that satisfies their need for the expected. Another group is looking for an outlet for birthday parties or weekend get-a ways where there is no surprises and everything is as expected.

I predict a long and busy future for WEM. I think they have found their niche and it is NO SURPRISES.

The good news is that this really opens up the market for the consumers who are looking for the unique, the different and the WOW. Edmonton is also able to supply this experience in both small independent retailers and in a new and very exciting facility called the Enjoy Centre.

The Enjoy Centre is a garden centre on steroids! Part restaurant, lounge, florist shop, complete spa, bakery, accessories, furniture and garden centre it is an extravaganza of unique and different as well as comfortable and familiar. Their mission is to “Create a unique, efficient, innovative and sustainable environment that encourages helpful and meaningful experiences for everyone.” Their website address is www.unearththepossibilities.com. Un earth the possibilities. Now that is exciting.

“From basic hand tools to the finest you can buy, this is a store that has unabashedly put a stake in the ground and declared “we are going to do it differently.” How about a glass of wine after rooting around for perennials? You might want a second after pricing some of the garden furniture. A great experience.

Identifying the emotional needs of our customers gives us an opportunity to stand out whether you are the world’s biggest or the smallest operator selling on-online. Tapping into those emotions and creating the perfect experience for your customers is as different as food court and fine dining. An emotional connection is what separates the exceptional from the good. And, remember, the enemy is ‘the bland’.

Hijacked by the urgent

2011-11-07T14:04:00.003-08:00

Over the last couple of days two clients have expressed concerns about getting hijacked by the urgent. In other words, they know their mandate includes forward thinking long term strategy and planning for the future. But they come into work, expecting normal and end up with urgent. Urgent is the client who needs a call right away, the employee you didn’t show for work and has a presentation scheduled and the steam rolling effect of details that need to be checked, verified and approved.

Are you operating under a culture of urgent? There is nothing more thrill inducing than managing a panic crisis. The adrenalin junkies out there know what I am talking about. A former boss prided herself on being able to create “heart attacks” for the young staff. From her perspective it was good to get the blood flowing around the office. Is it any wonder that retention was a challenge in that environment?

From the perspective of looking at being hijacked by the urgent, Preventive Follow Thru’s while highly adaptive seek out the variety that managing from one urgent request to another gives them. They are the ones who are at the ready to jump in and lend a hand - especially if it takes them away from a “boring” task. For the Initiating Follow Thru’s this just totally messes up their organized day. Follow thru energy for these folks involves getting organized, starting a project, working on it and then finishing it.

The task of looking forward is hard to measure if you are hijacked by the urgent. “I’m sorry I can’t solve this crisis, I have a meeting scheduled with a thought leader.” The solution is three fold: reward for ideas, reward for innovation and make it easy for people to talk about innovation. The difference between ideas and innovation is the difference between a suggestion box and a new feature, service or product. An idea is a light bulb going on while innovation involves action. Both should be rewarded. Some people will be better at coming up with ideas and others will succeed in taking those ideas and creating innovative solutions. A room full of innovators can come up with lots of brain storming ideas. However without other instincts being involved action may not occur.

Organizations are now talking about innovation. Speaking to many clients and individuals over the past 20 years, creating a culture of innovation is fundamental to promoting an innovation dialogue. It starts at the front door. Is the reading material in the reception areas challenging, interesting, unique, and capable of starting a dialogue with your customers? Is team building and professional development designed around learning and innovation? Does a Balanced Score card include innovation and ideas?

Is there an opportunity to create a mini TED (the innovation series) for your industry? Maybe it’s a lunch and learn opportunity or breakfast with a thought leader or maybe stocking the cafeteria with new books, art work and even innovative music. Have you talked to the university about coming out and presenting their ideas of what’s new and innovative?

The burning platform is not about what is happening now. Being hijacked by the urgent takes on a whole new meaning when three years from today we look back and say……

Waiting for a Miracle

2011-11-07T14:04:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I am spending all my time waiting for something to happen. Maybe it’s a phone call about a proposal or an email giving the answer to a question that has been asked. Doing a lot of Kolbe A assessments means that I am sometimes waiting for a last team member to go on the ‘net’ and finish. As a 9 in Quick Start this can feel instinctively torturous!

Lately I feel like we are all waiting for something to happen. We’re waiting to see if the economy is going to get better. We’re waiting to see if the weather will get better. We’re waiting to see if…You can fill in the blank.

Why are we waiting? What kind of action are we planning to take if the media says or a politician says the economy has turned the corner? Will it somehow increase consumer confidence? Will banks and financial institutions start lending money and will businesses start spending?

Taking action is scary. There is danger involved. However we look at it, not taking action can be more dangerous especially when the outcome may be uncertain. About a year ago I was asked to sit on a committee at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. The purpose of the committee was to think outside the box and help the gallery expand revenue, audiences and programming. I admit to being somewhat skeptical about this committee. What could we do that had not been thought of before by the excellent leadership team at the AGH.

Last week along with 200 other people I attended the outcome of our work as a committee. The AGH will by next spring have a brand new retail space front and centre in Hamilton’s revitalized James St. North arts district. This stand alone space will sell contemporary home furnishings and art and have a wonderful meeting space for events. When we started to discuss this idea as a committee I said “we must do this. The risk to the organization of not doing it will be greater than doing it.” This will be an absolute ‘game changer’ for the AGH. We did our due diligence, crunched the numbers and got a lot of opinions and ideas. Now we are going for it.

Waiting for others to say yes, waiting for the weather to change or the economy to get better doesn’t feel as good as taking action, making things happen or planning your own game changing event. We all need to change that habit. I am going to go and make some calls. What about you?

