Look at the Bigger Picture

In January through early April of this year, I shared with all of you on a weekly basis about working thought the trough of chaos during interesting times. Then throughout the rest of the spring, I covered the many topics that we explored at the Spring 2018 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. For example, I shared about the connection between organizational history, culture and meaningful work within successful organizations, how to improve thinking within an organization, and how leaders can be both brave and bold during difficult times. In July, August and early September, I wrote weekly about the lessons I’ve learned from the countless hours of visiting with great leaders. And finally this fall, I shared with all of you what we explored during the Fall 2018 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. The focus this year was on building, maintaining, and improving teams during the digital era. And now, we come to the last full week before Christmas, Kwanzaa and then New Year’s Eve. 

In a world filled with challenges, complexities and problems, we, as leaders, can become overwhelmed, worried, numb, and burned out. We also can become cynical about the future and our ability to adapt to the new and emerging challenges and problems around the world. We could just give up and choose not to lead. But I strongly discourage us from falling into this mindset.

Instead, I encourage each of us to remember four things. First, organizational change is the sum of individual change. Therefore, we must commit to on-going personal and professional development. As Gandhi said so many years ago, “we must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

Second, we must create “islands of sanity”, referencing a term from the work of Margaret Wheatley. We must create safe and empowering spaces at home and at work where people can do the deep personal and professional work of becoming better people and better partners with colleagues throughout the company, and the world.

Third, this is the season when we must come together and rediscover what unites us rather than what divides us. We must focus on finding and rekindling inside ourselves and others a sense of higher purpose to our lives and to our work. We must build the bonds which will hold and support us through our challenges. We can not let others stand alone to face the difficulties of this time.

And finally, we must give the gift of love, support and respect this season to all we meet. By this act alone, we will transform the big picture and create a place were people will feel like their life is meaningful and special.

May this holiday season be the beginning of many special moments of connection and joy for you and yours. Thanks for including me in this important work, and I look forward to being back in touch with all of you on Monday, January 7, 2019.

Warm wishes and happy holidays to each of you!

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Exploring The Emerging Trends

“What is now proved was once only imagined.” - William Blake

At times, we get so busy that we forget everything was created twice, first in the mind and second with the help of others. Those who imagine and then created something that is new or different first started by looking at the proverbial “big picture.” They explored the emerging trends and blended it with their own ideas, creativity and perspective.

When I look at the big picture this morning, I find some interesting bits of information to ponder. For example in the 5/9/11 issue of Time magazine, they reported that 6.6 million was the approximate number of Latinos who voted in the 2010 U.S. midterm elections. This was a record, and up from 5.6 million in the 2006 midterms.

Furthermore, in the 5/16/11 issue of Time magazine, they reported that 1 in 4 was the proportion of kids in single-parent households in the U.S., the highest of 27 industrialized nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s new report.

Here is an interesting piece of information from the July 4, 2011 issue of the Christian Science Monitor: “Although the recession may be causing a temporary dip in telecommuting, according to a recent WorldatWork survey, the number of firms offering the option has jumped. Some 63 percent of organizations now offer some kind of telecommuting, according to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). That’s up eight percentage points in a year. Moreover, 20 percent of organizations now allow full-time telecommunting, up from 17 percent last year.”

From the same issue, there is an article on how libraries are restocking for a digital age. Of note is the following: “A majority of states have reported library closures in the past 12 months according to the American Library Association. While most of those states estimated that one or two branches shut down, some reported five to 10 closing their doors, which ALA says is part of a trend.”

Next, The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has reported that more than one-quarter of all adults in the U.S. suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year.

In the post PC market, I find it interesting to note that 15 million iPads were sold in the first 9 months and they generated 9.5 billion in rev. in that same time period. This slate based computer now captures 90% of the market share. I also found it interesting that Apple has 200+ million accounts with credit cards and one click purchasing. At the same time, 100 million iBooks were downloaded in less than a year with the first iPad, and they have already shipped their 100 millionth iPhone. Clearly, fewer lap tops are being sold and the cell phone is fast becoming the new PC and the new wallet.

In the world of medicine, the classic Doctor/Patient relationship is changing. The historical meeting of the people who know, i.e. the MD, with those who do not know, i.e. the patient, for diagnosis and treatment is fast evolving into a Doctor/Patient relationship with both as co-learners. Given patients can access everything the Doctor can access via technology plus tap into a vast social network of different support groups, many patients are approaching the medical world as partners and less as customers or consumers.

Finally, in this post Japanese earthquake time period, more and more countries and people are asking questions about the price and source of our vastly increasing diet for energy consumption. The question is no longer which fuel is best to use but which combination of fuels are the best to use. Gas, coal and “green” technologies in combination with proactive energy conservation are all being explored.

