| Thursday, August 28, 2008 | | Applying Beijing to Business |
If you are anything like me, you found yourself glued to the television during primetime for at least a couple of nights over the last two weeks. No, it wasn’t the start of a new season of Dancing With the Stars. It wasn’t even the outtakes for America’s Got Talent. I found myself compelled to check stay abreast of the unpredictable happenings at the Beijing Olympic games.
The games were filled with highs and lows. There were moments of majestic triumphs and greatness:
- Michael Phelps achieving an incredible 8 Olympic gold medals in swimming, one by no more than a fingernail!
- Misty May–Treanor and Kerri Walsh striking gold without losing a single set in Beach Volleyball. Now let’s see if they can win the 2012 without losing a point!
There were moments of inspiration:
- The awesome abilities Dara Torres winning two Olympic Silver medals (she’s won medals at five Olympics) at the age of 41 in a sport dominated by youth
- Open water swimmer Natalie Du Toit from South Africa not only swam, but placed competitively though she was missing a leg!
There were expected moments – the NBA superstar stacked US Men’s Basketball “Redeem Team” winning the gold. There were unexpected moments – both of the US 4X100 Meter relay teams dropped the baton and were disqualified.
I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue that the Olympic games brought. It also made me think about a leadership topic: celebrating triumphs and sharing the inspiring stories. Often times as leaders, we can be so focused on achieving the organizational vision, on correcting the course, on taking corporate performance to the next level, [insert your own anecdote here] that we lose sight of the significant triumphs that we have achieved. We need to take the time to relish in our people’s victories; to celebrate the successes along the way.
By no means does this mean that we take our eyes off the goal. Michael Phelps thoroughly enjoyed each victory. Remember his primal scream after edging out Milorad Cavic in the 100 meter Butterfly by .01 seconds? He took time to celebrate the victory, but kept his eye on the prize.
The other thought I had throughout the Olympics was “what makes these games so special?” How often do you watch track meets? Gymnastics tournaments? OK…maybe periodically, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t devote an afternoon to a fencing duel very often. Yet once every four years, I find myself drawn to badminton, shooting, wrestling (not the “sports entertainment” version), and even table tennis. Why? Because of scarcity. The Olympics are so special because they don’t happen often.
The same holds true of celebrating triumphs. Over-celebration of victories lessens the meaning and value of the triumphs. If everything is celebrated, the scarcity or specialness is gone. While there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer, it is important to ask yourself the questions: What is the right balance of celebration and scarcity in my organization? How do I effectively use celebration to motivate and build the organizational culture? We would love to hear about your triumphs or inspiring stories. Please share them with us using the comments below or this email link! | |
| | Tuesday, July 10, 2007 | | Strategy as Behavior Change |
The phrase "IT strategy" has different meanings for different people. Some think of IT strategy as a list of sytems that need to be replaced, or the future state of the network infrastructure. Others see it as a document that gathers dust on a shelf somewhere. Some even have an instinctive aversion to the topics of "IT" and "strategy," and when the words are put together in the same sentence, they want to run for the hills. Heaven forbid!
One can understand that perspective. If strategy is in fact just a document, or just a list of tasks to accomplish, then is there any real and lasting value for the organization?
We believe that the value of any good strategy is ultimately a change in behavior and attitudes. Roger Connors and Tim Smith describe this in their book Journey to the Emerald City. They outline four steps to behavior change: see it, own it, solve it, do it. These steps take us through the process of recognizing that a problem exists, taking responsiblity for it, engaging yourself and providing new perspectives, and taking action.
In the world of IT strategy, this same concept translates to how organizations manage their technology capability. Are business executives really seeing their true role in making technology decisions? Are they owning technology problems? Is the organization collaborating to solve the problem? Are the right actions being taken on the business and technology side?
Here are some steps you can follow to make sure your strategy work is resulting in behavioral change:
Identify what's wrong. Often the toughest issues aren't discussed openly. Organizations need to learn how to get these issues out on the table so they can address them in a constructive way. This prepares the groundwork for behavioral change.
Understand all the perspectives. Guess what? That person you disagree with probably has some very valid points. It is often the synthesis of opposing ideas that leads to a better way of doing things.
Forge the path. Once you have a shared understanding of the problem, it is time to develop a shared vision for change. It is extremely important that that vision be commonly held among the organization's leaders. Without that, any plan for action is meaningless.
Measure your progress. Behaviors don't change overnight. We might have a shared vision of the future and we believe we are all on the same path, but it takes a certain amount of vigilance to make sure we don't revert to old ways. Shared accountabilty goes a long way.
I would like to hear your stories about getting organizations to change behaviors. Let me know about what worked and what didn't work. We'll discuss the interesting cases in the blog section of our web site at www.ambassadorsolutions.com.
Send your comments to me at rthieme@ambassadorsolutions.com.
Ron Thieme, Ph.D.
VP, Strategic Services
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| | Tuesday, July 03, 2007 | | Look Where You Want to Go |
I do a fair amount of consulting for businesses and organizations of all types. I've worked with Fortune 500 businesses, not-for-profit organizations, mid-market companies, and academic institutions. The cultures, proceses, and the general notion of "how things get done around here" have been different for each one. In fact, that's one of the benefits of my career--understanding how each organization is unique keeps everything interesting
I'm also a certified motorcycle safety instructor. (How many management consultants do you know that ride a motorcycle that will do 0-60 MPH in 2.98 seconds?) I teach people from all walks of life how to ride motorcycles safely and efficiently. My students have ranged from those who have never sat on a motorcycle to old hands who have been riding for 30 years. An interesting observation about that is that everyone has something to learn to make them a better motorcyclist--no matter how long they've been riding. I often say that when the day comes that I have nothing to learn about motorcycling, that's the day I wil stop riding completely. Because then I've crossed the line between respecting the motorcycle and taking it for granted. And when you begin taking things for granted in a relatively high-risk sport like motorcycling, accidents happen.
Now, what does motorcycling have to do with management consulting? One of the key concepts I teach my motorcycle students is to "look where you want to go." The notion is that your body will tend to point the motorcycle in the direction you are looking. That means if you see a big pot hole in the road, for example, don't stare at the pot hole. If you do, chances are you'll run right into it. Instead, look at the path of travel you want to follow. Look around the hole, and you'll probably avoid it.
But it is easy to be overwhelmed by events. Sometimes you can't help staring right at that car that just entered your right-of-way. This is called "target fixation," and usually the consequences are serious. Being unable to take your eyes off the big problem right in front of you often guarantees that you are going to slam right into that problem.
There's a parallel notion here for managing a business. Executives and leaders need to "look where they want to go," especially when they are surrounded by obstacles, risks, and the "road hazards" of running a business. It is the unique ability of the leader to point the organization's eyes in the direction of safety and future success. This often comes by having a strategy, or a plan of action. Strategy is what helps organizations "look where they want to go."
Send me your thoughts and comments about this. I'll select the insightful and provocative ideas for further discussion on this blog.
In meantime, remember to look where you want to go!
Ron Thieme, Ph.D.
Vice President, Strategic Services
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