Why Planning for the future using Magical Thinking isn’t going to work

2011-11-07T14:03:00.003-08:00

In Joan Didion’s 2005 book, The Year of Magical Thinking, she recounts the year after her husband John Gregory Dunne died suddenly from cardiac arrest. Magical thinking is when a person hopes for something enough or performs the right actions that an unavoidable event can be averted. In Dideon’s case this included not giving away a pair of her husband’s shoes – insisting he will need them when he comes back.

The term Magical Thinking came up in a recent article by Gordon Powers titled; The new reality in retirement… MSN Money.ca June 7, 2011. The article outlines the current crisis baby boomers are having with their inability to project both the financial resources they have and the costs they will need for the future. Unlike the retirement of our grandparents, today’s boomers will live longer, have less access to pensions and be healthier. They find themselves over stressed, depressed and obsessed with the need for answers. A recent Best-Half client expressed it this way: “finally we have reached a stage in our life where no one is telling us what to do and it’s just when we need help figuring out what to do.” This is where the Magical Thinking comes in, says David Ramirez co-author of the report Powers references.

"Many [who participated in the survey] resorted to magical thinking, believing that everything would work out in the end, or that they could continue working indefinitely without having to adjust their standard of living."

When in doubt, doing nothing isn’t going to work.

The very first step in participating in our Best-Half process involves taking the Kolbe A Assessment. As the coach, this gives us a foundation to assist our clients in discovering their perfect future. For the client, understanding how they take action and how their partner takes action, helps them understand how to communicate, set goals and develop respect for differing modes of operation/perspective.

Having the knowledge of a client’s Kolbe instincts provides key information how the client will create a vision and a plan for the future. An initiating Fact Finder who prevents in Quick Start (maintains stability)will be doing their research and taking calculated risks. An initiating Follow-thru will put a detailed plan together and want concrete goals and time lines. Initiating Quickstarts will need to explore their options in ways that work for them. Initiating Implementors will work in the “here and now” resisting the suggestion to look way out in the future.

The privilege as a coach, of assisting in developing a road map for the future rarely involves discussions of a financial nature. Often clients will seek out the financial answers they need as a result of a clearer picture unfolding regarding the future. In our experience it has never been the other way around by making their money help to achieve their dreams.

The outcomes that occur when an individual or a couple realize their perfect future comes from thought, discussion, conversation reflection and action - and that’s the magical part.

It’s “more the merrier” when it comes to getting things done

2011-11-07T14:03:00.001-08:00

Last week I was in Calgary presenting a Best-Half Discovery Forum workshop to a group of senior leaders and their spouses. Earlier in the week there was a Kolbe team synergy workshop in Toronto. This resulted in a lot of material to prepare including 20 binders for Best-Half. This type of work is not my forte. I prevent in follow thru and insist in Quick Start. Assembling binders is probably the worst job ever for me. One call to our new bookkeeper and the job was taken care of and my stress was greatly reduced.

We have worked successfully with several assistants over the years each of whom brought to the business their unique instincts. Our strategy now is to use multiple people for tasks that require different instincts. Our son Charlie (2297) is working with Marilyn to post her popular weekly blog entries. Our travel is handled by our daughter Kate (7724), workshop preparation as discussed above will be the prevue of Sue, Shawn manages our computers and we even have delegated office cleaning to the remarkable Margaret. Lola our English Springer Spaniel has duties ‘as assigned.’

A May 2011 Harvard Business Review an article titled: The case for executive assistants, by Melba J. Duncan, raised some interesting points. The thesis of the article is that we have reduced the ranks of Executive Assistants with a corresponding loss of productivity for senior managers. With a relatively small investment there can be a high return in productivity, not only for the senior leader but for their team. We recently worked with just such a situation. A VP with a virtual team was without support. Over a period of several weeks we helped determine through the Kolbe RightFit© process the instincts required for the position and selected a suitable candidate. This new person will become the hub for information for the team and result in increased productivity for all team members.

Many of us remember the television show Murphy Brown, starring Candice Bergen and her perpetual difficulties in finding a suitable assistant. In fact one of our SVP clients earned the Murphy Brown moniker for her challenging searches. Ms. Duncan discusses the challenges of finding the Right Fit (her words). She relates the experience of one executive who was disappointed because he expected that the EA “read through memos and get them out quickly.” The EA responded by saying she didn’t have the ability to “read someone’s mind.” I suspect that it was not mind reading required but a more in tune understanding of the instincts of both the executive and the assistant. Someone who prevents in Quick Start (possibly the EA) would see this situation differently from someone who initiated in Quick Start and prevents in Fact Finder (quite possibly the Executive.) By using the Kolbe RightFit© to determine the appropriate instincts and the actual instincts of the EA “mind reading” may actually occur more frequently under the guise of two people working in sync, understanding each other’s unique instincts and celebrating the talents both bring to their roles. Delegating your weaknesses and concentrating on strengths is not only a model for greater efficiencies but also for that elusive of all emotions – happiness.

An old fashioned event presents a modern experience

2011-11-07T14:02:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we attended the Christie Conservation Antique show and sale. Billing itself as Canada’s largest selection of antiques for sale this show had more than 300 dealers across almost 10 acres of antiques. We came prepared with rubber boots, hats and cash. Approaching the site, it was clear that this was a well organized event. Police directing traffic, assistance with parking and free parking too. With all the rain we have been having the grounds were in sub-optimal conditions (see above rubber boots) but straw had been put down everywhere and where the ground was wet along paths, mats were laid down to prevent a soaker.

Clearly this was an antique show for the new millennium as there was an ATM machine setup and doing brisk business. Food tents were also in plentiful supply with a good variety of offerings. There was even a delivery service right to your vehicle. The merchants were clearly out to sell with prices that were fair and a wide selection of items. In speaking to several merchants, some who had traveled quite a distance, they seemed very pleased with the activity.

