High Tech, High Touch

John Naisbitt, the preeminent social forecaster of our time and author of the # 1 New York Times bestseller Megatrends, noted in 1999 that as society becomes increasingly digital we will enter a “Technologically Intoxicated Zone.” As he writes, “This zone is a confusing and distracted state where we both fear and worship technology, where we see technologies as toys and quick-fixes, and where we become obsessed with what is "real" and what is "fake"--from the violent games children play to genetically-engineered animals to whether one can claim to have scaled Everest if supplemental oxygen was used.” One solution to this situation is for there to be an increased “high touch” element that is not lost in society. This is not just on the physical level as much as the human interaction level.

Reflecting on his comments 12+ years later, I realize that more and more companies, customers and senior executives are in the “Technologically Intoxicated Zone” where they fear and worship the speed of technology and technological change. What intrigues me this morning is the power of the high touch element that is to balance this high tech transformation. 

More and more, I observe and listen to successful executives who report to me and recognize the importance of relationship management inside and outside of the work place. Sharing a meal, visiting about a favorite book or article, taking time to get to know and learn more about the people they work with is a process that generates clarity, understanding and capacity at a whole new level. This high touch element is more important than the traditional networking process, which often means knowing a million people one inch deep. In the world of philanthropic work, this kind of work is called “friend raising.” I like to see it as the building of a foundation where we develop a relationship that is meaningful and deep.

The key for me this morning and this week is to encourage more people to proactively engage in relationship management, and to be more involved in friend raising activities. This will bring balance to a work that is intoxicated with technology.

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

Early Bird Special!

Before another hot day rolls through the midwest, I just wanted to post a friendly reminder that the “Early Bird Special” for the Fall 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable is set to expire on Tuesday, July 31.

If you sign up between now and 7/31/12, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2012-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf. 

Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me.

After 7/31/11, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

Here are the details for your review:

Thursday: September 20, 2012

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How Successful Leaders Think

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How Successful Companies Work

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch, Networking & A Walk Around the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site or the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How Successful Managers Help People Achieve Their Goals

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm -How Successful People Manage Challenging People

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

- 4:30 pm - Optional Wine Tasting For Those Who Are Interested

- 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Open House at Geery and Jane’s

Friday: September 21, 2012

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How Successful People Manage Life

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Location: Brick Arch Winery in (http://www.brickarchwinery.com/) in West Branch, Iowa

Overnight Accommodations: Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cidic-coralville-marriott-hotel-and-conference-center/) in Coralville, Iowa

Hope you can come!

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

Data-based Decision Making

During the last 9 months, I have heard the same phrase pop up countless times in one to one executive coaching sessions, strategic planning meetings, and  leadership training sessions. The phrase is “data-based decision making.” It seems to be the new buzz word and leaders every where are all the rage to say it. Whenever I hear it, I just shake my head and smile.

First, leaders have been making decisions based on data for a long time. The problem is that the best leaders always know they are working with imperfect data and not always timely data.  Still, they take this information and blend in a touch of experience and perspective to make their decision. Good leaders are wired this way.

Second, having accurate and timely data does not always mean that one knows what to do with it. Data analysis, let alone data management, is part science and, as I have witnessed, part art. The critical factor is understanding the data not just having it. And in this process, awareness of data is not understanding of data. As someone remarked at the Spring 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable, “information is not knowledge.” And I would add knowledge is not wisdom.

Third, the best leaders will always tell you in private that data is only as good as the information that went into it. As my 90+ year old father reminds me, “garbage in equals garbage out.” Too many times, the validity of the data is called into question and thus becomes useless.

Fourth, the best leaders also will tell you privately that data-based decision making will not replace intuition and experience, it only compliments it.

So, this summer as more and more leaders lift up data-based decision making as the new tablets that have come down from the mountain, let us all remember that the goal is to improve our decision-making through improving the kind of data we use. Still, it is important to remember that data will always be imperfect and the best leaders will always trust their gut even if it speaks the uncomfortable truth.

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

Planning Ahead

Summer is a time to reflect and think about the future.

As Jim Collins and Morten Hansen pointed out in their book, Great By Choice, “Given this rise of complexity, globalization, and technology, all of which are accelerating change and increase volatility, we must come to accept that there is no “new normal.” There will only be a continuous series of “not normal” times.” Day after day, I visit with executives who are fully grasping the significance of this insight and realizing that they need to be more mindful in the development and execution of their organization’s strategies.

Summer is a time to evaluate the organization’s potential for improvement. 

