How to reboot a stalled brain: What to do when you’re stuck

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Margaret Heffernan for CBS MoneyWatch, the CBS Interactive Business Network. To check out an abundance of valuable resources and obtain a free subscription to one or more of the website’s newsletters, please click here.

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(MoneyWatch)  Leaders always face difficult, apparently intransigent problems. You can look on the bright side and appreciate that this pain always represents learning. But the reality is that, all too often, getting stuck is frightening. Here are some ways to get un-stuck.

[Here are three of five initiatives that Heffernan suggests. To read the complete article, please click here.]

Stop working

The natural tendency, when up against a tough problem, is to keep working at it. And, up to a point, that’s what you should and must do. But we all reach a moment of diminishing returns, where we are retracing the same old thought lines, beating our heads against the same brick walls. At those moments, it’s crucial to stop. Running around the same track won’t change the scenery; it will just wear you out. Those of us with a strong work ethic find this very difficult. So just tell yourself that stopping is work too – because it is. To find new approaches means you have to do something new too.

Do something completely different

Codebreakers will tell you that often the best way to solve a problem is to look away from it. Many of my best ideas and solutions came while I was driving home from the office. Go to the gym (with a notepad!) Exercise brings a rush of oxygen into the brain which definitely helps. If that’s impossible or too time consuming, walk the dog. Walk the halls. Just cross your office and look out of the window. Even the slightest physical movement can jolt you out of the mental rut in which you are stuck

If you work from home, put in a load of laundry or empty the dishwasher. Don’t start something that takes time – that’s displacement activity. Just choose a simple enough task that will shift your thinking while you do it

Have a conversation (not a meeting)

Conversations about the area you’re working in will force you to frame the subject, to define and articulate exactly what it is you are working on. The very act of articulating it may help you to see it differently or to define it for yourself more clearly. It is virtually impossible to do this in a dialogue with yourself but inevitable if you are trying to explain your topic to someone else. I usually find that the very act of expressing what the problem is changes it.

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Remember

Don’t panic. Remember: You’ve been here before. High achievers easily lose sight of the hurdles they’ve already overcome: Once cleared, usually forgotten. But confidence is not a requirement for success; it is the product of success. So don’t forget that you already have those successes under your belt. You’ve confronted horrible obstacles before and cleared them. That means you’re very likely to be able to do so this time. As long as you keep your nerve and keep going.

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To read the complete article, please click here.

Margaret Heffernan has been CEO of five businesses in the United States and United Kingdom. A speaker and writer, her most recent book Willful Blindness was shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book 2011. Visit her on www.MHeffernan.com.

 

 

Social Media: Apparently a troublesome term

Given all the confusion about “social media,” some corrections and clarifications seem to be needed:

• The word “media” is the plural for the word “medium” but the term “social media” is generally used with a singular verb.

• The term “social media” embraces web-based and mobile technologies that facilitate and expedite user-generated content.

• There seems to be widespread confusion of social media with social groups that use them, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Similarly, television is a communications medium; network and cable television companies are not.

• Contributions from members of social groups are by nature subjective rather than objective and by no means definitive.

• Wikipedia poses challenges to being classified because it is both a social group and a major information source. Contact between and among those who contribute to it (funds and/or articles) is interactive but informational rather than social in both nature and extent.

• As for FFBS, its resources include a website, a bookstore, and a blog. Reservations can be made and purchases processed via its website; to date, few persons have posted blog content but anyone can post comments on that content. As for social interaction, that is limited entirely to monthly meetings at which Karl Krayer and Randy Mayeux are the sole providers of content.

• For several years, I have also been actively involved with the Employee Engagement Network that now has more than 4,600 members throughout the United States and Canada (primarily) but anyone anywhere is welcome to join. There are no meetings but there is constant exchange of information each day. EEN members are definitely engaged.

• Groups that rely almost entirely on social media to attract and retain members are not “news” sources, nor do they attempt to be.

• Those who have that expectation probably rely on John Wayne’s film, The Alamo, to know what really happened at the mission near San Antonio, February 23 – March 6, 1836.