As an experience the Christie Antique show and sale is a credit to the organizers. It was well thought out, without being over organized. The unique setting of the Conservation lands was beautiful and surely more of a challenge as a presentation venue than an asphalt parking lot. The experience became multi-faceted – outdoor enjoyment, unique items, opportunity to purchase, people watching, some food and it didn’t rain.

Building a unique experience requires no effort. What we offer to our customers and clients is already a unique experience. What requires effort is the creation of a positive memorable experience that makes us return/repurchase and recommend.

We can all remember a poor experience – they seem to happen frequently. A great experience comes along less frequently but when it does we want to become ambassadors that spread the word. Next year watch for the notices about the Christie Conservation Antique show and sale and see how a great experience is done.

We are working with a number of clients helping them to ensure that a unique, positive and memorable experience happen for their clients.

For more information on Unique experiences go to :www.strategichorizons.com

What is your organizational Kolbe?

2011-11-07T14:01:00.003-08:00

At a recent Kolbe team synergy workshop a client asked: “as an organization, what is our Kolbe Assessment overall?” I explained that so far we were working with a small sample of one senior team and so it would be difficult if not impossible to predict. However, I asked them if knowing what they know about their people, and what they know about their own Kolbe results, could they come up with a general range for each mode?

It was a great point of discussion not so much about numbers as it was about readiness and observed work styles. As a financial organization we all agreed that there would likely be a moderate to high amount of Fact Finder and Follow-Thru. Most of the discussion centered on Quick Start. While the team I was working with had a financial services impressive 65% initiating Quick Start , it was felt that the organization likely was a mix of preventive and lower modifying Quick Starts with a range of 2-4. The team leader told me prior to the meeting that the team had a very important change mandate that needed to be communicated and operationalized quickly. It will be interesting to see what challenges we discover as we progress.

Can an organizational Kolbe be modified? Without a large scale change in people, no. However we can help individuals understand how and why they take action and how and why they may need to take action out of their instincts to achieve their goals. By understanding our instincts we can more deeply appreciate not only our own modis operandi but those of our co-workers and team members.

If you are working as a sole practitioner it is a great opportunity to build the perfect team. By utilizing a virtual and on-call team we can start to concentrate on what we see as the thing we are really good at. By having a team of opposite initiating instincts we see possibilities opening up that till now remained hidden. Organizations looking to modify their organizational Kolbe can also look to on-call resources to compensate for ‘missing modes.’ As a 9 Quick Start just by being in the room with a team makes a difference to the energy and action.

The first part of taking an organization’s Kolbe Index range is employing the assessments in a systematic manner to understand first, the leadership team and then the organization itself. The knowledge this exercise brings is in itself valuable. The application of the knowledge…..priceless.

Time to jump in the puddles

2011-11-07T14:01:00.001-08:00

It’s almost Spring. This winter there has been a lot of snow. Now that it’s melting there is a lot of water out there creating some awesome puddles. When we were kids puddles were there to be conquered, have fun in, explore and discover new territory. After all what are rubber boots for? You could jump in, move in bravely and splash, inch forward cautiously and sometimes you were rewarded for your efforts with a soaker. Coming home with wet socks and a smile on your face was pretty much a give away that you had been having fun.

We all need to get out there and jump in the puddles. It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s adventurous.

We also need to be playing in puddles more at work. Now more than ever is the time to move creative ideas to innovative actions to keep ahead of what’s happening. This approach takes courage. Often we get praised for doing a good job, following protocol, putting in a hard days work. Over time we have stuck to the processes and created order. It’s a much more difficult thing to engineer a modicum of chaos while keeping the process intact. If the goal is to make the organized more organized look for that initiating Follow Thru to line up what needs to be lined up. Celebrate that this individual sees the fun in organizing in the same way that there is fun and excitement in creating opportunities, meeting risk head-on, researching information or being hands on and demonstrating the way to do things.

The opportunity to have fun jumping into the puddles is there for all of us whether that means producing, reinventing, re-creating, confirming or organizing.

Our own instincts define fun for us, just as they tell us what we find challenging and difficult. The Kolbe B index compares our natural instincts (the Kolbe A), to those instincts we believe are requirements to do our job. Our conative strain is shown as the differences between the Kolbe A and the Kolbe B. If you believe your job requires you to manage rapidly changing priorities and taking risks to succeed, and you are someone who naturally avoids chaos, the fun part of your job will not be juggling multiple projects with competing deadlines. For initiating Fact Finders researching is fun. They want to know how deep the puddle was, was it muddy on the bottom and how many people walked through it. As a preventive Fact Finder writing this, trying to guess what questions a fact Finder might ask about the puddle was even a chore.

Learning about what it takes to be successful in your role seems like a pretty important part of actually being successful in your role. Leading your people through the puddles is a lot more fulfilling if everyone gets to splash. The success of a team is propelled by the diversity of the team. Just as everyone has different coloured boots, we have different ways of contributing. Everyone’s definition of fun is different. Everyone’s path to contribution – likewise.

We continue to have fun by working with individuals and teams helping them think and act differently to achieve their goals. Using the Kolbe process is a great way of doing that and it is fun for our clients too.

Making big plans

2011-11-07T14:00:00.002-08:00

Making big plans can be scary. There is a lot on the line and what if I fail, embarrass myself, get fired, go over budget……What is I succeed, get promoted, save the company, get taken out to lunch by my many new fans….It can go either way.

It’s baseball season and spring training camps are sprouting up across the south. They are making big plans to go all the way to the World Series. Or they are making big plans to rebuild so that in three years they can get to the World Series. There is a tremendous amount of planning, practice and more practice to try and make their plans work yet they all fail except for one team.

How much effort are we putting in to make sure our plans work out? Does every team member fully understand both their role and their part in the bigger picture? Is team member X simply ‘talking a good game’ or do they have the “right people in the right seats on the right bus” as Jim Collins says. As a leader, are you creating the culture, building commitment, contribution and the courage needed for team members to achieve?