While some executives will continue to focus on compliance, others are also evaluating the depth of their organization’s strategy, talent and capacity to execute consistently. More and more of them share with me that during the next 18 months, they know they will need to further develop a strategic mindset amongst key people, focus on operational excellence, and improve their own personal performance.

Summer is a time to plan.

With the realization that “not normal” is the new normal and that now is the time to focus on in-depth talent development, more and more executives are calling about how to enroll themselves or their key team members in to the 2013 From Vision to Action Leadership Training.  If you are coming to the realization that you and your organization need greater capacity in the areas of leadership, strategic planning and organizational change, then now is the time to reserve a spot in the 2013 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. The list of those signing up has already started.

For more information, please click on the following link:

http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Training-Details.html

It is never too early to plan for the future. As we all know, it will be different than today. 

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

Just Do It Teams

Picking up on my comments from last week about the increased use of military language within business, I know it is only a matter of time before I hear an executive speak the following words during a meeting: “We need to SEAL Team 6 this problem.”  Referencing the elite team of Navy SEALs who have been deployed around the globe to solve extremely challenging situations and problems, the notion is that a small group of people can solve a problem in a precise and very timely matter.

Having taught team building and team work for decades, I always find it curious when a noun becomes a verb. I also find it very interesting when the business community, particularly senior leadership, becomes interested in the capabilities of elite special forces. While I suspect some companies do hire former special forces personnel to solve unique problems, what intrigues me today is when the general business community wants to develop and deploy small groups of people to solve specific problems. Whether this is done through a LEAN manufacturing analysis or the application of Six Sigma principals, the notion is that a group of select individuals can quickly become a team and more effectively, if not in a surgical like manner, solve a problem. While the use of the words SEAL Team 6 as a noun or a verb sounds powerful and triumphant if not impressive, I believe most leaders do not have a clue about what it takes to create this level of effective action.

First, the people who might become part of a Navy SEAL Team are extensively vetted and carefully selected. They are the cream of the “best of the best.”

Second, their training is intense, physically and mentally. There are no one day workshops or seminars in this line of work. Much of the training is related to developing a concise and specific mind-set for problem solving and decision-making. This level of training also includes advanced training in order for specialized skill sets to be achieved. Basic skills and mastery level skills are constantly practiced, refined and upgraded.

Third, not a single one of these teams operates independent of an extensive systems of supports.  They are part of a network of teams which themselves have worked hard to achieve a high degree of expertise and mastery.

What baffles me today is that many businesses want this level of action but have not a clue of what it takes to actually develop it. They often forget that a single action by a SEAL Team reflects many years of work and many years of practice. Furthermore, their deployment and action is always connected to a larger strategy. There is never anything random with this level of expertise.

The lesson to be learned for us this summer is to realize that highly effective team work reflects a significant investment long before it is deployed. As a cancer survivor once told me, “You need to make friends before you need them.”  For us as business leaders, we need to invest heavily in developing key people and teams before we need to involve them in mission critical problem solving. 

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

Asymmetric Business

Over the years, I find it very curious to see how many military terms and concepts find their way into the world of business. Frequently, I will hear leaders talk about “doing battle” with poorly designed systems, giving out “their marching orders” to a group of direct reports, or achieving a “tactical advantage” over the competition. I even hear certain leaders talking about utilizing a “force multiplier” in certain situations in order to gain an advantage.

One word that is beginning to enter into the business lexicon more and more is “asymmetric” in reference to asymmetrical warfare.  Recently, I note that Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen in their book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All, HarperCollins, 2011, used this word in the context of “asymmetric risk”, namely one where “the downside dwarfs the upside.”

All of this use of the words “asymmetric” and “asymmetrical” has me wondering whether or not people actually understand what it means. In military terms,  there is symmetric and asymmetric warfare. In the former, two opposing powers have similar military power, resources and tactics. To win, one of them will rely on execution and often communication to take small or large but significant actions to their advantage. 

In the later, i.e. asymmetric warfare, the two opposing powers differ significantly and each tries to exploit the other’s weaknesses. Here strategies and tactics of unconventional warfare are used to off set deficiencies in quantity or quality. The terms often used to describe this action are guerrilla warfare, insurgency, counterinsurgency or counterterrorism.

