Q #54: Which exercises do you recommend for brainstorming?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

Here’s an exercise (inspired by Edward de Bono’s ideas) which will work very well with those who have been required to read de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats prior to getting together to brainstorm. Buy several of those delightful Dr. Seuss hats (at least one of each of the six different colors, more if needed) and keep the hats out of sight until everyone is seated. Review the agenda. Review what de Bono says about what each color represents. Then distribute the Dr. Seuss hats, making certain that at least one person is wearing a hat of each color. Proceed with the discussion, chaired by a person wearing a Blue or White hat. It is imperative that whoever wears a Black hat, for example, be consistently negative and argumentative whereas whoever wears a Yellow must be consistently positive and supportive. After about 15-20 minutes, have each person change to a different colored hat. Resume discussion. Thanks to de Bono and (yes) to Dr. Seuss, you can expect to have an especially enjoyable as well as productive session.

In a previous Q&A (#53), I identified several ways to ruin a brainstorm session. One of the most common is “homogenous” group membership. Wearing several hats of different colors and making each participant think according to the color of hat worn will ensure a variety and diversity of points of view.

In my opinion, the best sources for information and advice about brainstorming include two books by Thomas Kelley, The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation. Also, Gerald Sindell’s The Genius Machine, Michael Michalko’s Thinkpak, Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, Doug Hall’s Jump Start Your Business Brain, and Paul Sloane’s The Leader’s Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills.

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Q #53: What are some of the most effective ways to ruin a brainstorming session?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

According to the experts, these are among the most effective:

1. The CEO or some other C-level executive chairs the session. The discussion requires a facilitator who is totally neutral, whose sole purpose is to keep the discussion moving along in an orderly, unhurried fashion. Preferably someone who has mastered the Socratic method of asking questions, not making statements.

2. There are no clear objectives and “ground rules.” At the outset, there should be a problem to solve, a question to answer, or a new opportunity to pursue. In other words, an ultimate “destination.” Otherwise, the discussion will resemble an aerosol spray of opinions.

3. The group membership is “homogenous.” The best brainstorming sessions resemble a “crucible” to which an idea is subjected to scrutiny by quite different backgrounds, perspectives, values, and temperaments. Only the best ideas survive but not until all ideas have been shared.

4. Allowing early criticism. In the spirit of “the only dumb question is the one not asked,” everyone involved should agree that “the only bad idea is the one not shared.” All ideas should be welcomed without criticism until everyone has had a chance to respond with questions or comments.

5. Settling for only a few ideas. In fact, the most productive brainstorm sessions generate lots of bad ideas to get one OK idea, lots of OK ideas to get one excellent idea, and lots of excellent ideas to get what Steve Jobs characterizes as an “insanely great” idea.

6. No follow-through. If there is no follow-through, why have the session? See #2.

In my opinion, the best sources for information and advice about brainstorming include two books by Thomas Kelley, The Art of Innovation and The Ten Faces of Innovation. Also, Gerald Sindell’s The Genius Machine, Michael Michalko’s Thinkpak, Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats, Doug Hall’s Jump Start Your Business Brain, and Paul Sloane’s The Leader’s Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills.

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Q #52: Should negotiation skills be among the core competencies of everyone within an organization?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

I think so. Granted, some negotiations are more important than others but all negotiations involve discussions between or among people who want to reach an agreement of some kind. Some negotiations are formal (e.g. a labor contract); others are informal (e.g. rescheduling a meeting). The eminent psychologist Carl Rogers once suggested that all negotiation issues be divided into three categories. First, identify those on which there is agreement and set them aside. Next, identify those on which concessions and compromises (e.g. trade-offs) can easily be determined. Resolve as many of those issues as possible, and then add those that remain to issues in the third group that are also unresolved, important, and probably more complicated. The focus of discussion should be on them resolving issues in dispute.

OK, but specifically how to do that? The most eminent authorities on formal negotiation (e.g. Dawson, Donaldson, Schell, Ury) suggest that all issues be prioritized in terms of most important, important, and less important. For the time being, set aside those less important and concentrate on important. Resolving them will usually make it easier to resolve the other issues.

The experts on formal negotiation agree on these general guidelines:

1. Know exactly what you want…and why. Have a ”drop dead” (i.e. walk-away) point pre-determined.

2. Recognize where your position is weakest and be prepared to defend it there, if and when attacked. Also know where the vulnerabilities are in the opponent’s position.

3. When an opponent expresses a strong opinion, listen intently and without interruption. Then respond, “If I understand correctly you…” and repeat the opponent’s opinion, position, etc. This will reassure an opponent (or opponents) that you hear what is said and understand it. That does NOT mean that you agree with it.