A recent read is entitled: The Orange Revolution by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. Based on a 350,000 person survey, the authors talk about how great teams can transform organizations. Key characteristics of successful teams are “their ability to set measurable goals, answer questions truthfully and directly, listen respectfully to others, be available to talk to team members, create an environment where employees felt free to express their views and where they accept and valued others’ ideas. “ This translates into role clarity. Does each member of the team understand how they fit into the big picture and how important their role is for success?

Great teams are all around us. Teams in sports, the arts, healthcare and business all bring their own unique variations on the idea of teams but there are similarities. Just as we see above in Gostick and Elton’s great team characteristics the best teams have these characteristics and one more, a charismatic leader. People will not go the extra mile for a leader who just shows up. Whether it’s a director of a play, the conductor of a symphony, a brilliant scientist or physician, a leader is one who influences and inspires others to achieve a vision bigger than themselves.

Leaders, some say, are in short supply right now. It’s a tough job and fraught with peril. Some would argue that we have not done a good job encouraging and creating leaders – content to focus on teams.

Put the focus on the leader to be a great leader – symphony conductors are an unnecessary expense if all they are doing is keeping time for the orchestra but if they are a great leader, if they inspire, if they take risks and if they have a plan, they are sought out world wide and paid handsomely for their leadership. As the listener and the viewer we move from simply being entertained to I want to stand on my chair and yell out “this was the best thing I have ever seen in my life.” A person with a big plan needs the work of a team to succeed. For the work of a team to succeed it needs a big plan and a leader who will lead. Both team members and team leaders deserve nothing less.

The Best-Half, is a proven breakthrough strategy that helps individuals think about and plan for an exciting and fulfilling future at any stage of the career journey. Part of the unique approach of the Best-Half methodology is helping participants discover and understand their natural abilities, strengths, possibilities and passions.

The Best-Half provides the processes to focus on situations like succession planning, and communicating future pursuits. One of the most valuable aspects of the Best-Half approach is the encouragement of dialogue and sharing.

Working with their coach or within their workshop group, people see that many of the issues facing them are not unique; however the solutions are uniquely suited to them and their life. While coaching hundreds of individuals to discover their Best-Half, we have seen the creation of excitement for new opportunities, challenges and dreams while improving certainty, engagement and commitment leading to a renewed sense of purpose and direction. An individual’s restlessness, concern and doubt about the future is transformed to a new sense of excitement and conscious action with the realization that their Best-Half starts today.

It’s not about resolutions it’s about revolution

2011-11-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Isn’t it interesting that the first thing that many of us do in the New Year is set ourselves up for failure? Just saying…..

A study in 2007 by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol showed that 78% of those who set New Year resolutions fail. In theory you can see how making our resolutions at the start of the year is a great idea. It’s about brushing my teeth after each meal, or using conditioner or walking the dog twice a day or reading more and watching less television. At work you can be committed to finishing projects on time or spending more time talking with people about their challenges or not sending emails at midnight. According to the research, those who succeeded in their resolutions engaged in more detailed goal setting. By having goals that were Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely they achieved their goal 22% more often. Good to know, however not my natural instinct being a 3 Follow Thru in my Kolbe Assessment. What about being sucessful by setting small, quickly achievable goals which will build confidence and momentum? Start with goals you feel passionate about, ones you want to achieve not ones you think you should achieve. For instance dental health is a good thing but can I really get excited about brushing after every meal … back to my 3 Follow Thru. Setting goals and being successful is about understanding who you are and how you take action in the world.

What about our work New Years resolutions? Have fewer meetings, have shorter meetings, have meetings that matter…Pay more attention to the needs of people in the organization; it can be a long list. So our suggestion is have a revolution. A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turn around") is a profound change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time. It’s about making the big change because you don’t have time for the incremental or the tinkering that goes on.

Revolutions seem to be most effective when they focus on one big hairy audacious goal (BHAG). They also need a charismatic change champion (Che Guevara anyone) so that the revolution takes on a life of its own. Revolutions usually tackle one thing at a time so don’t set out to have a “top five”.

In Bill Conaty’s new book, The Talent Masters, Mr. Conaty is taking the lead as the Che Guevara of talent after retiring from his former role as Executive VP for HR at GE in the Jack Welch days. Conaty is calling for a revolution in how organizations manage, promote, hire, train and groom TALENT. For our loyal readers we have talked about talent a lot over the years. To paraphrase, it’s in short supply and it’s getting scarcer. The recession maybe slowed the process down but watch for the action to heat-up in 2011 and 2012. Some of the GE strategies are truly amazing including an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the top 600 executives by the top 25 executives at GE including Jack Welch. There is also example after example of the effort put into retaining high talent executives even if they fail at an assignment. It is the fundamental belief that people are more important than numbers. Spoiler warning: Jack Welch plays the role of reformed ‘slasher.’

However the bigger question is; what is talent?

From our persepctive talent is who you are and what you do in the world to live a fulfilling and meaningful life of contribution. Talent is all of who you are and hope to be.

How do you start the talent Revolution in organizations?

It always starts at the top. If the leaders don’t believe in the mission, the mission will not succeed. Leaders create an environment where talented people will want to come and work for you and not work for the competition. People ultimately work for and have relationships with other people not companies.

Talented people are hard to find and hard to keep, however talented people stay in environments that are enriching, fulfilling and focused on what is important, in what their company is achieving and their people feeling a part of something bigger than themselves.

Create a culture where focused, specific and strategic discussions about talent take place regularly and openly. Not talking about talent management creates a vacuum that will quickly be filled with rumour and miss-information and distraction from focused contribution and engagement in fulfilling the company’s mission.

Rigorous assessment of talent is necessary to provide the measurements on which decisions can be based. If you don’t measure it nobody is going to pay attention to it.

