Posted on by shersh

Maybe I can save the world too!

Ultimately, whatever we plan, it all comes down to execution.

Over the past 40+ years books and articles have been written about the criticality of embedding  Organizational Change management in all that we do.  They screamed  It’s the PEOPLE, stupid!! got it?

It’s all there. Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Gerald Wienberg or Peter Bloch,  Kotter or Jacques or Bossidy..

Well I thought the message got thru, yet to my surprise, in 2009, we still don’t get it. I thought I was out of a job.  wow, I am hireable! and so are all you believers!

Anytime, we ( individual, group, company..) want to do something, anything,  inherently we are making changes. Changes to process, people, technology, attitudes, metrics…whatever.  Few things have ever been done with long term success in a “9-1 fashion”.

So as you begin to plan your project ( maybe I am making another assumption here as well), spend some quality time involving all those affected stakeholders.  Talk with them..Please..

maybe with a few more successful projects  ( managed expectations, cost, budgets, quality, scope…) we will have a positive impact on this small world of ours, one small change at a time!

S

Posted on by shersh

Poverty – Blog Action Day

We are lucky, very lucky. To live in a country that is free, democratic, educated, provides for its nation, with individual’s rights and freedoms respected, and  embedded in its charter, with an abundance of food and water,  and healthcare for all.  We are lucky.   But sometimes we just don’t know it.

We are at times overwhelmed by the “Material Consumption era” we live in and its allure  to satisfy  ego. Putting ego at the door for a moment..
We live in a world impoverished of food, freedom and equality.  Over 1 billion people live with under $1 per day.  Kids go to school hungry every day.
Put yourself in their shoes.  Could you live with under $1 per day?  What would you do?  How would you live?
How would you learn,always hungry? How would you grow?

Through all of this there is hope.  YOU!

You can:
.Give money to enable people to be fed
.Participate actively and directly to collect food and feed these people, serve the global community
.Participate politically  to enable the unencumbered movement of good and services, when and where they are needed.   Do any or all but ACT.

ACT now..
Make serving those less fortunate part of your life.  What ever you do, no matter how small, embed the ACT  in your day to day life.
Each one of us has the power to change the world, one small step at a time.

This is not about consuming and satisfying a craving , this second and getting instant gratification.
This is about slowly taking millions of small steps so that we crush poverty  slowly, over time, for good.

Just go out there and help!

<a href=”http://blogactionday.org”><img border=”0″ src=”http://blogactionday.org/img/2cbd5f5788bb424061df11f2053108ae46ac3e1e.jpg” /></a>

Posted on by shersh

Desire – key to growth

One characteristic of successful people is consistent emotional staying power.
They are able to maintain focus with less effort and have more positive effect than many. Frequently we say, at least to ourselves, I want some of that! So, what is “that”??

I suggest, whether you are an organizational leader, servant, follower or new role seeker, that an answer lies in the strength of your inner desire. Not your intellectual rationalizing self, that knows all, but the desire that sits in your gut.

Motivation is a driving force. It encourages discipline, focus, and drive. Motivation is a desire (in your gut, not your head) with the expectation that it will be accomplished. Desire is fueled by a burning passion, a passion you must daily see, feel, smell, touch, even hear. Successful people learn to recognize and enjoy this passion, funneling it to meet specific objectives.

And it is this passion, and the positive strong self it supports, that creates the aura and the reality of success.

Posted on by shersh

First 100 days – an approach to thinking

A basis for thinking – Part 1
———————–
I have heard this called the 100 day march, trial, probation. Its also been referred to as a honeymoon, testing period, break-in time and many other things.

Consultants have railed about its importance. Prospective executives have built up so much angst over this 100 day idea that it almost tired them out before they started the new role. Senior executives would comment ” well lets see what he can do”. just to add some more salt to this idea.

Congratulations! We have created a monster and it is us!

So what is it, how does work, and what’s in it for me or you for that matter.

Starting a new job obviously is an exciting period in one’s career. All of us want to be successful both in our eyes and the eyes of the company we join. The 100 days idea ( it could be any number really) is a recognition that there is much to learn.

First of all please note that this is not a one sided act of being thrown to the lions. The company And the new executive are building a relationship which actually started during the interview stages and certainly developed further during negotiation.

As a team, the relationship should be fostered as a new garden is planned. Maybe that’s where “getting the lay of the land” comes to be. And for many executives they may not have had or given themselves the opportunity to learn first hand about the state of the earth before starting.

So what are we interested in:
The hiring manager ( one person or committee or board) may be asking
.Can she/he deliver
.How will the candidate get along with certain people or
.How will he deal with certain issues ( not always clearly mentioned during the interviews)
.Is there a culture fit
.I hope he knows what he is getting into

The new employee by the way has the same interests.