What interests me this summer is how many organizations are involved in asymmetric business. Many large and small corporations are battling each other for market share. The large ones may have financial resources and people to deploy to their advantage but also struggle with certain systems that have become highly bureaucratic. The small ones, on the other hand, may be viewed as weak but simultaneously can be nimble in their ability to execute. Clearly, there is a significant disparity on paper but the small organizations often are able to work swiftly at a strategic level and suffer set backs before victory. Meanwhile, the systems of the large companies can prevent set backs, trial and error or even failure in the hopes of preserving tactical status quo.  

Furthermore, large corporations do not always collaborate quickly while smaller and more strategically nimble companies can only operate effectively through a network of collaborative partners. At the same time, large companies can struggle with internal group dynamics and history while smaller companies with a more strategic and mission focus can leverage their limited time, resources and people to their advantage.

While I recognize that small vs. large may seem simplistic in the world of business and that Rosabeth Moss Kanter in her article, “Transforming Giants” in the January 2008 issue of the Harvard Business Review notes that some large companies are agile, nevertheless I believe the use of the words “asymmetric” and “asymmetrical” will increase during the coming years.  The key now is to explore the implications of this way of doing busy and to contemplate different scenarios where a team or company may need to enter into such a pattern of working.

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

Cultural Change

Every once in a while, I read a book or an article, and think “Wow - now that is some excellent work with some fantastic insights!” Recently, I discovered another such article called “Cultural Change That Sticks” by Jon R. Katzenbach, Ilona Steffen and Caroline Kronley in the July-August 2012 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Some of you will remember the work of Jon R. Katzenbach in the book he coauthored with Douglas K. Smith called The Wisdom of Teams (Harvard Business School Press, 1993).

In this well written article, the authors explain that “many leaders blame their company’s culture for thwarting significant change initiatives, such as mergers or turnarounds.” As they continue, “But when they try to solve the problem by changing the culture, their efforts tend to fizzle, fail, or backfire.... What those leaders don’t see is that culture is highly ingrained in the ways people work - and that any company culture has assets. The secret is to make the most of its positive elements - to work with and within the culture, rather than fighting against it.” 

Based on their research and client experience, the authors present five principles that can help an organization achieve higher performance, better customer focus, and a more coherent and ethical stance. They are as follows:

1. Match strategy and culture. “Culture trumps strategy every time no matter how brilliant the plan, so the two need to be in alignment.”

2. Focus on a few critical shifts in behavior. “Wholesale change is hard; choose your battles wisely.”

3. Honor the strengths of your existing culture. “Every culture is the product of good intentions and has strengths; put them to use.”

4. Integrate formal and informal interventions. “Don’t just implement new rules and processes; identify ‘influencers’ who can bring other employees along.”

5. Measure and monitor cultural evolution. “Otherwise you can’t identify backsliding or correct course.”

While reading this excellent article, I came across one of the best set of questions I have seen in the last two years.  They recommend you ask the following two questions to your leadership group: “If we had the kind of culture we aspire to, in pursuit of the strategy we have chosen, what kind of new behaviors would be common? And what ingrained behaviors would be gone?” Brilliantly simple and wonderfully illuminating, this level of strategic dialogue would generate many insights and many unique coachable and teaching moments plus provide a fantastic opportunity to talk about culture, strategy and role modeling.  

In short, this is a very good article and well-worth the time and effort to read. I urge you to share it with your leadership team this summer and to discuss the lessons learned as you prepare for the fall and the coming year.

Happy reading!

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

2012 Fall Roundtable - Early Bird Special!

Now that July has arrived, it is time for us to turn our sights on the 2012 Fall Roundtable! 

On September 20 - 21, 2012, we will gather at the Brick Arch Winery in (http://www.brickarchwinery.com/) in West Branch, Iowa for the Fall 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. Overnight accommodations, for those who need them, can be found at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/cidic-coralville-marriott-hotel-and-conference-center/) in Coralville, Iowa.

Here is the agenda for your review:

Thursday: September 20, 2012

- 8:30 am - Registration

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How Successful Leaders Think

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - How Successful Companies Work

- 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch, Networking & A Walk Around the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site or the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library

- 1:30 pm - 2:45 pm - How Successful Managers Help People Achieve Their Goals

- 2:45 pm - 3:00 pm - Break

- 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm - How Successful People Manage Challenging People

- 4:30 pm - Adjourn

- 4:30 pm - Optional Wine Tasting For Those Who Are Interested

- 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm - Open House at Geery and Jane’s

Friday: September 21, 2012

- 9:00 am - 10:15 am - How Successful People Manage Life

- 10:15 am - 10:30 am - Break 

- 10:30 am - 12:00 pm - Integration and Application

- 12:00 pm - Adjourn

Starting today through Tuesday, July 31, I am offering an “early bird” registration price for the Fall 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable.