Continuous learning and development is not only how you improve the skills of highly talented people, it is also one way of telling them that they are important to the organization. There is nothing like the promise of a $50,000 EMBA to get future employees to the company. However that doesn’t work for everyone. People want to feel that they are being listened to and that they are an individual within a broader matrix, not a cog in the machine.

The point of a revolution is to change a situation forever. It is about changing the world. Now is the time for us to change our world by first lookiing within to align ourselves with what is important in our lives and then move to right our actions in our world to be in-sync with what is meaningful and fulfilling to us.

– or at least your world in a profound and meaningful way and you are prepared to take a stand and fight for your beliefs.

“We could never have guessed, We are already blessed where we are” James Taylor

Let’s all be a little kinder

2011-11-07T13:59:00.001-08:00

It’s the time of year for rituals. We plan for and enjoy Christmas and New Years. We will take some time off, enjoy having family around us and recharge and maybe even reflect. With the ‘consumer storm’ in full swing it’s easy to put on blinders and get the ‘to do’ list done. My goal is to get things done in a kinder way. I also want to deal with people who are kinder to me and who treat their people and their customers more kindly. It’s even good for business. A recent Strategy and Business article on Brand Value discussed the changes in our buying habits post-consumer recession. In the article, author John Gerzema talks about the dramatic shifts in what people expected in the consumer marketplace and how they defined and pursued what they considered the good life. As a factor in decision making, sheer desire for the goods themselves has been declining sharply for the past decade. Out with exclusivity and in with positive relationships; out with snobbishness and exclusivity, focus on attributes related to bringing people closer together or making the world a better place. Among the once-prized brand attributes that declined in this period were: “exclusive” (down 60 percent), “arrogant” (down 41 percent), “sensuous” (down 30 percent), and “daring” (down 20 percent). On the opposite side of the scale, the brand attributes found more important were: “kindness and empathy” (up 391 percent), “friendly” (up 148 percent), “high-quality” (up 124 percent), and “socially responsible” (up 63 percent).

The author points out that the 391 percent increase is not a typo! It is the biggest shift in attitude the researchers have seen in over 20 years. The preference is to show kindness in both its interactions with customers and with its employees. With consumers watching pennies and luxuries being deferred for staples, the customer experience needs to be adjusted quickly and decisively in order to preserve a spot in the marketplace. We certainly have seen several of our clients ‘re-jig’ offerings to align their customer and client experiences to produce a kinder gentler outcome. We are also seeing an even greater move to the small, the handcrafted and the personalized. Websites such as Etsy.com have grown exponentially offering handcrafted and vintage goods with a one-of-a-kind feel. With a superior shopping experience savvy consumers are eschewing big box for kitchen table crafters.

Our wish for you this holiday season is to spread kindness. Donate to the Salvation Army every time you see a kettle, show some empathy for beleaguered store staff and give the gift of kindness to friends, family and total strangers.

Is this the greatest age of innovation?

2011-11-07T13:58:00.002-08:00

All around us we see amazing advances in innovation. McMaster University made the headlines recently with their break though work into converting skin cells into blood. Innovation parks like Hamilton’s are springing up in cities across the world and universities now promote a dual focus of scholarship and innovation as core goals.

At a recent public lecture sponsored by the Golden Horseshoe Biosciences Network the distinction was made between ideas and innovation. It’s an important one… innovation is the application of ideas. It’s taking action and turning ideas into innovation. Ideas themselves can be exciting and important but if you fail to capitalize on those ideas by applying action the applicability ‘bar’ doesn’t move any further.

Innovating in a business is challenging especially when you are in the midst of managing the business model you currently have to make the money you need to innovate a new one. This is when lazy businesses try to sell improvements as innovation. More pixels on a cell phone is not innovation. We are going to be seeing a lot of ads for the new Windows phone launching this month. Will it be the game changer they are touting it as or simply someone else’s take on improving what the other guys and girls are doing? Consumers appreciate improvement but it’s a long way from how they appreciate innovation.

Business strategy often revolves around what the competition is doing and superimposing your own culture, offerings, discounts and style. Our inclination is to “fine tune” not take the strings off and go for a whole new sound. But if you align your strategies to what everyone else does, be assured that a single innovation ‘bullet’ will take you down.

Successful innovation can not be a task for a quiet day or a “one-off” event. It starts with putting innovation high up on the list of everyone in the organization and making innovation the core of the corporate to do list. It’s about spending a lot of money and time and energy. It’s also about creating a climate where failure is OK and even good.

If your business falls into the sector where innovation is applauded when you bring out a new colour or new packaging, it’s clearly time to shake things up. Blame it on the economy or the shareholders or the owners and get people thinking about your burning platform. What are the biggest dangers facing you in the short term? Is it technology, off shore competition, an aging product cycle, a graying workforce, a dollar at par? Or all of them?

What opportunities are there to look at your dangers as fantastic once in a lifetime chances to innovate? Create a mechanism where ideas are encouraged and then give people the opportunity to innovate. Universities spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year on research. Benefit from all that brain power by forming strategic alliances that move science and discovery onto the plant floor - then stand back and watch the sparks fly.

Team skills stand out in Chilean mine rescue

2011-11-07T13:58:00.000-08:00

Over a billion people have seen the dramatic footage of the miners being rescued from the recent Chilean mine collapse. What is incredible is that all the miners were rescued alive, in reasonably good health and good spirits. The rescue tube worked flawlessly and the whole job was completed on time. If we look at some of the factors involved in this success we can see how an effective team can achieve great results.

One of the first things the team did was admit that they were going to need help in solving this problem. They then reached out to others with very specific expertise. In this case, NASA provided engineering support with a team and also provided important psychological and social input and even food and liquids for the miners. Experts from US and Canadian drilling companies provided expertise on how to get the miners out and provided the specialized tools and equipment to make it happen. Three distinct plans were developed and each proceeded on a separate path. Even Oakley, the eyewear company donated sunglasses for the miners to help them adjust to the light of the surface.