If the two individuals can work together ( sometimes an executive coach can be a timely help)
and build a relationship, then the first 100 days can be a voyage to discovery. No lions.
If a lion does show up then the relationship is strong enough to manage it effectively.
With this thinking in place we can now set some objectives…

Posted on by shersh

Leadership is not an island

Leadership is hard sometimes. We take a new role and find that we respond to the new dynamics in new unplanned ways .
From the outside we do well assessing the business situation ( like a case at school) and creating a number of pragmatic paper opinions based on good sound logic including ourselves. But we are not logical. surprise!

As we take on new roles, we can only do “so much” pre-analysis before jumping in and being. Sure we use our leadership skills , maybe stoically at first, but reality sets in. The numbers are not as high as we “promised”, out of the corner of our eye we may see the corner of the room coming closer, our board looks at us sceptically ( did we make a wrong choice?) and all of a sudden we respond or react.
Sometimes under pressure we may say things, do things in anger ( fire someone?) as if we had to prove our command position or assert so that in some way we will get respect.

But the world has changed. how we respond under pressure, how we emotionally engage, the personality traits we lean on, are all a currency that have not be counted before.

We realize that it is not enough to do the case study on the business problem/challenge. Now, more than ever, we need to understand ourselves, and team with others who will provide the support and the insight to succeed. We need to accept that we are not alone . That no matter how strong we are, we cannot be bulls in a china shop.

So next time an opportunity presents itself consider who you are, and, using the Heisenberg Principle, understand the effect we will have when we put ourselves on the case.

Posted on by shersh

Tribute to Openness in Government AND Organizations

Everyone –

On his first full day on the job (January 21st), President Obama signed two Executive Orders and three Presidential Memoranda.  One of his memoranda gives me hope that the work all of you do will soon become not the exception but the norm in this country.  Given this incredible window of opportunity, let’s work together to make sure this Open Government Directive includes the important work represented by the dialogue and deliberation community.

A thank you to Joe Goldman for bringing this to my attention this afternoon.  Feel free to share this message widely folks!

Sandy Heierbacher
Director, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation
sandy@thataway.org

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Transparency and Open Government

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government. We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

Government should be transparent. Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. Information maintained by the Federal Government is a national asset. My Administration will take appropriate action, consistent with law and policy, to disclose information rapidly in forms that the public can readily find and use. Executive departments and agencies should harness new technologies to put information about their operations and decisions online and readily available to the public. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public.

Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances the Government’s effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge. Executive departments and agencies should offer Americans increased opportunities to participate in policymaking and to provide their Government with the benefits of their collective expertise and information. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public input on how we can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in Government.

Government should be collaborative. Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to identify new opportunities for cooperation.

I direct the Chief Technology Officer, in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Administrator of General Services, to coordinate the development by appropriate executive departments and agencies, within 120 days, of recommendations for an Open Government Directive, to be issued by the Director of OMB, that instructs executive departments and agencies to take specific actions implementing the principles set forth in this memorandum. The independent agencies should comply with the Open Government Directive.

This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

This memorandum shall be published in the Federal Register.

BARACK OBAMA

—

Posted on by shersh

You INC. – personal branding

am a strong believer in YOU INC.
I advise my candidates based on that far reaching philosophy, psychology and business strategy. With that in mind, many of my candidates, my customers, ask me how to do a job search.

Here is a start:
You are running a business. Your product/service is “You”. ( no surprise)
Your “inner-boss” asks you for a go to market strategy. What do you tell her/him??

First, tell nothing. Write it down. ( say about 3 full pages)

Second, build your table of contents to be completed.

Third, remember this is always a work in progress, affected by the daily operations and tactics you perform/execute.

Fourth, start completing the TOC and start learning. This is a full time job in itself.

Here is a first cut to chew on-
Strawman Table of Contents ( please share with me & others, additions, changes, ideas….)

Define your personal Vision/Mission
Define your personal expectations of a new role
Define your role criteria : for example
Skills & Competencies you want to apply, you enjoy applying
Do a SWOT analysis on you, your skills,
how do you compete?
what are your weaknesses, do you want/need to improve them
what are your strengths, how do you know ? how do you do you want/need to improve them, use more of them
Who are your target customers? What do they need?
So, How do you “sell” to those customers? via what marketing channels? with what unique selling proposition
Set times and deliverables to make the “sell” happen..

This should start the wheels turning! Thoughts…..

Seymour

Posted on by shersh

Good Leadership is found within

One characteristic of successful people is consistent emotional staying power.
They are able to maintain focus with less effort and have more positive effect than many. Frequently we say, at least to ourselves, I want some of that! So, what is “that”??

I suggest, whether you are an organizational leader, servant, follower or new role seeker, that an answer lies in the strength of your inner desire. Not your intellectual rationalizing self, that knows all, but the desire that sits in your gut.

Motivation is a driving force. It encourages discipline, focus, and drive. Motivation is a desire (in your gut, not your head) with the expectation that it will be accomplished. Desire is fueled by a burning passion, a passion you must daily see, feel, smell, touch, even hear. Successful people learn to recognize and enjoy this passion, funneling it to meet specific objectives.

And it is this passion, and the positive strong self it supports, that creates the aura and the reality of success.

“a man’s reach must exceed his grasp, oe’r what’s a heaven for”