• Finally, all of the Fortune 100 companies are now actively involved with social media because, to their astonishment, visitors to their Facebook sites out-number visitors to their homepages (on average) by at least a 15-1 ratio and probably more.

Finally – Some Great Business News about American Airlines

American Airlines is in the news every day.  And most of it is not good news.

We have read about union issues, negotiation struggles, bankruptcy, customer service issues, and a host of other maladies about the airline.

But, in the Dallas Morning News Business section on February 22, 2012, there is a great article about how American provides free legal service to deserving citizens.  You can read the entire article here.

The article features Marjorie Powell, who is an assistant general counsel at American Airlines.  She oordinates pro bono work for the carrier’s 40 in-house attorneys.   American was among the first corporations to implement a formal pro bono program.  American requires each lawyer to complete ten hours of pro bono work each year. 

I have known Powell for more than 25 years.  Always bright and insightful, she had a remarkable career transformation, starting with dance as an undergraduate student, to communication as a master’s student, and then on to law school.  She is quite a success story, and her featured picture and article in the newspaper is quite deserving.  I wish she had more time to tell her story to people who feel down-and-out.  She has demonstrated that you can do anything, if you put your mind to it, and decide that is what you want to do.

American is not alone.  You will read in the article about other companies that do this, such as Exxon Mobil and AT&T.

I hope you find this as refreshing as I do.  Not only is this good news about American Airlines, but also, good news about corporate giving and social responsibility.  And, it is great to see good news on the front page of the Business section for a change.

What do you think ?  Let’s talk about it really soon.

 

Social Media Doesn’t Make the Cash Register Ring

As with many of you, we have a presence on Facebook for the First Friday Book Synopsis.  Many of you are members of the group that we established.  It is fun to interact with you through that group every day.

It is important to remember that Social Media has limits as to what it can produce.  It is what it is – it is “social,” and its intent is to share information, reactions, opinions, and presence.   Many have tried to use Social Media for other purposes, and in fact, seminars are plentiful that purport to show you how to build business by maximizing and tweaking your presence with the various tools.

Click here  for access to a full article published on February 21 in the Dallas Morning News about business results from Facebook.  They are not impressive, and the trends below may surprise you, as they run counter to common-sense publicity about social media.  Here is an excerpt from the article:

“Last April, Gamestop Corp. opened a store on Facebookto generate sales among the 3.5 million-plus customers who’d declared themselves “fans” of the video game retailer. Six months later, the store was quietly shuttered.  Grapevine-based Gamestop has company. Over the past year, Gap Inc. , Plano-based J.C. Penney Co. and Nordstrom Inc. have all opened and closed storefronts on Facebook Inc.’s social networking site.  Facebook, which this month filed for an initial public offering, has sought to be a top shopping destination for its 845 million members.  The stores’ quick failure shows that the Menlo Park, Calif.-based social network doesn’t drive commerce and casts doubt on its value for retailers, said Sucharita Mulpuru, an analyst at Forrester Research in Cambridge, Mass.  “There was a lot of anticipation that Facebook would turn into a new destination, a store, a place where people would shop,” Mulpuru said. “But it was like trying to sell stuff to people while they’re hanging out with their friends at the bar.”

These  results do not surprise me.  If you count on Social Media to build sales, that is neither its intent, nor a probable outcome. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I like Social Media.  I access Facebook and Twitter several times a day.  In fact, my MBA class on research methods at the University of Dallas is studying it during this term. 

But, I am aware of what it is supposed to do, and what it can do.   It is what it is.  It raises awareness, but it doesn’t make the cash register ring.  Don’t be disappointed when it doesn’t do something it is not.

What do you think?  Let’s talk about this really soon.