4. Use silence strategically while maintaining eye contact. There are moments when the less said, the better, and that includes body language and tone of voice.

5. The most successful negotiations produce “Win-Win” agreements.

Also, in my opinion, every executive ought to obtain, read, keep near at hand, and frequently consult Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. I know of no other single source that offers better advice on how to develop persuasion skills.

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Q #51: Why are Seth Godin’s books so popular?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

I think there are several reasons, beginning with the fact that his thinking and writing are so effectively integrated within his prose style, one that I characterize as having “Snap! Crackle! and Pop!” Also, he is a keen observer of what is sometimes referred to as “the family of man,” of human nature, as well as of trends, paradigm shifts, etc. in the contemporary business world. Also, he is an enthusiast, passionate about helping to increase and improve interaction between and among as many people as possible. I think of him as being the Johnny Appleseed of the Information Age. No one invests more time and thought in blogging than he does. No one has done more to encourage and support social communities than he has. Godin publishes a book a year and no two are similar, except for their thought-provoking material and the eloquence with which he presents it. (There are a few common themes, such as the importance of being different but authentic.) I also think he is one of very few business thinkers who possesses what Ernest Hemingway once described as “a built-in, shock-proof crap detector” and he rigorously applies it to his own ideas as well as to others’.

Consider the diversity of his subjects in books published since 1995:

EMarketing: Reaping Profits on the Information Highway
Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers into Friends, and Friends into Customers
Survival Is Not Enough: Zooming, Evolution, and the Future of Your Company
The Big Red Fez: How To Make Any Web Site Better
Unleashing the Ideavirus
Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable
Free Prize Inside!: The Next Big Marketing Idea
All Marketers Are Liars: The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World
The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable
Small Is the New Big: and 193 Other Riffs, Rants, and Remarkable Business Ideas
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?
Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us

Think of Seth Godin’s mind as a “tool box” in which you will find just about everything you need to “build” success both in your career and in your personal life. How valuable is that?

I urge you to sign up for Seth Godin’s blog at

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Q #50: Q: What are some of the best quotations of which most people are unaware?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

I don’t know about “most people” but, speaking only for myself, these are some that were new to me when I first encountered them and I have not seen them cited again since then. In no particular order:

“More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.” Woody Allen

“I know the answer. The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! What, the answer is twelve? I think I’m in the wrong building.” Charles Schultz

‘Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.” Oscar Wilde

“The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get to the office.” Robert Frost

“A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Many people would rather die than think. In fact, they do.” Bertrand Russell

“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” Pablo Picasso

“If there is another way to skin a cat, I don’t want to know about it.” Steve Kravitz

“Writing is easy. All you have to do is stare at a blank sheet of paper [or a computer screen] until drops of blood form on your forehead.” Gene Fowler

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Passion – Energy and Purpose, in Business and in All of LIfe

When you start looking for something, it just seems to show up everywhere. And lately, I keep thinking about passion. I was watching just a snippet of one of my favorite movies, Field of Dreams, and saw the scene where this exchange occurred. Ray had dragged an unwilling Terence Mann to a baseball game, where they both saw and heard a message. But before Mann owns up to it, Ray drops him off at his apartment, and Mann says to him:  “I wish I had your passion.  Misdirected though it might be, it is still a passion.  I used to feel that way about things, but….”  {Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) to Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner), Field of Dreams}.

In a work context, as in all of life, passion spills over and effects everything and everyone that it touches. This came from Bob Morris:  “The 4-E (and 1 P) Leadership Framework” according to Jack Welch: “Passion! By that I mean a heartfelt, deep, and authentic excitement about work. People with passion care — really care in their bones — about colleagues, employees, and friends winning. They love to learn and grow, and they get a huge kick when people around them do the same. The funny thing about people with passion, though, is they usually aren’t excited just about work. They tend to be passionate about everything!…they just have juice for life in their veins.”  (this is an excerpt from a book by Jeffrey Krames — see Bob’s “Q29 from Bob’s blog).

To be fully passionate, you have to be passionate about some thing – some one driving something than literally inspires you and envelops you. That is what the research says, and that is what our experience reveals. We know that people with a passion are people with passion. The driving force that drives such a person gives energy to keep going, to work the long hours, to overcome every setback and every attack and every enemy and every deficiency. Passion keeps a person going on and on…

And – it is never too late. As Ken Robinson, in his book The Element:  How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, put it, we may have to “take the time to step out of our routines, rethink our paths, and revisit the passions we left behind (or never pursued at all). We have the capacity to discover the Element at practically any age.”