If you sign up during this time period, and submit payment before 7/31/12, the price will be $ 275.00 for the two days and $ 175.00 for a single day. Here is the link to the registration form: http://www.chartyourpath.com/pdf/2012-From-Vision-To-Action-Exec-Roundtable-Regist.pdf. Please write “early bird special” on it when you send it to me.

After 7/31/11, the registration price will be $ 295.00 for the two days and $ 195.00 for a single day.

I hope you will reserve September 20 - 21 on your calendar, and e-mail me today about whether or not you and your team are coming. Then, in September when the leaves are just turning color and the cooler autumn weather has returned to the heartland all we need to do is meet at the Fall 2012 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable in West Branch.

Thinking ahead and looking forward to seeing you in September.

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

A Return To Personal & Professional Balance

Time and time again, I meet men and women in leadership positions who are so busy that they skip multiple meals in the hopes of getting caught up. They rush here and there, thinking that a “slow” week is when they have only worked 70 - 80 hours. I have come to the conclusion that they are attempting to live their life at the speed of software. I have also come to the conclusion that time sickness, a term coined by an American Doctor named Larry Dossey, is now at epidemic proportions in the world of leadership.

When I talk about returning to personal and professional balance during executive coaching sessions, I am not talking about getting X number of hours at work to equal X number of hours at home or in non-work activities. If you are a leader or executive, this is not going to happen. Things do come up at work and one does have to deal with them, whether we like it or not.

In the beginning, we must remember that balance begins when we experience certain things in our lives, namely a sense of being part of a larger community, having strong healthy relationships with those we love in our life, and having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis. However, it is common for people to ask me in executive coaching sessions the following two questions: If I want to feel and live a more balanced life, then what do I do other than be busy?  Where do I begin?

While my answers are not definitive, here is what I have learned from my own personal journey and by working decades with others.

First, give yourself permission to live a more balanced life. Often I find people feeling guilty about taking time for balance. Many suffer from time sickness in combination with what has been called obsessive compulsive productivity disorder, i.e feeling guilty if they are not working the whole time. 

For me, the way to change this is to give ourselves permission to re-evaluate our definitions of what it means to be successful in our whole life and, in particular, in our work lives. More often than not, the business definition of success supersedes the personal definition of success, or ends up just being one big mashed together definition, namely busy, overwhelmed, or burned out.

Furthermore, I don’t think we know what it feels like to live a balanced life anymore. I think we have lost touch with community well being, social well being and physical well being. There are days when I think we have lost touch with really being and are instead focused and consumed by the act of doing. At times, we get caught living a one dimensional life, i.e. just having a work life with a done or not done list guiding our every step.

I also think we no longer see the lack of balance as a problem as much as the acceptance of a dysfunctional normal. I think we need to give ourselves permission to reclaim the experience of balanced living and having a sense of well-being. This will be a huge step and commitment is critical to change.

Second, I think we need to learn to decelerate. Having a home office is a gift and a challenge. At the end of the work day, it is just twenty steps from my desk to the kitchen sink. I have been know to go directly from the work list to the home list in seconds. Living in this constant “go mode” makes me feel exhausted on so many level.  

One way I have found to break this cycle is to institute a 30 minute walk after work.  When I am done my last phone consultation or project at the end of the work day at the home office, then I take a 30 minute walk around our small town. I like to think of this as my afternoon commute.  I often stop by our small public library to look at the new books and then I always walk through the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, just to have more time in nature.  I find giving myself permission to have this exercise time and opportunity for reflection and contemplation to be very helpful.

Third, I believe more and more executives need to reclaim having a life outside of work. I am not thinking of having a home “To Do” list and a detailed family calendar. These things are a given with life. Instead, I am thinking of having  something to look forward to other than work, i.e. the return to “leisure activities” like personal hobbies. It is funny, but when I meet a healthy effective leader who does not suffer from time sickness, I often discover some one who has a few very deep interests outside of work. And many of these people have hobbies that intrigue and inspire them. Over the years, I have meet quite a few wood workers, and gardeners but also people rebuilding antique cars, birders and artists.

For me, I find balance outside of work by gardening big time on weekends, cooking, walking and reading. All of these activities keep me young in mind, body and spirit. They invigorate me in ways different than work.

In a time period where more and more people are living life at the speed of software, I encourage you to rediscover ways to find healthy balance in your life.

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