John Bernard: An interview by Bob Morris

John Bernard

John Bernard is the author of Business at the Speed of NOW, published by John Wiley & Sons in December of 2011.  He’s a top-rated speaker for the Conference Board, discussion leader on the Harvard Business Review blog, and his monthly newspaper column is syndicated to 41 Business Journals across the U.S.  For 30 years John has been building and reengineering organizations to enable them to aggressively grow the top and bottom line. As the principal architect of the NOW Management System℠, his passion focuses on leveraging best-practice management with social media INSIDE the organization to engage employees, sharpen focus and accelerate execution. John’s deep and varied career ranges from serving as an executive team member at multi-billion dollar StanCorp Financial Group to being the founding CEO of a technology start-up, which he led through its sale. He also served in senior positions at Omark Industries, Floating Point Systems and ESI. John has led operations, manufacturing, customer service, product development, human resources, quality, information technology, strategic planning, engineering, shared services, marketing and communications. He has consulted with senior executives at all levels in high technology, health care, insurance, banking, forest products, distribution, manufacturing, and a wide range of service companies, along with many large government agencies. John loves writing and spending time with his family; he has toddler boy/girl twins in addition to three grown and accomplished daughters. John has a BA from the University of Portland in Mass Communications and Journalism.

Here is an excerpt from my interview of him. To read the complete interview, please click here.

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Morris: Before discussing Business at the Speed of NOW, a few general questions. First, who has had the greatest influence on your personal growth? Please explain.

Bernard: This is tempting to evade because people have preconceived notions about what it means, but I am a Christian. I believe we were created to bring gifts to the world and the workplace is the ideal place to share those gifts. His teachings put great responsibilities on leaders to hold to a set of values that respect the individual and demand growth of every one of us imperfect human beings. The whole principle of grace bridges the chasm between our desire for perfection and the reality of being human.

Morris: The greatest impact of your professional development?

Bernard: Dr. W. Edwards Deming played a big role in what I have come to see as the great truths of management. Early in my career I spent some time with Tom Peters who lifted both my courage and my sense of responsibility to challenge the status quo.

Morris: Years ago, was there a turning-point (if not an epiphany) that set you on the career course you continue to follow?

Bernard: I was interviewing the chief operating officer of the first big company I worked for, Omark Industries. His name was Jack Warne. I was probably 23 years old and was writing the company’s annual report to employees. I asked Jack what was the single thing the company could do to become more productive. I was sure he would wax on about it being all about the people. His answer set me back, “Buy more productive capital equipment.” I simply believed his answer was wrong and that it really was about the people. I have spent my career proving that to myself and to anyone else who would listen to me. As a side note, a couple of years later (circa 1980) Jack toured Japan on one of the very first business study missions to see what companies such as Toyota were doing. Jack became a total zealot and globally recognized early advocate for lean — and a real believer in the power of people.

Morris: To what extent has your formal education proven invaluable to what you have achieved thus far?

Bernard: I was a mass communications major with an emphasis in journalism. My passion for employee engagement and my ability to articulate provocative ideas have always been assets.

Morris: Of all that has changed in the business world during (let’s say) the last decade, which single development – in your opinion – has had the greatest impact? Please explain?

Bernard: No doubt it is the Internet coupled with social media. The truth will set you free and now the truth is unavoidable.

Morris: What do you think will be the single greatest challenge that CEOs will face in (let’s say) the next 3-5 years? Any advice?

Bernard:  CEOs have to figure out how to tap into the passions and innovations already resident in the minds of their employees. We have to move from a centrally planned organization to one where decisions truly are being made where the work is done. There’s no choice because increasingly the only value proposition that matters is YES and the only acceptable timeframe is NOW. The rules have changed and so must the game.

Morris: Most change initiatives either fail or fall far short of initial expectations. Why?

Bernard: That’s because the search for the Holy Grail leads to complex solutions, solutions that demand a lot of work and a lot of soul searching. I remember someone telling me the reason American managers don’t do well dealing with complexity is that they much prefer to do “happy work” — the fun, challenging and creative work. But if you have them sit down and build a detailed project plan or insist they follow a structured and disciplined problem solving methodology, it’s like asking them to volunteer to have their teeth all pulled. Most change fails because people don’t understand what they are committing to and they don’t have the discipline to do the work and stick with it until the results arrive.

A great example of this is that when organizations get into process improvements everyone’s process is under consideration for improvement (lean-outs, Kaizens, Six Sigma implementation) except management’s. Management doesn’t view its work as a process even though it will assert that all work is a process. Think about it, the management process is the mother of all processes. The management process decides what work matters, allocates responsibility and resources, establishes accountability, determines whether problems will be visible, defines how problems will be addressed and ultimately measures success. Why isn’t this seen by management as a process? Because it is hard work to manage an enterprise and for some reason management’s processes are not subject to the same scrutiny or discipline.