And why is that passion so critical? Robinson again: “The Element is the meeting point between natural aptitude and personal passion… (People who find their Element) are doing the thing they love, and in doing it they feel like their most authentic selves. They find that time passes differently and that they are more alive, more centered , and more vibrant… They connect with something fundamental to their sense of identity, purpose, and well-being.”

If passion is the key to authenticity, to energy, to purpose, to fulfillment, to fecundity (the word used by Henri Nouwen in his book Lifesigns), then I would say finding your passion, and living out your passion, could be pretty important – in business and in life.

Q #49: Can a recognition-reward program help to achieve a decisive competitive advantage?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

You bet. Consider the fact that a recent survey conducted by the O. C. Tanner Company indicates that 74% of leaders worldwide still don’t practice recognition with their employees. There are significant differences between formal recognition that is institutional and goal-specific and informal recognition that is situational and on-going. Probably no other organization makes more effective use of formal recognition than does Mary Kay. With all due respect to pink Cadillacs, the fact remains that this company has identified hundreds of other ways to say “Well-done!” while celebrating outstanding performance.

With regard to informal recognition, I once called on a consulting client (a “Fortune 50″ company) and while being escorted from the reception area to the CEO’s office by his administrative assistance, as we walked past one office, I stopped when I saw through the open door a framed “something” on the wall. It was the office of a senior vice president and he was not there. “Everyone notices that,” she said. “Here, take a look.” I examined what was under the glass: more than a dozen multi-colored Post-its, each personally inscribed with brief, congratulatory comments addressed to “Warren” for a winning proposal, an excellent presentation, etc. “He’s so proud of those little notes that he went out and got them all framed.”

I cannot say that “Warren” would rather have the Post-its than a new Cadillac but that’s beside the point anyway. Everyone appreciates being recognized. They welcome appreciative recognition. The 74% of managers who deny or ignore those facts are making a very, very serious mistake.

In The Carrot Principle, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton explain how to establish and then sustain a “carrot culture.” They organize their material within three Parts: The Accelerator (i.e. leadership needed to establish and then sustain a “carrot culture”), Carrot Culture (i.e. its design, “building blocks,” and operations), and Managing by Carrots (i.e. determining the nature, extent, and funding of awards). They provide managers with a cohesive, comprehensive, and cost-effective program by which to “engage their people, retain talent, and accelerate performance.”

According to recent Gallup research, only 29% of the U.S. workforce is positively engaged (i.e. loyal, enthusiastic, and productive) whereas 55% is passively disengaged. That is, they are going through the motions, doing only what they must, “mailing it in,” coasting, etc. What about the other 16%? They are “actively disengaged,” doing whatever they can to undermine their employer’s efforts to succeed.

So, a combination of formal (institutional) and informal (situational) recognition “accelerates business results. It amplifies the effect of every action and quickens every process. It also heightens your ability to see employee achievements, sharpens your communication skills, creates cause for celebration, boosts, trust between you and your employees, and improves accountability.” Those who read this book and then decide to introduce or revise a recognition program will need the convincing, indeed compelling support for doing so that Gostick and Elton provide in their brilliant book. I presume to add that establishing and then sustaining a carrot culture requires recognition initiatives that create a climate of appreciation. Don’t wait until you have recruited an army of those who share your vision, don’t wait until a full-blown program is in place. Show your appreciation now, at every appropriate opportunity, if only with a brief expression of praise.

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Q #48: How to overcome cultural barriers to change initiatives?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

Approximately 70% of change initiatives fail and a majority of them do so because of cultural barriers indicated by statements such as these:

“That’s not how we do business here.”

“We tried that once [in 1971] and it failed.”

“If it isn’t broken, why break it?”

James O’Toole aptly characterized cultural barriers as evidence of “the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom.” How to overcome these barriers?

1. Pay cultural barriers proper respect because they are formidable and embraced by those who believe in the status quo and are determined to defend it. “What’s in it for me?” is a legitimate question, especially when asked by opponents to change. Never, ever underestimate the importance of self-interests. Understand what they are and you have identified the cultural barriers to be overcome.

2. I am convinced that most people do not fear change; rather, they fear what is unfamiliar. Therefore, spend at least as much time and energy explaining why change is important (i.e. its necessity, benefits, ultimate impact) as you do explaining what it will require. Use only first-person plural pronouns when doing so because they are inclusive. Welcome questions. Listen intently to comments, especially to criticism.

