The Change Dude’s Blog

It’s a White Out

What a crazy weather week.  Luckily I didn’t have a trip to the East Coast on the agenda for the week but a few of my colleagues and friends did.  One of my clients marooned in Philadelphia described it as a surreal experience where he was the only person in both the office and the hotel.

Due to the extreme snow in the mid-Atlantic states everything has come to a standstill, airports are closed, schools are closed, government is closed and buildings are closed.  Not so for most businesses.  Many businesses are still up and running as a result of laptops, high-speed internet connections, mobile phones and virtual organizations.

Virtual organizations aren’t new.  The ideas and concepts behind them have been around for 15 years but only in the recent past have they become real and functioning.  People, skills, a sense of purpose and community make an organization truly hum.

Building  your organization into one that functions virtually demands an environment of trust, remote tools and developed processes allowing for productivity on the move.

Weather can delay and annoy but not stop a business from moving forward in 2010.

February 12, 2010 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

NLP and the Average Joe

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) has been a personal interest for many years.  The whole concept of using language and visual cues to positively effect relationships with others is just cool.  Although I’ve never been formally trained in the art and science of NLP I find myself using the techniques constantly.

For those that don’t have any idea what NLP means the concept is simple, the use of communication, behaviors and past experience to modify what people do and feel.  For the average Joe or Joanne we unconsciously use the techniques every day without realizing it. 

For example, sales trainers will always tell their pupils that if you ask potential customers a series of questions with obvious “yes” answers then conclude with an offer the customer will be “programmed” to answer “yes”.  Simple behavior patterning.  We do the same when trying to win an argument, although often without realizing it, by stringing a series of clear facts in front of an absurd assertion.  It’s the old “if-then” statement.

Personally I enjoy reading about NLP and studying the techniques to develop stronger relationships.  There’s nothing more satisfying than making someone feel a little better about their day. 

Just by smiling you trigger those magic mirror neurons and others will do the same. Instant rapport building and a positive connection.

February 3, 2010 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

It’s Summer and the Living’s Easy

Summer 2009 might well be the easiest vacation season in along time.  Living in a Southern California beach community is a great gift.  I love the beach, the temperate weather and diversity of the visitors that enjoy my fair city. 

This summer appears to be busier than most.  When you pull apart the potential reasons that traffic at the beach has been phenomenally busy this summer a few potential factors may be in play.

1. Economic conditions have provided Americans with a choice to either spend their discretionary income on elaborate family vacations or save some of that precious income and take day trips to the local beaches.

2. Of the 5 million or so unemployed Americans many like to surf and choose to spend their summer at the beach in lieu of pursuing a relatively fruitless job search.

3. A greater number of local residents decided this was the year to spend more time at the surf than in the past.

In any case there are certainly more folks at the local beaches this year than in the past.  This is great news for small business, children that hate long drives in the family car and beach toy manufacturers.

What’s the change lesson in my observation?  It’s all about adaptive leadership.  In the face of events that sent the US economy back to the days of the Jackie Gleason Show, high balls and rotary phones family leaders have adapted to the situation at hand.  Family leaders are pulling back into their own economic boundaries and leading though example. 

Leadership in business has shown it’s far less adaptive this year than most moms and dads.  Business leaders consistently have fallen back into their comfort zones.  When the economy began to fade the tried and true tools of retrenchment were pulled out of the bag.  Reduce cost, reduce staff, reduce investment, reduce incentive to excel and take a step back from innovation. 

We all need to shake off the trappings of knowing and put on our learning, collaborative listening cap.  Open the office door and let in some fresh air.  Be vulnerable in the organization and ask important open questions about how to spring forward from the deep trenches that have been dug since earlier this year.  Ask colleagues, ask customers, ask employees for their thoughts.  You may find that there’s a beach closer to you than you think.

August 12, 2009 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Re-evolution Has Begun

Up, up, up…a little anyway.  Our global economy is beginning to eak its way up the hill and businesses are responding by poking their corporate heads up. 

What I see happening in the marketplace is executives opening their doors, peaking out the window and taking small steps towards their “renewed” organizations.  Dealing with the rapid pace of the changes that have taken place demands a strong “constitution” as my father would say. Many organizations did the duck and cover maneuver holding tight and pulling in every appendage to weather the historic economic storm. 

Changes in the marketplace are here to stay, organizations are just now initiating their actions to renew and emerge as a re-evolved entity.  Realizations that global forces have changed, last year’s operating model is dead and new operating models must emerge are just now taking hold.  I have often talked about Organization Renewal in this blog and with my clients.  Most have had a bit of a tin ear.  Now’s the time to get a hearing aid fitted and listen up or be left behind.