Morris: In Leading Change, James O’Toole asserts that most resistance to change is cultural in nature, the result of what he aptly characterizes as ‘”the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom.” Here’s my question: How best to avoid or overcome cultural resistance?

Bernard:  Culture, the hidden rules and norms, is often talked about as some mysterious force. Culture is the set of expected behaviors which are shaped by what management expects. If you want to change the culture, change the management system and you will get new behaviors.

Morris: Percentages vary from one major research study to another (e.g. Aon Hewitt, BlessingWhite, Gallup, TowersWatson) but the fact remains that, on average, about 70% of employees in a U.S. workforce are either passively engaged (“mailing it in”) or actively disengaged, doing whatever they can to undermine the success of their organization. How do you explain this?

Bernard: Most organizations seek employee engagement but operate a system of management where engagement is not only discouraged, it is impossible. If you are an employee and have an idea and your boss has to approve the idea and your boss has a million more pressing things to do, you’ll try a couple of times and then give up. Why are we surprised our employees aren’t engaged when they work in a system of management that was not designed for engagement.

Morris: Here’s a follow-up question. In your opinion, which strategies are most effective when leveraging best-practice management with social media within an organization to engage its employees, sharpen focus and accelerate execution?

Bernard: Social media is simply a free-flowing conversation of ideas and the immediate exchange of information. To survive in a NOW-centered economy a business must listen to the voice of its customers and the voice of its employees or it will quickly be hopelessly out of touch. The truth will set you free, if you are willing to listen and respond to it.

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To read the complete interview, please click here.

John invites you to check out the resources at these websites:

www.massingenuity.com

www.massingenuity.com/blog

What Would Steve Jobs Do?: A book review by Bob Morris

What Would Steve Jobs Do? How the Steve Jobs Way Can Inspire Anyone to Think Differently and Win
Peter Sander
McGraw-Hill (2012)

If you have “insanely great” talents, you don’t need this book. Otherwise….

I recently read this book and What Would Drucker Do Now?, written by Rick Wartzman and also published by McGraw-Hill. Initially, I suspected that both were (or will become) part of a “What Would X Do?” series that might also include Sun Tzu, Socrates, Machiavelli, and Von Clauswitz or, within the domain of business, Henry Ford, Albert Sloan, one or both of the Thomas Watsons, and Walt Disney. It turns out, these two “What Would” books share little in common, except for the quality of their content and of their authors’ presentation of it.

Peter Sander devotes the first two chapters of his book to essential background information about Steve Jobs and Apple, then explores the meaning and significance of the book’s title in several different ways. Here are two. First, what he characterizes as “The Steve Jobs Leadership Model” in Chapter 3, one that consists of six “steps” or elements. He also includes a suggestion by Jean-Louis Gassée, former Apple VP: “Democracies don’t make great products – you need a competent tyrant.” Jobs was certainly both and that is hardly a head-snapping revelation. The historical details of the model have been known for decades. The same competent tyrant who visited Xerox PARC with Steve Wozniak in 1979 also introduced a series of “insanely great” Apple products 25-30 years later. For better or worse, Jobs really was literally “one of a kind.”

Hence the importance of Sander’s second approach: A series of “What Would Steve Jobs Do?” sections at the conclusion of Chapters 4-9 in which he suggests lessons to be learned from Jobs in six subject areas: Customer (Page 103), Vision (124-125), Culture (153-154), Product (171-172), Message (190-191), and Brand (205-206). Almost anyone who reads this book can follow the advice provided (e.g. “Think about customer pain and what causes it”) but few – if any – can make it happen in ways and to the extent Steve Jobs could…and did. Most of the admonitions will serve as reminders rather than as revelations. Fair enough.

For those who wish to know more about Steve Jobs, there is no shortage of other sources, notably Walter Isaacson’s biography. I also highly recommend Adam Lashinsky’s Inside Apple and Leander Kahney’s Inside Steve’s Brain.