When I look at the big picture and see some of the above trends, I am reminded of a quote that I read in Fast Company Magazine back in April 2000. “If you want to build an outstanding company, then you have to be ready to handle the consequences of standing out. Too many companies want the benefits of seeming different - without the risks that come with being different.” The risk for us as leaders this summer is to not only stand out but to explore more deeply the bigger picture with the hopes of being able to effectively imagine new possibilities.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Understanding the Big Picture

THEME: New Year, More Challenges

FOCUS: Understanding the Big Picture

Monday morning: January 4, 2010

Dear friends,

We live in a new normal. Some are calling it “radical uncertainty” while others are branding it a time period of “all gray with no black and white.” Personally, I think we are continuing to trudge our way through the Grand Canyon of Chaos. This journey has many miles to go before we get out. Meanwhile, there are some important lessons that we have learned along the way.

A long time ago, Peter Senge wrote, “today's problems [are coming] from yesterday's solutions.” Some leaders have forgotten that the strategic choices made years ago created what we are living through today. As I pointed out during numerous strategic planning sessions this past fall, the decisions we make in the winter of 2010 will create either more problems in the next three to five years or better solutions. The choices is ours to make.

One way to make better choices is to step back and examine the proverbial big picture. Right now, we are again seeing accelerated convergence of different trends across many different industries and markets. For example, as a result of corporate cost saving measures during the last eighteen months, many customers are angry about the decline in real customer service. One unintended consequences of these corporate actions is that competitors are actively trying to lure customers away from certain businesses through more personalized service options.

When contemplating the big picture, we begin to wonder how we got into such a mess in the first place. The answers can not be found in the last eighteen months. One must look further back in time to the 1980’s where we had Father-Knows-Best corporations with top-down, command-and-control leadership. In many sectors, excellence was a new idea and people were just units to increase sales.

Then in the 1990’s, a new era dawned. Many companies thought the internet was the be-all and end-all solution to every problem. But the smart companies soon realized that success was never was about dot.coms, IPOs, venture capitalists, or irrationally exuberant stock markets. They realized that a new economy was being born based on three factors, namely the expansion of individual opportunity and impact, the disruptive energy of ceaseless technological innovation, and the transformative power of information technology and communications. All three of these trends converged in the 90’s and smashed into the Industrial Age model of business. Today, I think we are still picking up the pieces from this collision.

This morning there are three pieces that I want us to pay particular attention to as we enter the new year. First, many new systems are being built and many old systems are being consolidated or revamped to help organizations cope, grow or be consistent in their execution. My question as I witness this action is simple: Are these systems being built or consolidated based on out-dated thinking? Remembering the wisdom of Einstein when he noted that “no problem can be solved by the same thinking that created it.” What I do not see is new thinking or at least in-depth reflection before consolidation or redesign of key systems. Due to limited balance sheet growth, many organization are trying to consolidate antiquated systems rather than take the risks to completely pitch and redesign systems to meet the new expectations and options for delivery in this time period.

Second, it is clear to me that technological delivery systems and improvements are out-pacing management’s capacity to integrate them or even understand them. Recently, I have sat in more and more meetings listening to IT departments propose solutions to current problems. Nine times out of ten, I wonder if anyone else in the room is totally lost with the language that is being used and shared. Usually what I see is many executives nodding their heads, but I truly wonder if they understand the implications of their decisions.

For example, I have heard the words “centralization and efficiency though systems improvement” many times in my career. I also have seen massive investments of time and money take place once these words roll out. However, while the computer and related technology have made some things easier, it has not always changed human behavior. As we all know when people are faced with new or unknown situations, they revert back to old behavior and old ways of thinking. There are days now when decisions are being made by people who think “pencil and paper” or “type writer and white out” rather than iPhone, social media, Twitter or Google.

Third, some people are forgetting that even profitable businesses can go bankrupt. Cash management is very important in 2010, especially when funding streams continue to be in massive flux. Therefore, as Ram Charan in his book, Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty: The New Rules for Getting the Right Things Done in Difficult Times, McGraw Hill, 2009, wrote “pursue only growth that is profitable and cash-efficient.” As he explains, “Cash efficiency means that gains in the market share do not consume disproportionate amounts of cash in the form of inventory, extended duration of accounts receivable, or increase complexity.”

As the new year dawns before us and we all head back to work, we need to have a deep, ground level understanding of how the current economy is impacting consumer behaviors, and at the exact same time we must also keep our eyes on the bigger picture. Remember: the choices we make now define and create the future we will experience.

Have a marvelous week,

Geery

Geery Howe, M.A.
Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in
Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change

Morning Star Associates
319 - 643 - 2257