Renewal begins with defining the possible, discarding old ideas of what was and look forward to what will be.  I read a piece today in ESPN The Magazine talking about a 16 year old from Southern California, Zac Sunderland, that embarked on a solo circumnavigation of the globe.  He’s very close to hitting home port in Marina Del Rey.  What struck me was this observation “people in ports always asked me where I was going next, not where I’ve been”.  This is the key to renewal.  Look to the next horizon.

In the world of business change it’s about defining the picture in vivid term of what will be.  Bringing together the organization and enrolling each and every individual in that vision.

My challenge to every business leader is to ask yourself this question every morning before you pop that first e-mail “Where am I going next?”

Happy adventuring!

June 9, 2009 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

My Flying Office

Unreal. I’m presently 33,000 feet aboove Alberquerque on my wy to Washington D.C. fro L.A. and working on the internet. This is incredible. Virgin America has made this trip not only comfortable but also productive. Not wasting any time mindlessly watching some heavily edited movie today. This is just cool.
The bad news is that I can’t hide. Being connected while flying clearly has its pros and cons but today I needed to get some work done and by getting it done and emailed out will save my NCAA Tourney viewing tonight.

March 26, 2009 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Talent Pool – Frozen Solid

I was out with a client last week and we discussing their recent Reduction in Force (RIF) and one executive mentioned that in the next few months they would really need to redesign process to deal with the changes forced by the RIF.  AHA!  Someone gets it.

Being a loyal HBR subscriber I get access to what’s called “The Daily Stat”  facts and figures to stimulate thought and action.  I highly recommend you subscribe to this daily feed.  Last week this interesting piece of data arrived courtesy of a study from Watson Wyatt: 52% of 245 large U.S. employers surveyed in February have already conducted layoffs and 56% have instituted hiring freezes, up from 39%  and 47% respectively in December.  The good news? The percentages of companies still planning layoffs and hiring freezes have dropped almost as sharply.  13% of those surveyed said they expected layoffs compared to 23% two months earlier. 

The absolutely numbing surprise in these numbers is that 100% of the companies surveyed took a step, or two, to freeze their talent.  Like an old cops and robber flick – “freeze or we’ll shoot”.  Step 1 – executives freeze the circulation and development of talent.  Step 2- talent freezes solidly in place.  Step 3 – employees and customers stand around waiting for the spring thaw.  Step 4 – costs, revenues and value freeze. 

Clearly the business community was forced to take actions based on the reset button that was pushed in late ’08.  Talent is the most expensive and easiest lever. Voila – layoffs to the max.  I have the most severe reaction to slamming down the talent lever in response to a downturn without spending a little time evaluating the potential exposure.  Many companies did not take that step.  In most of my conversations with clients I’m hearing that the highest compensated staff are the hardest hit by this wave of talent cutting.  High paid talent is typically in place as a result filling a real need with strangely enough…high quality talent.  The end result of all this is that 100% of the companies surveyed have probably reduced not only their cost base but also their value base.  Lower quality talent delivering lower value to customers and hence the shareholder.

3 Tips on Protecting the Pool

1. Care must be taken in the short term to ensure that the strong talent left in place is provided the opportunity to grow, contribute and feel respected. 
2. Ensure that employees feel commited and secure to reduce the effect that weak employee engagement has on your customers and their confidence in the organization’s ability to deliver on the brand promise. 
3. Use this time to challenge staff and expand their contributions in ways that lever forward the organization and themselves in tandem.

March 23, 2009 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Recast, Renew and Reinvigorate

Over the past week I’ve jumped from my home in Southern California to Boston, Houston and Philadelphia.  In every airport throngs of travelers were on their way to and from Spring getaways.  They went off to renew their spirit in places that took them far from home and offered a new perspective.  What a wonderful thing to do.  Step back from the daily rigors and just take a deep breath.

I suggest my clients do the same.  After having experienced one of the most devastating six months for the economy in generations it’s time to step back from the spreadsheets and take a fresh look at your business.  Remove your faces from the bark lining those big scarry trees and get up on the balcony to overlook the whole darned forest.  In taking the time to break away with your leadership team at a simple one day off-site to take stock of where the organization stands,without the numbers staring you in the face,  the opportunity to look ahead is wondrous.

No,the path isn’t clear quite yet, their are still some challenges ahead.  Some pruning and clearing continues.  Your mind has a short respite where people and strategy win the day.  Focus on those that are in the organziation and how they can feel renewed by the Spring that’s on it’s way.  Focus on what the 2010 strategy for growth will look like.  Recast the future prospect through the eyes of your customers and employees.  Then bring the new energy to your business.  Wear a Hawaiian shirt this Friday.  Invite everyone in your organization to do the same.  Have a potato chip and punch luau in the conference room.

Surprisingly, this little bit of relief from the winter might put everyone in a better frame to conquer the challenges of the day.

Bottom line…have some fun

March 20, 2009 Posted by thechangedude | Uncategorized | Leave a comment