The team delivered a realistic timeline for success and provided specific milestones to gauge their progress while actually completing the rescue faster than they expected. In listening to some of the media commentary, the Chilean government and the Ministers involved in making the crucial decisions acted calmly but passionately about their goal to save these men. In determining the key decision makers and team members, they did not rely on mining experts alone. Nor did they “close ranks” and keep quiet. Nor were only politicians official spokes persons. Rescuers constructed a camp at the site, invited the media and the families and turned this very unordinary event into a very community experience. The president of Chile greeted each miner at the surface; a task that took 24 hours.

As Canadians we likely know little of Chile, Chilean society and the people themselves. However while we may not know the specifics, we now know that this is a tremendously resourceful nation that has achieved something miraculous.

Summer is almost over… how come?

2011-11-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

September is here already. How can this be? I am sure it has only been a week since I put my winter coat away and brought out the sandals. For those of us who enjoy the warm weather summer will always be too short. I like that Labour Day is later this year; it’s almost like missing the first week of school. (it has been a while since I was in school but you know….)

Over the summer we had the opportunity to spend some time at the cottage, take a trip to Edmonton and still manage to keep up with work. We also polished up our Business Profile. What struck me when doing this was the length of some of the relationships we have had over the years with clients. One of our longest standing client relationship is with Valley City Manufacturing. This venerable producer of architectural furniture, headquartered in Dundas, Ontario has been in business for over 126 years. We started out together looking at new ways to market the company and its’ products. Our relationship has evolved into strategic communicator, advisor and coach. Each client experience builds on our collective wisdom and is realized in our continued contribution to all of our current clients.

For all our clients we offer an approach combining our years of experience and expertise with curiosity and gratitude.

A sense of discovery…What we’re doing now….

· A comprehensive leadership review for a senior team

· Coaching senior leaders in a new team structure

· Helping a national heath care company build job profiles using Kolbe A and C

· Assisting an international organization in increasing productivity and engagement

· Coaching a new member of a leadership team that has recently gone through significant change

Senior Team Development and Alignment to Business Strategy and Implementation Using the Kolbe Index with Enneagram personality typing

Many of the readers of this newsletter are already using the Kolbe Index in your organizations and your lives in order to improve decision making and team performance in the workplace. The reasons for this are many and varied. Our clients tell us that Kolbe is easy to understand, it’s about strengths, it is very validating for the individual and for organizations it improves engagement and increases productivity.

When we introduce Kolbe to an individual we speak of the three parts of the mind: IQ or intelligence, personality and instinct. The three areas overlap in an integrated way to work in harmony. We are often asked what if the person has the right instincts for the job and has the skills required. Could it be the wrong personality? We have used True Colours as a simple personality tool in the past but over the last two years we have used the Enneagram Personality typing with many client organizations. Enneagram (ennea being Greek for nine) sets out nine distinct personality types. Developed over many years by leading practitioners Don Risso and Russ Hudson, Enneagram is a rigorous examination of an individual’s personality type.

The nine distinct personalities are Challenger, Loyalist, Peacemaker, Enthusiast, Individualist, Reformer, Achiever, Helper and Investigator.

As organizations are discovering, the Enneagram approach to understanding human beings—their behaviors, motivations, values, thinking styles, ways of problem solving, and so forth—is effective in improving individual and team performance. It takes individual differences into account and maps out the basic motivations of each personality orientation.
The nine personality types of the Enneagram are what we actually see in everyday business and organizational life. This system identifies the dynamics of personality with startling clarity, making applications precise and useful. We have been using the Kolbe Index and the Enneagram together for the past year. Marilyn has, over the last two years participated in 6 intensive Enneagram workshops with Don Riso and Russ Hudson at their bucolic up state New York teaching center.

Coaching and consulting with our clients is the primary focus of what we do. We use tools such as Kolbe and Enneagram to “deepen the learning and forward the action.” While the tools are interesting, validating and surprisingly accurate presenting them without context and not linking them to performance or engagement limits their value to one of interesting entertainment. The knowledge of the processes and the action put on progress, measurement and correction contribute to achieving self awareness, self accountability and team and organizational alignment.

Our clients who have experienced the combination of Kolbe and Enneagram find it to be highly valuable in analyzing the challenges of teams in the workplace and in improving productivity and engagement. In combination with skills and experience, Kolbe and Enneagram complete the picture of the three parts of the mind – Intelligence, Personality and Instinct.

I just didn’t see that coming….

2011-11-07T13:55:00.001-08:00

Are you managing by really understanding the career goals and aspirations of your people or is it more like making your way to the fridge in the middle of the night with all the lights off? You think you have a really good idea where everything is and what to watch out for and then you step on the dog’s squeaky flying squirrel and …disaster!

We tend to think we have a good handle on where our people are going and what we expect will happen and then out of the blue you loose your best sales person or researcher or proposal writer or marketer. New research conducted by Right Management Inc. of 700 North American workers says that more than a third - 37 percent never engage in discussions about their career with their managers. Another 30% have the chat only once a year. In speaking to a CEO recently he stated that he thought “we talk to our people all the time about their careers, their performance and their goals.” Interestingly when asked, many employees had difficulty remembering these discussions ever taking place.

I think that both parties are right and both wrong. A casual conversation initiated by the boss may be mistaken for casual conversation by the employee and something much more concrete by the manager. On the other hand a casual reference by the manager may be taken as “gospel” by the employee causing a rapid increase in heart rate and salary expectations.

Getting a career discussion right is fundamentally important to both employer and employee. However a lot of companies seem to be leaving it up to chance. Part of the new Careerology™ program for organizations, is both a Manager’s Guide and an Employee’s Guide to having a career discussion. Both of these Guides have been designed to walk parties through the Careerology™ Process.