3. Meanwhile, be patient and persistent. To borrow a term from football, “keep moving the chains.” At all times, remind yourself that you are engaged in a building process and progress will be incremental. Most successes will be modest…but need not be insignificant. As one classic aphorism suggests, “Make haste slowly.” Sometimes you can exhaust opponents by listening to them and outlast them by remaining calm and cordial as well as determined.

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Q #47: Which strategies will help when applying advice from business books?

In this series, Bob Morris poses a key question and then responds to it with material from one or more of the business books he has reviewed for Amazon and Borders.

That is a question I am constantly asked. There is no “correct” answer, nor any strategies that are certain to be helpful. That said, no two companies are the same nor were the circumstances in any company twelve months (or even twelve days) ago exactly the same as they are now, today. Keep in mind that much (most?) of the information provided in books that focus on exemplary companies (i.e. that are “excellent,” “built to last,” have made the “leap” from good to great, etc.) is obsolete by the time the books were published. There is much of value to be learned from exemplary companies. However, it would be a mistake to copy what they do and how they do it. In the healthiest companies, change is the only constant.

Consider these three strategies:

1. First, identify the single most important question that needs to be answered about your own company. For example: How can we get more of our people actively and productively engaged? How can we measure performance more accurately? How can we develop leaders at all levels and in all areas? How can we reduce attrition of valued workers?

2. Identify those business books in which their authors respond to that specific question. (I will be delighted to suggest some titles if you let me know what your own question is.) As you read one or more of them, be especially alert for “do’s” and “don’ts” as well as for what worked, what didn’t, and why. Appropriate information and counsel strategically. That is, select only what is directly relevant. Make whatever modifications may be necessary. Also, do NOT try to implement everything immediately. Lily Tomlin was right: “God created time so that everything doesn’t happen all at once.”

3. All change initiatives encounter resistance and much of it is cultural. In Leading Change, James O’Toole aptly characterizes cultural barriers as evidence of “the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom.” How to overcome these barriers? (More about these barriers in Q&A #48.) So one excellent strategy, initially, is to identify and pluck “low-hanging fruit” (i.e. easily achieved successes, improvements, etc.) to generate some momentum and to attract support. “Nothing succeeds like success,” however modest it may be.

Comments, questions, requests, or suggestions? Please share them. They will be most welcome and I thank you for them. Best regards, Bob

Resonant Leadership

Cheryl and Sara provide a woman’s perspective on business books.

Sara offers: As we work in the unique environment that is 2009, I am intrigued by which leaders are thriving and which ones, merely surviving.  Tim is in sales and struggles because the market is depressed, people aren’t spending money and he finds himself working more and more hours and feeling frazzled all the time.  The lack of time he has with his family adds guilt to his frustration.  Fran is in the same business – sales.  She is energized by the market and sees it as a place of business development and possibilities.  She leads her team into the future by investing well in the present.  Fran works hard and plays hard.  When she leaves work, she gives herself time to renew and refresh.  The primary difference between these two is one of the key ideas in Resonant Leadership by Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee.  Leaders have a responsibility to renew themselves to remain good leaders.  The book examines how the human brain needs cycles – times of high activity followed by periods of rest and renewal.  The problem with life today is that with all the ways to stay in touch…Blackberries, iPhones, etc.  We can live lives of non-stop desperation (with apologies Henry David Thoreau) where frazzled becomes a way of life.

Cheryl offers: Political preferences (truly) aside, when I first heard Barack Obama’s theme of “Hope, Yes We Can”, I couldn’t help but think of what I learned reading Resonant Leadership.  I also believed if he could deliver this message in a way that connected to a wide audience, he would become the next president, largely on what the message Hope offers. As things turned out, he was able to do just that.

So what is it about hope that is so powerful? Hope helps us feel excited about a future that’s possible. Hope is one of those positive emotions that “impact our openness and cognitive flexibility, problem-solving abilities, empathy, willingness to seek variety, and persistence.” It has also been shown to “lead to other positive emotions (think fun, exciting), more positive thoughts (the ability to reset and rekindle passion), superior coping abilities (because it engages a different part of the brain), and less depression – even in people with serious physical conditions such as spinal cord injuries.” Anyone remember how hopeful and inspiring Christopher Reeves lived his life after the horse riding accident?  Hope helps us visualize a future with clarity and ignites energy to move forward. “We can all apply visualization techniques to cultivate hope in our lives. Besides triggering mindfulness and a sense of renewal (which Sara refers to above), such exercises can help guide our decisions and future actions.” It can be the difference between being labeled a pessimist and an optimist. So, if hope triggers renewal and Fran has figured out how important that is to a leader’s effectiveness, who wants to bet Fran also recognizes the value of hope, for herself and her team?