Thursday, April 19, 2007

From an AQAL point of view, we are called to embrace the truth of as many perspectives as we can, as deeply as we can, while cutting through the falsity of partial and fragmented views, so that we may act, lead, or govern on behalf of the greatest depth for the greatest span of living beings. (excerpt from Holons)

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Wednesday, April 11, 2007

keep your innovation system alive and well

Here are the top ten reasons for innovation failure:
  1. Not creating a culture that supports innovation
  2. Not getting buy-in and ownership from business unit managers
  3. Not having a widely understood, system-wide process
  4. Not allocating resources to the process
  5. Not tying projects to company strategy
  6. Not spending enough time and energy on the fuzzy front-end
  7. Not building sufficient diversity into the process
  8. Not developing criteria and metrics in advance
  9. Not training and coaching innovation teams
  10. Not having an idea management system
Thinksmart

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Sunday, April 08, 2007

Be An Engaged Follower (Howard Schultz & Tom Peters)

In the book, Lessons From the Top: The Search for America's Best Business Leaders, Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, made the following observation: "Give people an opportunity to really be engaged." Employees really want to know how to be great followers. Here are some guidelines for those who sign on to follow.

Have vision. Join in the leader's vision. Paint a picture with words that describes it for you. Ask others to describe the leader's vision in their own words, the vision of the company. How close is it? Are you on the same page as the leader? As you work, think about your company's vision. It needs to be on your mind every day, and reevaluated occasionally so that it stays current with the changing times in which we live. And remember, your leader needs to be just as involved as you in keeping your personal vision of your company up to date.

Develop character. Without character, a follower has limitations—and may not learn how to play a critical role for moving the company forward and supporting their leaders. Without character, you are a burden to your organization. The real question is...are you aware of just what role you as a follower play? All great followers have taken steps to learn about their individual personality and what part it plays in their follower's style. So what's your follower's style? Find out—ask your teammates. "Just do it," as the Nike ad would say, and see how you rate with them. It's a good way to do a "character check" on yourself and your skills as a follower.

Then, once you've asked these questions, answer for yourself, "Do I have the best follower's character? Does it match what the teammates are telling me?" If you feel the traits don't match who you think you are, then look a little deeper and be honest with yourself. Sometimes our first response is defensive. You might want to assess yourself with a different type of profile and then compare the results. So, are you a great follower? Or do you have the desire to become one? Remember, a great follower is someone who has a clear vision and purpose for their work and can turn that vision into a vivid picture that others can see. When you speak about your vision, it should be with a passion you feel in your heart; a passion that creates so much enthusiasm that your teammates will want to jump on board with you.

Live passionately. Your leader wants to see their employees' passion and courage for the adventure that the company has undertaken. Don't hide it. An extraordinary team will want to light the "fire in their bellies," to get themselves to feel passionate about the company and connect to the leader's vision. Passion is such a key part of connecting to a great leader. If you don't have it, your leader cannot inspire it. Think of all the great leaders throughout the ages who had followers willing to be inspired to experience their passion. These followers have courage and passion. It is infectious: When you talk about your own personal vision for the company, let your passion for your vision shine through. Others will feel it and recreate their vision so it's connected to the leader's passion.

Make decisions. How do followers make decisions? Do they wait on the leader? Does their passion and courage show up in the decision making process? Some followers define a set process, and others fly by the seat of their pants. But don't you want to be one of those followers who make sure the leader experiences greatness? Become a decision maker using the 4 "B's": Be quick, but not hasty. Be committed to your decision, but not rigid. Be analytical, but don't over-analyze. Be thoughtful about all concerned, but don't be obsessive. When major decisions need to be made, encourage everyone to be responsible for his or her own actions. This way you are always growing, personally and professionally.

Create teams. To become a great follower, you must develop a great sense of team playing—a sense that engulfs candor, courage and again passion. You can start this by sharing responsibility with your teammates. Be a team leader; make decisions and just do it. When projects aren't on track or your team is falling behind on deadline, rise to the occasion; be courageous and inspire confidence in your team. Alter plans and make new ones. Great followers know how to use their humor to keep the team's spirits up during a crisis. When an emergency hits, your team will look to you as the team leader who is also a source of strength as a successful and true follower.

Have Fun. Followers know how to kick it up a notch. They work hard and play hard. It is a source of great power.


Juli Ann Reynolds
President & CEO
tompeters!company