• Only one third felt that senior managers were firmly committed to career management activities

• Only five percent trained all their line managers to support the career development of the staff

• There was a broad desire to support career development for all staff but in practice most efforts were concentrated into relatively small groups of very senior or high potential managers.

Reasons for a lack of preparedness by managers included managers not having the skills and resources to conduct career development dialogue including answering difficult questions or delivering difficult news regarding an employee’s career aspirations if it was felt the employee was unrealistic about their own career aspirations.

Effective behaviours demonstrated by the manager to ensure a successful dialogue include:

• Showing real interest in the person

• Providing insight into the discussion

• Being positive and enthusiastic

• Challenging and asking questions in a positive manner

• Facilitating the discussion not leading it

• Giving honest feedback on the employee’s aspirations and perceived strengths

• Being clear in describing what the organization expects from the employee

• Listening to what the employee expects from the organization

• Sharing information, contacts and opportunities

• Managing the session so that a positive outcome for the employee is maintained.

Surprises are always going to happen in organizations. People do win the lottery and come in the next day and resign (although many decide to stay.) However there is no excuse for managing the career aspirations of your most valuable resource in the dark. Being a strategic leader involves leading consciously and deepening meaningful relationships. In finding our own way to the fridge in a fully awake state or as some call conscious competence, we can help others find their way. Leadership is about showing up to who we want to be and helping others show up to whom they want to be.

The benefits of having a successful career discussion far outweigh the effort required to make sure that this crucial conversation takes place openly and frequently.

Flying squirrel or not.

Are Coaches and Mentors the Same Thing?

2011-11-07T13:54:00.002-08:00

We were recently asked by a prospective client “what was the difference between a mentor and a coach?” The relationship between a coach and a client is fundamentally different than that of mentor/mentee. The coach is responsible for performance while the mentor is focused on the individual. Mentors have a bias that is toward the individual. If the mentor didn’t like the mentee it’s likely the relationship would not flourish. A coach on the other hand is more impartial; focused on improvement and understanding. Coaches can certainly like their client – but mentoring usually begins with a friendship.

Have you ever had a mentor? I have just finished a rewarding experience as a mentor for a young woman in public relations. This mentoring relationship was through an organized program established by the Hamilton chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society, to match mentors (experienced senior practitioners) and young practitioners embarking on a PR career. Some of the mentees were already starting their careers and others were just leaving school. I have been a mentor in the program for three years – with very different mentees. The process is always one of discovery for both mentor and mentee. In fact as part of the mentoring process I got a crash course in social media from a group of Gen Y mentees.

In my career I have had several mentors who have been extremely valuable in many ways. One helped to direct me toward a profession. Another helped to direct me away from same profession! (with a span of almost 15 years in between.) My mentors were always the unofficial kind, open to having a tea or a beer and helping to put things in perspective. Today I still have friends whom I would call mentors and I also have a coach with whom I meet virtually every two weeks.

“In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcumus and, in his old age, a friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War he placed Mentor in charge of his son, Telemachus, and of his palace. When Athena visited Telemachus she took the disguise of Mentor to hide herself from the suitors of Telemachus' mother Penelope. As Mentor, the goddess encourages Telemachus to stand up against the suitors and go abroad to find out what happened to his father.When Odysseus returns to Ithaca, Athena (in the form of Mentor) takes the form of a swallow and the suitors' arrows have no effect on him.” (wikipedia)

I love how the Mentor somehow is not affected by the suitors’ arrows. Mentors are protectors and nurturers while coaches are about soaring and reaching new heights.

Do you have a mentor? Has your company or organization established a mentorship program? Engaging your people in an activity such as mentoring can offer many possibilities for both parties. Take the above example of social media. The pairing of a more senior executive with a newer recruit can expand to a valuable knowledge transfer of company history, relationships and information. Turning it around allows the more experienced executive to be mentored on the possibilities of new media within the organization. The real value of course is in the learning. The type of learning: organized, spontaneous, unexpected – doesn’t change the outcome of knowledge expansion that is both deeper and broader across the organization. Do you know someone who could benefit from a mentor with your knowledge? Offering your wisdom to a young leader reaps mutual benefit for both. Have you had someone who you have considered a mentor? If you have been lucky enough to have experienced this special relationship, a coaching opportunity would be: acknowledge their contribution to your success.

CAUTION: Putting succession plans on pause can be fatal to your company’s health

2011-11-07T13:54:00.000-08:00

Over half of all large companies surveyed with succession plans in place have let them lapse in the last year

I guess it’s just too hard to do two things at once – stay in business and plan for the future. I can understand that. Sometimes it’s hard when you are at the grocery store to remember avocados and canned tuna. I will wander around looking for some type of mental clue that will tell me what I am forgetting. The clues to look for to tell if you are not succession planning might include: former employee’s offices now empty, shorter senior management meetings because half or more of the spaces around the table are empty and a declining customer base because key customer intelligence and relationships aren’t being maintained and nurtured.

At any time successful businesses or at least those leaders that aspire to success have the dual job description of working in the business as well as dedicating time and resources to working on the business. The advantage of this dual-purpose thinking is the clarity and certainty resulting from managing the day to day and then stepping away from the day to day to focus on the business and challenges of growth, development, markets and people.

A recent Globe and Mail article: Getting serious about succession, (Mar. 3, 2010) points out some new information compiled from a recent study of over 200 large organizations taken by US based, OI Partners. While 71 per cent of US and Canadian companies say they have succession plans, just over half, 54 percent, have let their succession planning function slide in the last 18 months. By coincidence, 54 percent of the survey group also says they don’t have enough people in their organization who are ready to replace current executives and managers. Hopefully they will be able to “turn on a dime” when the economy officially rebounds.

