The Leadership Caffeine Blog
How To Get More Done at Work Through Positive Persuasion
Success at Work Happens One Negotiation at a Time Here's a bold claim: every conversation in the workplace that's not about the weather or sports is a negotiation. From simple process changes to the significant issues of strategy and structure, the dialog that...
How To Get More Done at Work Through Positive Persuasion
If you’re motivated to maximize your impact in the workplace, you’re dependent upon others to support your efforts. When it comes to workplace negotiations, the principles of positive persuasion are priceless!
The Project Management Discipline of Strategy Execution
Strategy execution is where value is created. The best plans are worthless unless they are backed by a group of people that understand their roles and accountabilities and that have the information they need when they need for rapid decision-making. Execution never takes place in a straight line and without setbacks. In fact, the setbacks are powerful learning experiences that a good team will leverage as it adapts and responds to internal and external factors.
A large part of the solution in my opinion is treating execution like a high-order program comprised of a series of projects to be managed. Ask a good Project Manager how to successfully pull of an execution program and I suspect they won’t need to interview 1,000 companies.
Yeah, “Why Don’t Managers Think Deeply?”
Professor James Heskett highlights GE CEO Geoffrey Immelt’s recent pronouncements that he is: looking for managers to think deeply about innovations that will ensure GE’s longer-term success. He has vowed that he will protect those working on the breakthroughs from the “budget slashers” focused on short-term success. (Professor Heskett also reviews the book Marketing Metaphoria and the perspectives of the authors: Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman on why managers don’t think deeply.)
As I leader, I’ve wrestled with this topic for years, and have worked around and with many individuals perfectly content to let their days unfold in a transactional nature, with no time to think deeply or even strategically. Days pass into months and months to years, and still these individuals prefer conquering the issue of the moment versus wondering whether they are even working on the right issues.
The Leader’s Challenge: Recognizing the Need for Change
I believe that it is important for organizations to develop competence at translating marketplace and macro-environmental changes into appropriate changes to better serve stakeholders. No easy task, especially considering the “noise” that we all face in this era of accelerating change, time compression and growing complexity.
Some Great Insights at the Latest Carnival of Human Resources
Check out Jon Ingham’s Strategic Human Capital blog for the latest Carnival of Human Resources and some global perspectives on on compelling issues in managing and leading. Thanks to Jon for featuring one of my recent posts.
Did Anyone Get the Memo on How to Act During a Slowdown?
You don’t have to look hard to learn about the impact of rising fuel costs, including layoffs, plant closings, cutbacks, service reductions, fare hikes and new user fees. These headlines and many more just like them blare from the tv and radio or jump out at us from the front pages of our morning newspapers. However, what really amazes me is how hard you have to work to find examples of companies and leaders that received and read the memo on surviving, improving and even prospering during periods of economic difficulty.
Tuning In to Leadership (and much more) With A Great New Book
Tuned In presents a six-step process for creating a resonator: “a product or service that so perfectly solves problems for buyers that it sells itself.” The examples, approaches and ideas for realizing resonators and for supporting the creation of an organizational culture that institutionalizes the requisite thinking and processes are the heart of the work. The steps: find unresolved problems, understand buyer personas, quantify the impact, create breakthrough experiences, articulate powerful ideas and establish authentic connections offer powerful and practical guidance for marketers and executives everywhere.
Preventing Product Launch Failure: Watch Out for the Pitfalls!
G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Viton writing in the Innovation Engine column at BusinessWeek online, offer a sobering look at the Ten Reasons Your Next Launch Will Fail. From the propensity of companies to create solutions for unknown problems (Science Run Amok) to the recurring theme of teams convincing themselves that they can’t miss (Death by Consensus), this insightful and witty column offers some priceless guidance for marketers, product and project managers and executives everywhere.
Sirius and XM: Does Satellite Radio Resonate?
If I’m XM/Sirius, I would be losing more sleep over why people aren’t knocking down the proverbial doors to take advantage of their quality offerings. I hope they make it, but if my class is representative of a large part of the potential subscriber base, satellite radio either doesn’t resonate, or the companies have failed to communicate the value in a way that resonates. I hope that the management teams are Tuning In.
Don’t Misread the Millennials…Or A Coping Strategy for Managers
The impact of this upbringing is now manifesting itself in the workplace, as more buttoned down Generation Xers or younger Boomers are dealing with a wave of people that seemingly don’t have the work ethic and willingness to pay dues that allegedly we all must bring to our professional lives. Looked at through the eyes of those that are not so far away in age, but miles away in work philosophy, it’s easy to start applying labels like lazy and spoiled. However, before we indict this group of leaders that the demographic numbers indicate that we surely will hand over the reins of power to, it’s important to try and understand what makes them tick.