Tips for employers wishing to build their succession planning portfolio:

Identify the skills needed in the immediate, short term and longer term
Evaluate and assess the talent you have
Look for the hidden gems – who are the back room stars that maybe don’t monopolize the spotlight but could move up quickly
Review regularly – chart progress quarterly and measure the performance you need.

The career management ‘juggernaut’ is about three things:

1. Employees want to manage their own careers

2. Employees want to be involved in succession planning

3. Employees want to learn new skills and learn about other area of the organization.

When an organization is seen to be lagging behind in providing opportunities for career management and development there is going to be some serious second guessing around the water cooler. Offering the right tools to encourage your employees to proactively manage their careers will allow them with little effort, to maintain their own skills inventory, understand their instincts and be able to be open and realistic about their learning needs, wants and desires. Confidence is a factor of clarity and certainty. If people don’t “feel the love” they will not feel confident in their role, their manager or their future. Will they have the courage to be the type of leader you are going to need? Unlikely.

Being prepared for career discussions is both the responsibility of the manager and the employee. It is the manager’s role to successfully set the tone for a proactive discussion. It is the employee’s role to show up prepared with a realistic outlook and a willingness to work with the manager to determine and then implement the best outcome for both. Coaching, assessments such as Kolbe, and 360 reviews can serve as excellent information opportunities pinpointing areas for development.

What’s going on at the supermarket?

We started out talking about avocados and tuna. To go back to the supermarket, I sense a change for companies who specialize in developing and marketing impulse grocery items. These are the super tasty, high margin goodies sometimes referred to as “my guilty pleasure.” Now that we are all taking our own bags to the grocery store, I believe the impulse buy sector of the shopping cart is in decline. When I go in I take the approximate number of bags I think I will need based on my list. If I start adding spontaneous purchases I’m going to run out of bags and will face the scorn of others by needing to purchase a bag that likely costs a tenth of a cent, for five cents. Good bye high margin foods and treats - hello less profit for the grocery store. The same is happening with bottled water. It now seems to be relegated to ‘loss leader’ status with the same shame quotient as those extra plastic bags. That’s an added kick in the teeth for their margins. The supermarket experience is quickly changing and evolving. Those companies that see the change and learn to adapt will flourish.

Have you exceeded your personal best today?

2011-11-07T13:52:00.001-08:00

It’s a good thing our television has been designed to be on for extended periods of time. Yes like many of you, we have Olympic fever. I enjoy watching the downhill events especially snowboarding. I am terrified just watching and can only imagine what the competitor’s parents are feeling. I like that there is a speed indicator on the screen showing how fast the competitors are traveling - roughly the same as we travel on the 407!

As elite athletes, the Olympians are competing against themselves as well as the other competitors. In the interviews with the runners-up, you often hear the phrase “I beat my personal best.” While these Olympians are arguably the most competitive people on the planet right now, they still understand the value of personal effort and achievement. If you have a short-term goal to meet, you can be focused on the successful outcome of winning. However, if you are reaching for a goal four or more years into the future you will need to stay motivated for a very long time. The motivating focus becomes doing better than you did yesterday.

The idea of a personal best doesn’t need to apply only to sporting events. What is your personal best? Is it a yearly sales figure that you are working to beat? Perhaps it’s a production quantity that requires the work of a team. Maybe it’s about doing less - fewer errors, fewer rejected units.

Motivated people live to excel. With courage, commitment, the right tools, coaching and motivation, we can all do a better job. Nevertheless, will it be our personal best or will it be THE BEST? The Gold requires magic, special sauce, je ne sais quoi and natural talent. Being the best means standing out in a very crowded field. The difference between a Gold medal and a last place finish can be the distance of this column of words or the amount of time it takes to blink or being the only one to stay on their board. You train hard to get to the event. You win by having more natural talent and desire than everyone else.

Lately we’ve been speaking with young adults who want an understanding of their natural abilities to help them chart a course for the future. It’s challenging to do this because so many people today are programmed to just get a job. What job is the challenge. Using Kolbe and Enneagram gives an added dimension and understanding of what they are good at and what their natural talents are and points them on a path to a meaningful job that makes sense for who they are.

Personal Branding and Confidence

2011-11-07T13:51:00.001-08:00

Personal Branding is a popular buzz phrase. Originally coined in August 1997 by Tom Peters for an article in Fast Company magazine, Tom put it this way; “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.” Determining what your personal brand is requires thought. For instance: how do I want to project myself, what matters to me, what do I and others see as my strengths and what is my day to day legacy?

I was thinking recently that many companies and organizations have failed to recruit individuals with their own distinctive brand and are missing out on significant value-added. Can recruiting individuals with strong personal brands reflect positively on the organization? I believe so.

Several of our clients have spent a significant amount of effort in the past year increasing their confidence that they are getting the right person in the job. Hand in hand with interviewing and skills has been the introduction of Kolbe as a part of the hiring process.

The value of understanding how someone will successfully take action in a position, helps to move an organization from “hope and a prayer recruiting” to certainty, clarity and confidence in their decision.

We see an individual’s personal branding coming through as a factor of their individual Kolbe A results and Enneagram personality typing . Our privilege is often to awaken someone to their unique talents and the value of these talents to their organization and to themselves. When working with clients we often see a distinct change as we go about the process of debriefing their Kolbe results and determining their personality type. The best way to describe it is the positively “glow” with energy, optimism and confidence.

A successful assessment should give the recipient a validation that says; “this is who I am. I am unique and I have unique strengths that are part of me. I view the world from a position of personal power rooted in possibility, opportunity and confidence.”

A strong individual personal brand projects confidence to co-workers, suppliers and clients. It also says a lot about the organization. You have to be a confident organization to hire confident people. Organizations that are not confident and do not project an air of confidence will not attract confident people.